Tracing its history back to 1854, nearly a decade before the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans, Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, the nation’s first degree-granting historically Black college, was offering higher education to males of African descent. It opened its enrollment to males of “every clime and complexion” in 1866 and began to accept women in 1953.
Today, 168 years later, Lincoln University, once known as “The Black Princeton,” continues its legacy of offering a high-quality liberal arts education.
“We are proud of our history and our founder, who believed that being Black should not be an impediment to getting and benefitting from a rigorous liberal arts education,” said Lincoln University President Brenda Allen.
“In our university, we are not so much focused on whether you are a math major or a music major. Regardless of one’s major, our goal is to make sure that you are intellectually strong by the end of your journey. Here, our students can fully explore their passions and use opportunities that will develop and hone essential skills,” Allen added.
Although founded as a historically Black college, Lincoln University has a diverse student body that includes international students from as near as Central and South America and as far as Asia.
“We no longer make race distinctions. I think that for all our students, especially those who are not originally from here, one of the most important things is to feel they are welcome and believe they have found their place here,” Allen said.
