Hiwassee College - Where Lasting Traditions Build Dynamic Graduates

Hiwassee College is the oldest private two-year coeducational liberal arts institution in the state of Tennessee. Although Hiwassee College was officially chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1850, its history dates back to Tallugalla Academy's inception in 1826. Opened as a school for boys, the academy was located in the Fork Creek Community, approximately five miles from the site of the present campus.

During that time, a group of Methodists also founded Bat Creek Campground. Eventually, a church and other buildings were constructed on the site and were used by the attendees of the camp.  Twenty years later, the academy moved to the Bat Creek Campground location, across from the present day Hiwassee campus, to accommodate the growing student body membership. In 1849, the college was organized to replace and expand the academy's program. It was dubbed Hiwassee. The name was derived from the Cherokee word "ayuwasi" -- meaning "meadow place at the foot of the hills" -- denoting the valley region where the campus is located.

A typical school of its era, Hiwassee was designed to provide young men with an affordable education. Although it was church-affiliated, the college did not have rigid denominational restrictions.

Hiwassee's first official staff consisted of three men. Twenty-five-year-old Rev. Robert Doak, a Presbyterian, served as both president and senior professor. David McKendree Key served as vice president while also attending as a student, and Stephen Porter Hale was the mathematics teacher.

In 1850, Key became Hiwassee's first graduate. He went on to become the Postmaster General under President Rutherford B. Hayes and a Federal Judge of East Tennessee. Keys would go on to say, "It is not so much the college that gives character to the man, as the man to the college."

Hiwassee's campus has grown from seven acres to a campus comprised of eighteen buildings situated on four hundred acres and located a mile north of the town of Madisonville. In recent years, Hiwassee has received praise for its financial aid, academic and athletic programs. Rated as one of the five most affordable private colleges in Tennessee, Hiwassee's professors, students and athletic teams frequently receive statewide, national and even international recognition.

Over the years, Hiwassee College has offered training beginning with elementary school and continuing through a bachelor's degree. Currently, Hiwassee College offers a variety of university-parallel and career/vocational programs leading to the Associate of Arts, Associate of Science or Associate of Applied Science degree.

Hiwassee is always looking to welcome new students into its tight-knit family. Hiwassee's staff is waiting to provide you with the information you need to make a confident and informed decision. Learn more about Hiwassee today!