LaGrange College

LaGrange College is a private, four-year liberal arts and sciences college in LaGrange, Georgia. Founded in 1831 as a female educational institution, LaGrange is the oldest private college in Georgia. It offers more than 55 academic and pre-professional programs, including graduate degrees in education. Affiliated with the United Methodist Church, LaGrange College has been ranked in the top 10 and as one of 10 "best values" among Southern comprehensive colleges by U.S. News & World Report.

LaGrange draws more than half of its student body from Georgia. However, students from at least one-third of the other states in the U.S. and from abroad help provide a diverse community that includes various religious and ethnic backgrounds.

On Dec. 26, 1831, the charter for LaGrange Female Academy was granted by the Georgia Legislature. Most of the Creek Indians had been removed from the LaGrange area six years before, and relocated to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River. At the time, the only other college in the state was Franklin College, now the University of Georgia.

The college began as a women's academy (high-school level), housed in a large white building down the street from where the current campus was developed. A few years later, in 1851, the institution moved to its present location on "the Hill," the highest geographical point in the city of LaGrange.