About
Transylvania University (often shortened as Transy) is a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. It was founded in 1780 and is Kentucky's oldest university. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Its medical program has graduated 8,000 physicians since 1859.
Transylvania University takes its name from the Latin phrase trans silvam, meaning “across the woods.” The name refers to the Transylvania Colony, a short-lived land claim established in 1775 in what is now Kentucky, which at the time was part of Virginia. The university was founded in 1780 as Transylvania Seminary in the Kentucky District of Virginia.
It is the alma mater of two U.S. vice presidents, three U.S. Supreme Court justices, 50 U.S. senators, 101 U.S. representatives, 36 U.S. governors, and 34 U.S. ambassadors, making it a large producer of American statesmen.