Transylvania University
Lexington, KY300 N Broadway, Lexington, KY 40508-1797
859-233-8300
Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded in 1780, making it the first university in Kentucky and among the oldest in the United States. It is the 28th-oldest continuously operating university in the country. The university's name comes from its location in the historic region of Transylvania.
The university began as a log cabin college in a remote wilderness area. It moved to Lexington in 1789, where it was chartered as Transylvania Seminary. In 1818, the Kentucky General Assembly chartered it as Transylvania University. Its main campus covers more than 100 acres (40 ha) in downtown Lexington. The university has about 1,000 students in 30 undergraduate and 20 graduate programs.
The university's medical program, now the School of Medicine, began in 1837. It was the first in the United States to award the Doctor of Medicine degree west of the Allegheny Mountains. The School of Nursing, established in 1889, is the oldest in Kentucky. The university also operates a law school, which was established in 1799 and is the oldest west of the Alleghenies.
In 1780, the Virginia General Assembly chartered Transylvania Seminary, located in what was then Kentucky County, Virginia, in the Virginia District of the Colony and Dominion of Virginia. The seminary was Kentucky's first institute of higher learning. It was founded by the Transylvania Company, a group of Virginians who had recently settled in Kentucky. The company's shareholders included Lexington's leading citizens, such as Henry Clay and James McAfee.
The seminary's first president was the Reverend David Rice, a Presbyterian minister from Virginia. He taught the school's first class of seven students in a one-room log cabin near present-day Lexington. The log cabin is now a historical site on the Transylvania University campus.
In 1789, the seminary moved to Lexington, the new capital of Kentucky. The Kentucky General Assembly chartered the school as Transylvania University in 1780. The legislature also decreed that the university should never be located outside of Lexington.
In 1818, the Kentucky General Assembly chartered Transylvania University as a degree-granting institution. The university began admitting women in 1880.
The medical program, now the School of Medicine, began in 1837. It was the first in the United States to award the Doctor of Medicine degree west of the Allegheny Mountains. The School of Nursing, established in 1889, is the oldest in Kentucky.
The university also operates a law school, which was established in 1799 and is the oldest west of the Alleghenies.
Transylvania University has a rich history and tradition of educational excellence. It is a dynamic and innovative institution of higher learning, offering a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs. The university is committed to providing a liberal arts education that is grounded in the traditions of the past and prepares students for the challenges of the future.
Quick Facts
Enrollment: 963
Acceptance Rate: 92.12%
Type: Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above
Main Website: https://www.transy.edu/
Financial Aid: https://www.transy.edu/financial-aid
Annual Costs
Total Cost In-State On-Campus: $56620
Total Cost Out-State On-Campus: $56620
Return on Investment Rating
The estimated cost for four years as an undergraduate at Transylvania University is $205971.44. This includes the average cost of attendance for four years plus the interest on the average loan over a ten year repayment minus the average of grants and scholarships per student.
We then contrast this figure with average early-career and mid-career average incomes of graduates of four year programs at Transylvania University. For graduates of Transylvania University, we saw an average early-career income of $50900.00 and mid-career income of $85000.00. We then ranked the school's value based on how many years of mid-career income it takes to repay the educational costs.