Harvard College was founded in 1636 by the Massachusetts Bay Colony, a majority Puritan colony. Located in Cambridge, the college was named after the English pastor John Harvard after he donated half of his estate and his library to the college. Its first enrollment class consisted of nine students and one professor. In colonial days, famous and historical individuals such as James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington received honorary degrees from Harvard. Known as Harvard University since 1780, the University is known as one of the finest education institutions in the country, and is a part of the Ivy League.
Yale University was founded in 1701 in the Puritan-filled Colony of Connecticut. Located specifically in what is now known as New Haven, Connecticut, Yale was named after the merchant Elihu Yale after he donated 417 books from his library, a portrait of King George I, and 800 pounds sterling. Following the Revolutionary War in 1775 to 1783, Yale began to flourish as a University. Graduate and professional schools such as the Yale School of Medicine and The Divinity School were founded in 1810 and 1812 respectively. Yale is also an Ivy League school known for its academic excellence.
Dartmouth College was established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, a Puritan minister who graduated from Yale University. Located in Hanover, New Hampshire, Dartmouth was founded right before the start of the Revolutionary War. Dartmouth was a small school with a student body of only 300 students during its first 100 years of existence. It wasn't until the turn of the 20th century that Dartmouth began its rise to prominence. Following a change in presidency to William Tucker in 1893, Dartmouth tripled its enrollment to over a thousand students, built several new buildings, and implemented new schools and programs. Like Harvard and Yale, Dartmouth is an Ivy League institution.
Emmanuel College is a constituent college in England that is a part of the University of Cambridge system. Founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay, a Puritan and Queen Elizabeth I's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Emmanuel College was an alternative to the Catholic schools that dominated England at that time. Located in Cambridge, the college was named after Jesus of Nazareth. The college only admitted male students until 1979. Currently, Emmanuel College is known as one of the most popular colleges in the University of Cambridge's system.