Susquehanna University

Susquehanna University is a private liberal arts college located in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. Affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, it offers a broad range of undergraduate programs in the arts, sciences, and professional fields. The university emphasizes experiential learning, study abroad, and interdisciplinary education, including a required cross-cultural experience for undergraduates. Its campus spans more than 290 acres in a small college-town setting along the Susquehanna River. Susquehanna University attracts students seeking a residential undergraduate environment with small class sizes, close faculty interaction, and opportunities for research, internships, and leadership development across academic and co-curricular programs.

Susquehanna University was founded in 1858 in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, as the Missionary Institute of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Established to educate ministers and provide classical instruction, the institution was led by its first president, Benjamin Kurtz. In 1895, the Missionary Institute adopted the name Susquehanna University, reflecting its broader academic mission. The institution developed as a liberal arts college during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, expanding its curriculum beyond theology. Susquehanna Female College, founded in 1858, later merged fully with the university, and in 1973 the institution became fully coeducational. Throughout the twentieth century, Susquehanna University expanded its academic programs, campus facilities, and student life offerings. In recent decades, the university has emphasized global education initiatives and experiential learning, shaping Susquehanna University into a residential liberal arts institution serving undergraduate students from across the United States and abroad.