10 Best College Campuses In America

A list of the 10 best college campuses in America has nothing to do with the quality of the school itself but instead celebrates a beautiful campus. Some quality universities had the misfortune to end up in the center of a city and now have campuses paved by concrete or surrounded by skyscrapers. Other campuses had excellent planning, or maybe just good luck, to locate in rural areas that continue to allow expansion as the university or college grows. Even small college campuses, however, can capture a slot on the ten best college campuses in America list when interesting architecture and sculpture gardens are incorporated into the campus design. 

1. University of California, Berkeley, California Campus. UCB, also known as Cal Berkeley, is the granddaddy of the University California system. The iron gates at the campus entrance with large open entrance make this one of the best college campuses in America. The vintage brick buildings, ironwork and greenery in the middle of an urban center add to the historic legacy of this campus. 
2. Pepperdine University, Malibu, California Campus. Overlooking the Pacific Ocean on a grass-covered hillside, the Pepperdine University campus may just be the top of the ten best college campuses in America. Although the founding date in 1937 makes Pepperdine a relative newcomer in the education field, the campus greenery makes the university a top vote getter on a list of the best college campus.
3. University of the South, also known as Sewanee, Tennessee. This college campus features tall trees and buildings constructed of rocks found in the hills around the campus. The best college campus, located at the top of the Cumberland Plateau, opened for students in 1857 on a campus tucked in the middle of a beautiful hardwood forest.
4. Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana. Founded in 1816, Indiana University in the town of Bloomington is the anchor for the new branches of the Hoosier State education system. The limestone building materials coordinate the architecture through the campus. 
5. Stanford University, California and University of Virginia. Both classically designed schools have maintained a look through massive expansion. Both feature classical designs and have mature green spaces. Both also have historic heritages. The West Coast Stanford was founded by railroad and oil mogul Leland Stanford and the University of Virginia has the rich heritage of architect and historian Thomas Jefferson. 
6. Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. As the oldest institution of higher learning in the U.S., Harvard has architecture to die for. It also features a campus plan that allows views of the Charles River and Boston Harbor.
7. Dartmouth College, Vermont. This stone-structure college campus uses the downtown for many of the college activities. Mature trees tower over the campus creating an intimate feeling, like you're going to college in the 1920s. Stone benches and walkways add to this best college campus look, and the Greek row houses look like something from the film "Animal House."
8. University of California, Santa Cruz, California Campus. It's a college overlooking the Pacific Ocean. If you needed more to make the best college campus list, add the fact that the campus is relatively new and the construction are mostly state-of-the-art and well-planned. The design uses the large natural open spaces.
9. University of Chicago, Illinois. This urban best college campus has a rich tradition for amazing architecture. Located near the prestigious Hyde Park neighborhood, this campus features outdoor sculpture and houses architectural works by the noted Frank Lloyd Wright. 
10. University of Colorado at Boulder. This college campus features the nature of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains and students. Students travel through moss-covered hillsides and stone pathways to classes, The view of the mountains makes this one of the top of the ten best college campuses.