Categories: Education

Top Ten Fictional Colleges and Universities

Movies set on a college campus have been a cinematic tradition stretching back to the days of Harold Lloyd, so grab your toga, pull out your SAT scores and check out the colleges you could have gone to if they had really existed.

10. Adams College – Revenge of the Nerds

Back in the day, geeks were called nerds, and no school had more of them that the fictional Adams College. The Adams College computer science department is second to none, although, surprisingly, the fictional college gives more clout to the school’s football team.

The Adams College scenes were shot at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

9. Eastern State University – The Program

Will the ESU Timberwolves overcome adversity to make it to the big bowl game? Come on. You’ve seen enough movies to know the answer to this one. A solid examination of big college athletics and fictional campus life, makes ESU stand out as the college of choice for boozing, drug-addled athletes who just need a kick in the pants from James Caan to inspire them to victory.

8. Harrison University – Old School

College would be great if it wasn’t for all the classes. If it just wasn’t for those evil college deans trying to spoil all the fun, colleges like Harrison University would be a lot better off. UCLA and Harvard were stand-ins for this fictional college.

7. Huxley U. – Horsefeathers

With Groucho Marx as its dean, the future at Huxley University has never looked brighter – now if they could just get their football program in order. On the bright side, however, Huxley professors are great song-and-dance men.

6. Coolidge College – Van Wilder

Coolidge College is so great Van Wilder never wants to leave – and who can blame him with Tara Ried as the ace reporter for the school newspaper? Addressing the serious issue of how to pay for college in a world devoid of student loans, Van Wilder goes from one gross-out gag to the next.

5. South Harmon Institute of Technology – Accepted

While most fictional colleges on this list are supposed to be real – here’s a fictional college that’s fake even within the movie. The ‘real’ college in Accepted is the fictional Harmon College. Confused, yet? No? Hmm… you must be a college graduate.

4. Barnett College – Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Quite possibly possessing the best archeology program in the country, the only issue at Barnett College is absenteeism – not by the students but by the professors. How Indiana Jones crams all of his adventures in between terms is amazing in and of itself.

3. South Central Louisiana State University – The Waterboy

A perennial loser to the also fictional University of Louisiana Cougars, the South Central Louisiana State University Mud Dogs turned their fortunes around with the help of Adam Sandler stretching his acting muscles by playing a guy with anger management issues.

The fictional university’s home field is actually Spec Martin Memorial Stadiium, home of the DeLand High School football team. Classroom scenes were filmed at Stetson University.

2. Grand Lakes University – Back to School

Superb academics combined with an outstanding diving program make Grand Lakes University the first choice for fictional students trying to go to college on a diving scholarship. With Sally Kellerman teaching English, Sam Kinison teaching history, and Ned Beatty, as Dean Martin, leading the school, Grand Lakes University is a great place to “straighten out your Longfellow.” Be sure to check out the new Mellon School of Business – I hear it’s excellent.