Dartmouth College

With an isolated location in the Upper Valley region of New Hampshire it is perhaps not surprising that this university's motto is the biblical phrase 'the voice of one crying in the wilderness'. Established in 1769, it has a history of 'reaching out' from the wilderness - today Dartmouth offers 57 different off-campus programs, including foreign study programs, language study abroad programs, and exchange programs.

Uniquely, all undergraduates are required to be in residence for the fall, winter, and spring terms of their freshman and senior years but during all other terms, students are permitted to choose between studying on-campus; studying at an off-campus program; or taking a term off for vacation, outside internships, or research projects. There is still much space for fun during the university calendar - one weekend each term is set aside as a traditional celebratory event, referred to on campus as 'party weekends'. It is not known whether children's author Dr Seuss, a former Dartmouth student, ever attended one.