The U.S. is home to some old colleges. Harvard University (originally called New College) became the colonies’ first institute of higher learning in 1636, and there are quite a few others that were founded in the 17th and 18th centuries. Given the rich history of these schools—and of some less historic schools, as well—it’s no surprise that they’ve accumulated a number of ghost stories over the years.
From the ghost of the Gipper at Notre Dame to Boston University’s phantom playwright, there’s no shortage of strange happenings at college campuses around America. Check out some of the top 20 haunted colleges while you’re thinking about where you might like to earn a degree.
Spooky Stories From America’s Most Haunted Colleges
1. Ohio University: Room 428 in Wilson Hall
If you were to make a movie about a haunted school, you might envision your fictitious school as being built on a sacred burial ground and having a building that used to be an asylum. You’d probably also scatter some cemeteries in close proximity to the campus. If you follow all of these horror movie clichés, you’d have Ohio University.
Ohio University has been referred to as one of the most haunted colleges in the U.S. The school, founded in 1804, acquired the former Athens Lunatic Asylum (now the Kennedy Museum of Art) in 1993. There are two versions of its most well-known ghost stories, one of which involves a former patient at the asylum named Margaret Schilling. She went missing in 1978. Her body was found a month later on the top floor in what is now Room 428 in Wilson Hall. After students reported mysterious sightings, the room was permanently closed.
The other version of the story is that a student living in Room 428 in the 1970s started acting oddly and speaking in an unknown language. She then fell to her death and has been haunting her former room ever since.
2. Penn State: Old Coaly & Frances Atherton
If you’re really into ghost stories, you might consider touring Penn State, which is considered so haunted that it has its own Paranormal Research Society. Among its many ghost stories is that of Frances Atherton, the wife of the school’s founder. Students have reportedly seen her ghost standing at a window in the botany building, watching over George Atherton’s grave. They’ve also reported phantom footsteps, moving objects, and odd sounds.
Penn State is also home to a ghost story involving an animal. The university’s first mascot was a mule named Old Coaly. His spirit is believed to be wandering around campus, braying at students.
3. Gettysburg College: The Lone Sentinel & the Blue Boy
The American Civil War was the U.S.’s bloodiest conflict, and it’s not surprising that there are plenty of ghost stories centered on it. If you visit the town of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania, you can choose from any number of ghost tours around the area—or you could just visit Gettysburg College, which served as a hospital during the Civil War.
Some tell the story of staff being trapped in an elevator, which malfunctioned and took them to the basement. They saw wounded soldiers and ghostly doctors covered in blood. Other sightings have been a bit more benign, like the Blue Boy in Stephens Hall, who appears at windows and has a bluish-looking face. There’s also the Lone Sentinel, a soldier who patrols Penn Hall.
4. University of Georgia: Susie Carithers & Anna Hamilton
Susie Carithers was the former owner of Alpha Gamma Delta sorority house at the University of Georgia. It’s said that she was left at the altar and subsequently hanged herself in the house. If you believe the residents, she still stares out of the windows.
Alpha Gamma Delta isn’t the only haunted sorority at UGA. In the Phi Mu house, the ghost of Anna Hamilton watches over the grave of her husband, who is said to have been murdered in front of the building.
5. East Tennessee State University: The Marble Boy & Sidney Gilbreath
If you walk around Clement Hall at East Tennessee State University, you might inexplicably hear the sounds of marbles rolling down the floor. While many students claim to have heard the marbles tossed by the Marble Boy, no one’s ever seen them.
This haunted college is also home to the ghost of Founding President Sidney Gilbreath, who is believed to take care of the grounds by closing windows and turning off lights. This eco-conscious ghost is also known to enjoy watching the theater department’s performances.
6. University of Notre Dame: George Gipp
If you’re an NFL fan, you may be familiar with the “Gipper,” George Gipp (1895-1920), who played at the University of Notre Dame. As the popular story goes, after the Gipper was selected as Notre Dame’s first All-American, he returned late to his dormitory after curfew. Locked out of the residence, Gipp slept outside in the snow. He died of pneumonia not long after. Students claim to feel the Gipper patting them on the back, and some hear him playing music.
7. Boston University: Eugene O’Neill and the Boston Strangler
Boston University’s Kilachand Hall was formerly a hotel where the famous playwright Eugene O’Neill passed away. Students at the hall hear ghostly knocks on doors when no one’s there. Some students also report the elevator unexpectedly stopping at the fourth floor.
Along with its literary claim to fame, Boston University is reportedly home to the spirit of the Boston Strangler, who is said to vandalize locked rooms.
8. University of Montevallo: Captain Henry Reynolds
Reynolds Hall at the University of Montevallo is reportedly haunted by Captain Henry Reynolds. The building served as a hospital during the Civil War. Captain Reynolds was in charge but had to leave one day. When he returned, he discovered the aftermath of an attack—all of the soldiers were dead. Today, his portrait often moves from one place to another.
9. California State University, Channel Islands: Charlie Parker
Unlike many haunted colleges, California State University, Channel Islands is fairly new. It opened its doors in 2002 and is built on the site of an old mental hospital that conducted lobotomies and electroshock therapy. The jazz musician Charlie Parker was a patient at the hospital, which might explain why students have reported hearing a phantom saxophone late at night.
10. Bridgewater State University: George & the Woodward Ghost
Bridgewater State University has multiple ghosts, including George, who is fond of theater. He’s a prankster who haunts the auditorium, stealing scripts, relocating props, and turning lights and music on and off.
Even if you aren’t a theater student at Bridgewater State, you might encounter a ghost in a freshman residence hall. The building, then called the Old Woodward Dormitory, had a fire in 1924. While no deaths were recorded from that fire, there is reportedly a Woodward ghost who runs up and down the halls, screaming “Fire!”
11. College of Charleston: The Orphanage Ghosts
If you decide to enroll at the College of Charleston, try to avoid Berry Residence Hall unless you enjoy being spooked by ghostly Revolutionary War orphans. The Charleston Orphan House served as an orphanage and a school in the 18th century. Later, during the Civil War, it became a hospital. Following the Civil War, the building reverted to an orphanage.
In 1918, while many of the occupants were afflicted with the Spanish Flu, the building caught fire. The building was saved, but many orphans were not. The site, which is now Berry Hall, is plagued with false fire alarms, sounds of marbles in the hallway, and ghostly laughter.
12. St. Cloud State University: The Soldier in the Library
At St. Cloud State University, the James W. Miller Learning Resources Center is said to have been built on a graveyard dating back to the 1800s. There have been sightings at the library of a man in an old military uniform. People have reportedly seen the soldier pacing the long hallways in the building.
13. Flagler College: Henry Flagler
Flagler College’s namesake is Henry Flagler, an oil tycoon who reportedly haunts Ponce de Leon Hall. According to legend, he had requested that windows and doors be kept open during his funeral. They were not, and some believe his spirit remains trapped in the building. It’s said that the lights flicker or go out if someone speaks his name.
14. Texas State University: The Lady in White
Texas State University is so haunted that freshmen receive ghost tours around campus. One of the oldest and most haunted buildings on campus is Old Main. Legend has it that in 1908, a young lady jumped to her death from a third-story balcony after her boyfriend died. To this day, students claim to see a lady in white roaming around the third floor.
15. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: The Haunted English Building
Taking English classes at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign might be enough to give you nightmares—and not just because you’re dreading finals week. The English building was formerly a women’s dorm with its own pool. After someone died there, students began noticing disembodied voices, doors closing at random, and the sounds of ghostly footsteps.
16. Savannah College of Art and Design: Gracie Watkins
In the 1990s, Savannah College of Art and Design converted a hotel near campus into a dormitory. This old building is said to be haunted by Gracie Watkins, a little girl who giggles, plays marbles, and leaves wet footprints everywhere. Sometimes, Gracie’s ghost moves things around in the middle of the night. If Savannah students are ever disappointed that they haven’t yet received a visit from Gracie, they can go visit her instead; she is buried in a nearby cemetery.
17. Smith College: Lucy Hunt & General Burgoyne
Smith College may be a contender for the most haunted college in America. Among its dozen or so ghostly residents is Lucy Hunt, who lived in Sessions House, an 18th-century mansion that is now part of the Smith College campus. British Army General Burgoyne was detained at Sessions House, where he and Lucy fell in love. Their love was forbidden, so they met in a secret tunnel. Lucy’s ghost is apparently still looking for her beau.
18. University of Texas at Austin: The Littlefield House
Austin’s famous haunted hotel, The Driskill, attracts thousands of ghost hunters and tourists every year. Sometimes visitors are also drawn to a notable stop on the University of Texas at Austin’s campus. This three-story Victorian mansion is the oldest building on UT’s main campus, and it is said to be haunted by Alice Littlefield. She was the wife of George Littlefield, who was a wealthy slave owner, cattleman, banker, and former UT regent. In his will, he left his mansion to the university.
The legend goes that, after the Civil War, Alice became increasingly paranoid that the Yankees would return to seek revenge on her husband, who had a prominent role in supporting the confederacy. George refused to send her to a sanitarium and instead opted to lock her in one of the house’s towers. When he died, she quickly recovered. Today, security guards and countless students have reported seeing “Auntie Alice” lurking around those halls, as well as other places on campus like the Littlefield Dormitory.
19. Wells College: Influenza Victims
In 1918, Wells College suffered a severe influenza outbreak, with 34 cases reported on campus. A makeshift flu ward was created on the 4th floor of the main campus building. While we could find no documentation that confirmed that there were any deaths, the story goes that students who died were placed in a room with a red-painted door. Staff reported that even after repainting the door multiple times, the red paint would “bleed” through.
Wells College was said to be home to other hauntings, as well, but unfortunately, students can no longer experience them. The school closed its doors in 2024.
20. Fordham University: Finlay Hall
Fordham University, which was founded in 1841 as St. John’s College, was built on top of a hospital, morgue, and crematorium. It’s thought that the buildings in this area of the Bronx, which include Finlay Hall, Keating Hall, and some dorms, have ghostly inhabitants. In Finlay Hall, built at the old morgue site, students have reported sensations of someone placing ghostly hands around their throats or pulling at their feet—as if to place a toe tag on. The ghost stories, plus the Gothic architecture, may be why parts of The Exorcist were filmed there.
How do I plan the perfect campus visit?
If you have the financial means and availability to travel to schools that you want to include on your college list, we strongly recommend that you do so. Experiencing the campus in person is one of the best ways to get a feel for what life will be like when attending a particular college.
A pro tip for planning the perfect college visit is to schedule an official campus visit with the admissions office. Many colleges also offer special admissions events on campus, like Austin College’s Outback Days, when the school provides additional opportunities to learn about what campus life is like.
For more tips on how to plan ahead, check out our college visit checklist.
How important is campus culture?
Academics are key when choosing a college, but they aren’t the only important factor to consider. Most students spend four years as undergrads, so it’s important to love where you are. If you feel comfortable with the campus culture and can enjoy engaging with the school community, then you’re going to get more out of those four years.
Want to read about the factors that mattered most to former KD students when deciding on a college? Take a look at “How to Fall In Love with the Right College.”
What are some interesting classes offered at U.S. colleges?
Each college has its own unique list of course offerings, and most students have the freedom to take electives when pursuing their bachelor’s degree. Sometimes an elective can align with a niche interest or hobby, like photography or singing. Other times it’s about a trending topic that interests like you, like horror films or the Harry Potter series. To learn more about what electives look like at U.S. colleges, read our post about spooky and weird college courses.
Need help preparing for college?
Whether or not your dream college is haunted, we want you to be happy there. That’s why KD College Prep offers comprehensive college counseling programs to help students discover, apply for, and earn acceptance to their best college fit. Request a free consultation to learn how we can help!
