Lincoln University

What is the history of Lincoln University?

Lincoln University was founded in 1854 as Ashmun Institute to educate Black men at a time when access to higher education was severely restricted. It adopted the name Lincoln University in 1866, after the Civil War. The university identifies itself as the nation's first degree-granting historically Black college or university.

Founded by John Miller Dickey and Sarah Emlen Cresson, Lincoln began with a religious and classical curriculum and later broadened its academic offerings. It became a state-related institution in Pennsylvania in 1972. Alumni include poet Langston Hughes and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. That history remains relevant to applicants: Lincoln is a public, historically Black university with a liberal arts tradition, rather than a school limited to a single profession or field.

What are the faculties and departments at Lincoln University?

Lincoln University offers undergraduate study across the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, business, education-related fields, and health professions, as well as graduate programs. Prospective students should use the university's current academic catalog to distinguish an available major from a course of study that leads to a specific professional credential.

Examples of undergraduate fields represented in institutional program reporting include biology, computer and information sciences, psychology, criminal justice, business administration, and nursing. Students can also explore areas such as English, political science, mathematics, and the arts. Some fields have sequential courses or separate admission and progression requirements; nursing applicants, in particular, should check the requirements for entering and completing the nursing major rather than assuming admission to the university settles every program requirement.

Lincoln reports an approximately 11-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio. That institution-wide measure describes overall staffing relative to enrollment, not the size of every class or the availability of a particular course.

What is the location of Lincoln University?

Lincoln University's main campus is in Lincoln University, Pennsylvania, in a rural part of southern Chester County near Oxford. Applicants comparing it with a city campus should account for the different transportation and daily-life arrangements that come with this setting.

Philadelphia is accessible as a regional destination, but the main campus is not in Philadelphia. Students planning internships, off-campus work, or frequent trips home should check the travel time and transportation available for their particular route. Philadelphia International Airport is a relevant airport for longer-distance travel. The university has also offered instruction in Philadelphia; applicants to a specific graduate or other program should confirm where its classes are actually held rather than assuming every program meets on the main campus.

What is the mission and vision of Lincoln University?

Lincoln University describes its mission in terms of liberal arts education, intellectual development, leadership, and service. Its stated priorities are shaped by its history as a historically Black university, while its admissions and educational programs serve students from a range of backgrounds.

For an applicant, the practical implication of that mission is an emphasis on learning beyond a single occupational specialty: general education and work within a major both form part of a degree. A mission statement expresses institutional aims, however, not a guarantee about an individual student's experience or outcome.