The establishment of the state’s first private college goes back to when Minnesota was still just a territory. Many of the state’s earliest private colleges were connected to the settlers and immigrant communities arriving in Minnesota, bringing their diverse ideas and religious values with them. The colleges they founded sometimes reflected cultural heritage, such as schools for students of Norwegian, German, and Swedish descent, and sometimes were based instead around religious affiliation, such as Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Congregationalist, Presbyterian, or Baptist institutions. This section highlights Minnesota’s first three private colleges.

Hamline University was the state’s first private college established in 1854 with funds provided by a Methodist bishop, Leonidas Lent Hamline. Like many private colleges, Hamline relied on donations, often from churches, to cover their startup costs. Hamline was coeducational, open to both male and female students, and was first located in Red Wing. The college closed in 1869 and reopened in 1880, relocating to St. Paul. Jabez Brooks was the initial President of Hamline University, serving from 1854-1857 and then again from 1861-1869, before he moved on to a faculty position at the University of Minnesota. Another prominent early faculty member was Henry Leslie Osborn. He worked at Hamline from 1887 until 1932 and served many roles, including biology professor, dean of faculty, and acting president. His wife Effie Osborn taught piano at Hamline from 1895 until 1901.

Saint John's University was a Catholic institution founded by four Benedictine monks in 1857. They had been sent to Minnesota from Saint Vincent Abbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania to establish a presence in the state. It began as Saint John’s Seminary, becoming Saint John’s University in 1883. Alexius Edelbrock, who was one of the original first five students when the seminary first opened, served as president from 1873 - 1889.

Gustavus Adolphus College was founded in 1862 by Swedish Lutheran immigrants, opening a temporary location in 1863 in Red Wing. Swedish born minister Eric Norelius was selected to lead the school. The Eric Norelius letter below summarizes the conditions at the college’s inception in 1862, along with the Gustavus articles of incorporation.

The college moved to a settlement called East Union (Carver County) for a time, before settling in its permanent location in St. Peter in 1876. Reverend Jonas P. Nyquist was the first person to serve as director at the St. Peter location. During his tenure, he was a big supporter of keeping the college coeducational, which faced direct opposition from the church conference.

Hamline opened with 73 students in 1854. The members of their initial graduating class in 1859 were the first graduates of any college in Minnesota. Pictured below is the final graduating class at the Red Wing location in 1869 before the move to St. Paul.

Although five monks started their studies at what would become Saint John’s University in 1857, it wasn’t until March 1869 when the Minnesota legislature authorized Saint John's to issue college and university degrees. Their first five Bachelor of Arts diplomas and one Master of Arts were awarded in 1870. Saint John’s University has been educating students longer than any other private college in Minnesota.

At Gustavus, the first term at the new St. Peter location started with 26 students in 1876. Primarily an academy, Gustavus did not develop a “collegiate department” until the 1885-1886 school year, when they had the first freshman class enter this new department. It was not until 1890 that eight students graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College, rather than the academy. Admission requirements included an application and autobiography, a statement of acquirements, ability to read in both Swedish and English, and a letter of recommendation from a minister or another known person.

Courses of study at Hamline included the Classical Program (Greek, Latin, English language, literature, and mathematics), the Scientific Courses, and a “Lady Baccalaureate of Arts,” which was a separate course of study just for women. It included French, German, the fine arts, less of Latin and math, and omitted Greek.

The first Saint John’s students studied the seven liberal arts of the medieval world: arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, music, dialectic, rhetoric, and grammar.

At Gustavus, classes were taught in both Swedish and English. Early course catalogs give examples of the types of coursework.

Gustavus Adolphus College catalog, 1877-1878, St. Peter, Minnesota

Before the close of the 19th century, six more private colleges and universities would open in Minnesota, and several more would join them in the 20th century. Here are some of the most well known:

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