Houghton College

God is always surprising our world by starting large things in small places. Houghton College is one of those small places where, for more than 130 years, God has been doing very large things.

Located in Houghton (Allegany County), this private, Christian, liberal arts college began in 1883 as a seminary (high school) under the Wesleyan Methodist Connection. Coeducational from its founding, Houghton operated as a secondary school for its first 15 years.

In 1899 a few college classes were offered; the college department’s first diploma was awarded in 1901. While early principals were Wesleyan Methodist pastors willing to accept the job, in 1908 Houghton acquired its first academically-trained president, James S. Luckey, who served until his death in 1937.

Houghton College provides an academically challenging, Christ-centered education in the liberal arts and sciences to students from diverse traditions and economic backgrounds and equips them to lead and labor as scholar-servants in a changing world.

Houghton College admits students of any race, color, gender and national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the college. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender or national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.