The Ivy League is an athletics association, founded in 1954, of eight American universities; it is named after the ivy plants traditionally covering their buildings. The Ivy League universities are often referred to by the abbreviation Ivies. The term "Ivy League" has connotations of academic excellence, as well as a certain amount of elitism. These schools are also sometimes affectionately referred to as the Ancient Eight, a strictly colloquial term.
All of the Ivy League universities share some general characteristics: They are among the most prestigious and selective universities in the U.S.; they consistently place close to the top of college and university rankings; they rank within the top one percent of the world's universities in terms of financial endowment; they attract top-tier students and faculty (although many undergraduate classes are taught by people other than the distinguished faculty, such as graduate students - the extent of this practice varies greatly, for example, Brown University and Columbia University require all their professors to teach undergraduates as part of their university-college models); and they have relatively small undergraduate populations, ranging between 4,100 for Dartmouth College and 13,700 for Cornell University. The Ivies are also all located in the Northeast region of the United States and are among the oldest universities in the country—all but Cornell University were founded during America's colonial era.
The Ivy League universities are privately owned and controlled. Although many of them receive funding from the federal or state governments to pursue research, only Cornell has state-supported academic units, termed statutory colleges, that are an integral part of the university.
All of the Ivy League universities share some general characteristics: They are among the most prestigious and selective universities in the U.S.; they consistently place close to the top of college and university rankings; they rank within the top one percent of the world's universities in terms of financial endowment; they attract top-tier students and faculty (although many undergraduate classes are taught by people other than the distinguished faculty, such as graduate students - the extent of this practice varies greatly, for example, Brown University and Columbia University require all their professors to teach undergraduates as part of their university-college models); and they have relatively small undergraduate populations, ranging between 4,100 for Dartmouth College and 13,700 for Cornell University. The Ivies are also all located in the Northeast region of the United States and are among the oldest universities in the country—all but Cornell University were founded during America's colonial era.
The Ivy League universities are privately owned and controlled. Although many of them receive funding from the federal or state governments to pursue research, only Cornell has state-supported academic units, termed statutory colleges, that are an integral part of the university.
