University of the South (Sewanee) Named 'The Most Beautiful College Campus' by TPR

The Princeton Review recently releases its 2026 Best Colleges rankings and University of the South (Sewanee) was named “The Most Beautiful College Campus.”

Below are some bits from the profile run in Southern Living:

When you step foot on the Sewanee campus (called The Domain), you’ll have a moment of understanding. First, let’s talk about the school’s surroundings: miles of deciduous forests, lakefront bluffs, coves, waterfalls, and caves that serve as an outdoor classroom—occasionally, students hike during environmental science lectures—with endless possibilities. Much of the land is still wild and undeveloped.

And then there are the buildings, straight out of a fairytale. Many of the Gothic Revival-inspired structures were constructed of local sandstone, with All Saints’ Chapel at the center of campus being the school’s crown jewel. The chapel, which was completed and dedicated in 1959, has vaulted ceilings, a tower inspired by Oxford University, and intricate stained-glass window panels. (But if you think the school takes themselves too seriously, look closely at the stained glass—you’ll spy a hidden VW Beetle.)

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Note that this ranking is based on student surveys, which means that the results are a reflection of what students think of their own campus. So, based on this PR ranking, we can say that students at Sewanee are ga ga about the campus they chose. I’m happy for them.

I must say that I found some of the colleges on the list to be peculiar inclusions. I guess that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

oh yeah - 100%.

it is a nice school…if you like that type.

Of course, different ranks say different things:

Research.com has Wesleyan #1 and U of the South not ranked in their top 50.

Niche has UCLA #1 and U of South not in top 50. In fact, they grade the campus a C.

College Advisor has Pepperdine #1 and Sewanee 26.

Princeton Review - bingo - U of South / Sewanee is #1 - so they agree. They list UCSC but not UCLA in the top echelon whereas niche had UCLA #1.

The other day someone posted about Travel & Leisure - and Sewanee was #9. Stanford was #1 - I’d quibble with that and they had U Wash as a top 10 - just not getting it.

But someone did - and that’s the point - we all see things differently.

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