Students sit on the lawn outside of St. Thomas of Villanova Church at the campus of Villanova University in Villanova May 8, 2025. (Photo by Matthew Hatcher / AFP)
MATTHEW HATCHER
AFP via Getty Images
Two Pennsylvania colleges were placed on a U.S. News & World Report’s list of “30 Beautiful College Campuses” in January.
The schools, Swarthmore College and Villanova University, are less than a dozen miles apart off Interstate 476 in Delaware County.
Swarthmore, a small, selective liberal arts college, was cited by the publication for its Reconstruction-era administration building, Parrish Hall, which also has two floors of student housing. The Victorian-style granite and slate building, which has more modern design cues inside despite being built in 1869, is the central-most building on campus and overlooks a quad dubbed “the beach.”
“Parrish Hall at Swarthmore College is seen in this file photo. aimintang Getty Images/iStockphoto
Also cited was the Scott Arboretum, one of many arboretums housed by Philadelphia-area colleges. The arboretum, which takes up three-quarters of the college’s acreage, boasts more 4,000 plant species, according to the school. It offers guided tours on weekdays.
“Swarthmore’s campus also features an amphitheater with multiple levels of lawn-covered stone tiers shaded by tulip trees. Throughout the school’s 425 acres are many wooded areas and walking trails,” U.S. News wrote.
But the campus, often recognized for its looks, has other dimensions, with architecture ranging from short, Tudor-style dorms to giant glass boxes. It is nestled in a residential area with heavy greenery and sometimes-narrow streets.
Swarthmore College’s campus is seen in this file photo. aimintang Getty Images
It’s not the first time Swarthmore’s campus was lauded, Condé Nast Traveler named the college among those with the most beautiful campuses in the U.S. last year.
Villanova, a significantly larger research university, was also cited by U.S. News for its sharp Gothic architecture and landscaping.
St. Thomas of Villanova Church is the most iconic of the university’s structures, and its clean exterior stone and tall white ceilings can give a more modern feel than some European cathedrals. Last year, the church’s bells rang for hours after a 1977 Villanova alumnus, Robert Francis Prevost, took on a new name: Pope Leo XIV.
While the campus is decidedly less wooded than Swarthmore and is bisected by a busy highway, some nooks and crannies can give the vibe of a small suburban park, like the Rowen Campus Green. U.S. News shouted out the native plants that dot Villanova’s landscape.
“Campus planners hold the ideal of ‘a beautiful, amenable, and sustainable campus to support the Augustinian ideal of living and studying amongst friends,’” U.S. News wrote, citing the university.
Villanova is set to expand in 2028 with its acquisition of Rosemont College, a more tucked-away school within walking distance.
The Centre Daily Times has reached out to the colleges for comment on the U.S. News listing.
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