Schools in the Ivy League account for some of the oldest institutions of higher education in the nation. From their inception, all have drawn incredibly ambitious, passionate students to their respective campuses. These students didn’t drag their feet for very long before creating some of the oldest and most reputable student newspapers in print. Below is a comprehensive breakdown of each Ivy League school’s main student-run news publication.

An Overview of the Ivy League Student Newspapers

The Dartmouth 

Founded in 1799, Dartmouth College’s The Dartmouth is the oldest student newspaper in America (although, as we’ll discuss later, it’s not the longest one in continuous-operation!). This entirely student-run newspaper is also entirely free, and is famous for breaking some huge stories that would later be picked up by mainstream media. Perhaps most notably, The Dartmouth was the first to break the news that two Dartmouth professors were murdered in cold blood in 2001! Spooky stuff, but great journalism!

The Brown Daily Herald 

Founded in 1866, Brown University’s Brown Daily Herald is the second-oldest college daily newspaper in the nation, but it’s just as influential as its Dartmouth counterpart. In fact, the journalists over at The Herald have even coined their own editorial style, have been targeted by anti-communist political activity (in the 1930s), and have gone on to win Pulitzer Prizes!

The Crimson 

Founded in 1873, Harvard University’s The Crimson self-describes as “the nation’s oldest continuously published daily college newspaper,” but as this list indicates, they have some competition for the title! The Crimson has a formidable array of alumni it calls its own, including presidents FDR and JFK. This prestigious newspaper is also distinguished for being one of only several college newspapers in the world that owns and operates a printing press.

The Daily Princetonian 

Founded in 1876, Princeton University’s Daily Princetonian has been at the forefront of campus activism and cutting edge news since its founding nearly 150 years ago. It extensively covered the election of paper alumnus Woodrow Wilison to the U.S. presidency, and it has also drawn the ire of the public for some of its more controversial topics, including a 2007 satirical article that was soon retracted. Nonetheless, this college newspaper consistently wins many editorial awards for its stellar coverage.

The Columbia Daily Spectator 

Founded in 1877, Columbia University’s Columbia Daily Spectator, somewhat dubiously, claims to be the second-oldest continuously operated college daily in the U.S., behind The Crimson. How can this be true? Does it even matter? We’ll let you be the judge. Still, this renowned student newspaper has been independent from Columbia University since 1962, and has been a major source of news for the Morningside Heights neighborhood in Manhattan since its inception.

The Yale Daily News

Founded in 1878, Yale University’s Yale Daily News has also thrown its hat in the ring for the title of oldest college daily newspaper because. . . why not! It would appear that when it comes to making such lofty claims, none of these papers really have that much journalistic integrity. Still, this completely independent student-run newspaper has been critically-acclaimed for generations. The paper’s slew of influential alumni include Nick Carraway, fictional narrator of The Great Gatsby, and the very real co-founders of Time Magazine.

The Cornell Daily Sun

Founded in 1880, Cornell University’s Cornell Daily Sun operates out of its own independent building in downtown Ithaca to deliver its twice-weekly newspaper to a readership of over 3,000 readers. We won’t even bore you with the fact it also claims to be the oldest student newspaper. Who’s counting at this point? The important thing is that over a dozen Pulitzer Prize winners and beloved author Kurt Vonnegut number among its alumni.

The Daily Pennsylvanian

Founded in 1885, the University of Pennsylvania’s Daily Pennsylvanian, mercifully, does not have any lofty claims about being the first this or that. It does, however, operate two magazines and five newsletters in addition to its once-per-week paper and daily digital content. In the 1990s, it was widely considered to have one of the highest circulations of any student-run newspaper in the country.