Miami University

Founded in 1809, Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, is a nationally ranked public university.

The university is named after the original Native American tribe that once inhabited the Miami Valley region of Ohio, and it continues to maintain ties with the tribe, now located in Oklahoma.

Chartered in 1809, Miami opened its doors to its first set of students in 1824, and is today considered to be one of the oldest public universities in the country.

Its alumni includes Benjamin Harrison, President of the United States (1889 – 1893) and Professor William Holmes McGuffey, credited with writing the first widely used series of textbooks, whilst teaching at the university between 1826 – 1836.

Miami University is also the birthplace of four leading fraternities: Beta Theta Pi, Phi Delta Theta, Sigma Chi, and Phi Kappa Tau. It is also where the Delta Zeta sorority was founded.

Fast-forward almost 200 years and the residential university now offers undergraduate degrees in over 120 areas of study, while graduate students can choose from over 70 degree programs.

It has a student body of around 16,000 undergraduates and 2,600 graduate students on its main Oxford campus, while an additional 5,600 students are enrolled at Miami’s regional facilities in Hamilton, Middletown, and West Chester, Ohio. It also has a European campus in Luxembourg.

Miami has become known for some unique traditions, such as the gastronomic delicacy known as ‘Tuffy’s Toasted Roll’, and rubbing the heads of the copper turtles that adorn a giant sundial in the middle of the campus, which is said to ensure an ‘A’ grade in exams.

The university is also renowned for its scenic campus, which the poet Robert Frost once described as “the most beautiful campus that ever there was”.