The 10 Most Politically Active College Campuses

American University Located in the nation's capital, AU tops many "most politically active campuses" lists — and for good reason. Students and faculty have demonstrated on this campus since the 1960s, starting with a protest against the Vietnam War. 

Claremont College The Claremont Colleges are a group of private undergraduate institutions based near Los Angeles. The largest school, Pomona College, enrolls about 1,600 students. Even though their student bodies are small, these colleges impress when it comes to demonstrations.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC-Chapel Hill boasts a long history of student demonstrations, dating back at least 60 years. Early protests fought for civil rights and rallied against the Vietnam War.

Columbia University The New York City-based Ivy League institution made national headlines in 1968, when students protested against what would essentially be a segregated gym. posters read — a clear play on the discriminatory Jim Crow laws of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Harvard University Harvard didn't make this list purely because of the Great Butter Rebellion of 1766 — though the incident certainly set a precedent for student demonstrations in the centuries to come.

Yale University Like Harvard, Yale boasts a track record of student activism. In 2015, students made the news for protesting after what they considered an insensitive response from a Yale lecturer concerning a Native American Halloween costume.

Syracuse University At Syracuse in upstate New York, students ensure their voices are always heard. After the 2016 election, an estimated 1,000 students declared Syracuse and SUNY-ESF "sanctuary campuses."

Texas Christian University TCU's tradition of student activism dates back to 1963, when students petitioned for the campus library to open on Sundays. In the 1980s, their focus took a more global turn when Students for a Democratic South Africa rallied for the university's divestment in South Africa during apartheid.

University of Virginia UVA has found itself in the national news several times over the past decade. In 2014, Rolling Stone published a story about the brutal sexual assault of a UVA student at a fraternity party.

University of Missouri For Columbia-based Mizzou, 2015 was a big year. Anti-racism demonstrations had been occurring on Mizzou's campus since 2014, when unarmed Black teenager Michael Brown was shot and killed by a police officer in nearby Ferguson.

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