Oglethorpe University

Oglethorpe University is a private liberal arts college located in Brookhaven, Georgia, within the Atlanta metropolitan area. Chartered in 1835, it offers undergraduate programs across the arts and sciences and emphasizes a core curriculum designed to provide a broad foundation in citizenship and human understanding. The university enrolls approximately 1,500 students and maintains small class sizes and a student-faculty ratio that supports close academic interaction. Oglethorpe University competes in NCAA Division III athletics and is known for its historic Gothic Revival campus, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The institution attracts students seeking a residential liberal arts experience in a suburban setting near a major city.

Oglethorpe University was chartered in 1835 by the state of Georgia and began operations in 1838 in Midway near Milledgeville, then the state capital. Founded by Presbyterians, the institution aimed to provide classical and religious education in the antebellum South. It closed during the Civil War in 1862 and briefly reopened in Atlanta in 1870, offering innovative programs such as evening classes before closing again in 1872. Oglethorpe University was rechartered in 1913 under the leadership of Thornwell Jacobs, and the current campus on Peachtree Road in Atlanta was established in 1915. During the twentieth century, the university developed a distinctive core curriculum known as the Oglethorpe Idea. After being renamed Oglethorpe College in 1965, it restored the university designation in 1972. Today, Oglethorpe University continues as a private liberal arts institution in Brookhaven, Georgia.