Founded as a Presbyterian institution in 1849, Fulton's Westminster College is a liberal arts college. The college is noted for its National Churchill Museum and Library, which includes a church, built in England in 1667 and rebuilt on the campus to commemorate Winston Churchill. The college was the site of Churchill's "Iron Curtain" speech in 1946. Often included on selective lists, Westminster was noted by Forbes Magazine as one of the 50 best American colleges in 2008. The college boasts a large number of students who continue on to law and medical school each year. A Division III athletic program, the Blue Jays compete in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Located in Fulton, William Woods University was founded in 1870 with the mission to provide quality education and ensure individual development. Among the school's more uncommon areas of study are an equestrian studies program and a four-year American Sign Language interpreting program. In addition, the school offers a criminal justice degree with a homeland security emphasis. U.S. News selected William Woods University as one of the top 100 universities in the Midwest. Sports teams at the university are known as the owls and compete in the NAIA.
Located 23 miles from Fulton in Columbia, the University of Missouri was the first state university in the Louisiana Purchase territory. Commonly referred to as "Mizzou", the University is the flagship of the University of Missouri system. A large school, Mizzou offers 280 degree programs as well as 40 online degrees. Some of the school's more prestigious programs include journalism, medicine, veterinary medicine and law. A division 1 school, the Tigers compete in the Big 12 conference.
Established in 1833, Stephens College is a women's college for undergraduate study but offers co-ed studies for graduate-level degrees. With a commitment to the performing arts, the three most popular degree programs are dance, theater and fashion design. The theater program has been singled out by US News and World Report and the Princeton Review. In addition to the fine arts, Stephens offers more than 40 majors. The school competes as the "Stars" in the NAIA, fielding varsity teams in basketball, cross-country, golf, softball, tennis and volleyball.