Denison University
Denison University is a private liberal arts college in Granville, Ohio, United States. One of the earliest colleges established in the former Northwest Territory, Denison University was founded in 1831. It was first called the Granville Literary and Theological Institution, later took the name Granville College, and, in the mid-1850s, was renamed Denison University, in honor of William S. Denison, a major early benefactor. The college enrolled 2,300 students in fall 2023. Students choose from 65 academic programs.
The college's intercollegiate athletic teams compete in the North Coast Athletic Conference, fielding 26 varsity teams in the NCAA Division III. Denison is a member of the Five Colleges of Ohio and the Great Lakes Colleges Association.
History
On December 13, 1831, John Pratt, the college's first president and a graduate of Brown University, inaugurated classes at the Granville Literary and Theological Institution. Situated on a farm south of the village of Granville; it was the second Baptist college west of the Allegheny mountains after Georgetown College, which was founded in 1829. While rooted in theological education, the institution offered students the same literary and scientific instruction common to other colleges of the day. The first term included 37 students, 27 of whom hailed from Granville; nearly half of these students were under fifteen years of age. The school's first Commencement, which graduated three classics majors, was held in 1840.In 1845, the institution, which at this point was male-only, officially changed its name to Granville College. In 1853, William S. Denison, a Muskingum County farmer, pledged $10,000 toward the college's endowment. Honoring an earlier commitment, the trustees accordingly changed the name of the institution to Denison University. They also voted to move the college to land then available for purchase in the village of Granville.
Image:Swasey Chapel, Denison University.jpg|thumb|left|Swasey Chapel
In the years leading up to the Civil War, many students and faculty members at Denison University became deeply involved in the anti-slavery movement. Asa Drury, the chair of Greek and Latin studies, became the leader of a local anti-slavery society. Bancroft House, now a residential hall, served as a stop on the Underground Railroad for refugee slaves.
Granville Female Seminary was founded in 1832, a year before Oberlin College launched the first coeducational college in the United States. The seminary was superseded by the Young Ladies' Institute, founded in 1859. The Young Ladies' Institute was renamed Shepardson College for Women in 1886. Shepardson College was fully incorporated into Denison University after a transitional phase in 1927.
In 1887, Denison inaugurated a master's program, with resident graduates pursuing advanced studies in the sciences. In 1926, the board of trustees formalized a new curriculum that made Denison University an exclusively undergraduate institution.
In the wake of Shepardson College's incorporation, Denison University enlarged its campus. In 1916, the college hired the Frederick Law Olmsted & Sons architectural firm. The resulting "Olmsted Plan" laid a foundation for expansion that has remained the guiding aesthetic for subsequent growth. Expansion during this period included the acquisition of land to the north and east, the relocation of Shepardson College to the east ridge of College Hill, and the development of a new men's quadrangle beyond the library.
While the college's origins were rooted in theological education, Denison University has been a non-sectarian institution since the 1960s. By 2005, the college reached its present size of approximately 2,250 students.
Presidents
See List of Denison University peopleCampus
The campus size is about. This includes a biological reserve just east of campus, where professors of sciences, such as geology and biology, can hold class. The Denison Golf Club at Granville, an 18-hole course designed by Donald Ross, is just from the academic campus and was donated to the university in 2014. In 2013, the university purchased and renovated the historic Granville Inn.The first building in the "Greater Denison" plan, Swasey Chapel, was built at the center of the campus. The chapel seats 990 and plays host to notable campus events such as baccalaureate services, lectures, concerts, and academic award convocations.
There are 18 academic buildings on campus. Doane Administration Building, one of the oldest buildings on campus, and Burton Morgan are also on academic quad, but they serve administrative purposes. The Bryant Arts Center opened in August 2009. Also on the fine arts quad is Doane Dance Building, Burton Music, Cinema MIX Lab, Burke Performance and Recital Hall, and the Michael D. Eisner Center for the Performing Arts, completed in 2019.
Doane Library today houses more than 500,000 books and bound periodicals.
Swasey Observatory, which opened in June 1910, houses a 9-inch refracting telescope as well as two 8-inch reflecting telescopes.
The campus landscape was designed by the Olmsted Brothers firm. "Greater Denison" was designed based on a layout of quadrangles throughout upper campus, designed to mirror the building functions. This was envisioned to help foster a sense of community among campus groups.
Students
As of the 2023–24 school year, 2,300 students are enrolled at Denison, with a gender distribution of 49 percent male students and 51 percent female students. They come from all 50 states, Washington, DC; and 79 countries, with 78% from out-of-state. A full-time faculty of 292 professors makes the student-to-faculty ratio 9:1.Thirteen percent of students are first-generation college students, and 37% are multicultural students. Denison was cited by The New York Times in 2014 as one of America's "Most Economically Diverse Top Colleges." In that list, Denison is ranked at No. 11 in the list of the nation's top colleges and universities.
The endowment was stated at over $1 billion in 2023, with an endowment per student of slightly over $400,000. While the university will "meet 100% of all demonstrated need," the annual cost of attending is $83,400 for the 2024–2025 academic year. Denison awards nearly $70 million in financial aid each year.
Academics
Denison's most popular majors, by 2021 graduates, were:- Econometrics & Quantitative Economics
- Biology/Biological Sciences
- Mass Communication/Media Studies
- International Business/Trade/Commerce
- Research & Experimental Psychology
Admissions
In the admission season for fall 2023 entry, there were more than 14,500 applicants, with an admission rate of 17%. Recent trends show an expanding interest from international student populations, with application submissions increasing from 2,447 in 2019 to 3,255 in 2021. Enrollment among international students has also increased during this period, from 97 newly enrolled international students to 131 over the three-year span. Among freshman students who committed to enrolling in Fall 2021, composite SAT scores for the middle 50% ranged from 1330 to 1550, while composite ACT scores for the middle 50% ranged from 30 to 35. Denison practices test-optional admissions. Consequently, the SAT and ACT information reported is not based on the entire student body and instead reflects the middle 50% of only those students who opted to provide their test scores. In Fall 2021, 76% of enrolled freshmen were in the top 10% of their high school classes. U.S. News & World Report categorizes Denison as "most selective". Roughly 15 percent of the incoming class are admitted through athlete recruits. Denison University implements the holistic review admissions process. In addition to the standard results, extracurricular activities, awards, honors, character, community contributions, enthusiasm, specialties, etc. are criteria that are factored into the application process.
In January 2021, Denison University announced it has been selected as a QuestBridge partner college, joining what is currently a group of 55 universities in the country participating
in the program.
Rankings
Denison was ranked tied for 36th in U.S. liberal arts colleges and 4th for “Most Innovative Schools” by the 2025 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Ranking. The college also received an “A” overall grade from Niche, who also placed them as the 2nd best liberal arts college in Ohio. Denison's websites states they were ranked 43rd in “Smartest Liberal Arts Colleges in America” by Business Insider. In 2024, Washington Monthly ranked Denison 53rd among 194 liberal arts colleges in the U.S. based on its contribution to the public good, as measured by social mobility, research, and promoting public service.Student life
Denison is a strictly residential campus that features a mixture of historic and contemporary buildings. The Homestead at Denison University is a non-traditional housing option.Student organizations and involvement
Denison University is home to over 160 campus organizations with more than 600 students in leadership positions.The Denison Campus Governance Association is the Denison student governing body, in which all students are members. The DCGA Student Senate is the primary representative body of students on Denison's campus, and it has been involved in various student initiatives: from postponing quiet hours in the fall of 2007 to drafting the Code of Academic Integrity adopted in the fall of 2009 to encouraging the University President to sign onto the Presidents' Climate Commitment.
Denison Community Association is student-led and operated umbrella organization for student service committees. In 2015, 86% of students participated in community service.
Founded in 1857, The Denisonian is the student-run newspaper and oldest student organization on campus and prints ten issues per semester as well as online at denisonian.com.
The Bullsheet is a student-run publication for news, humor and community dialog that is printed daily and delivered to campus buildings. It was founded in 1979 to combat student apathy, and it remains central to campus culture by providing an open forum for free speech.
The Homestead is a student-run intentional community with a focus on ecological sustainability, founded in 1977. In 2025, the administration announced its plans to close the Homestead.