Institutions and Systems

Tuskegee University

tus-KEE-ghee

Also Known As Tuskegee Institute

Historically Black University

Citation Formats

General Reference

Education Atlas. "Tuskegee University." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://dev-education.interactiveatlas.org/institutions/tuskegee-university.

APA Style

Education Atlas. (n.d.). Tuskegee University. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://dev-education.interactiveatlas.org/institutions/tuskegee-university

BibTeX

@misc{educationatlas-tuskegee-university,
  author = {Education Atlas},
  title = {Tuskegee University},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://dev-education.interactiveatlas.org/institutions/tuskegee-university},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

Tuskegee University opened on 4 July 1881 in Tuskegee, Alabama, as the Tuskegee Normal School for the training of Black teachers, with thirty students meeting in a one-room church and the 26-year-old Booker T. Washington as first principal. Combining academic study with vocational and industrial training, and with students building much of the campus themselves, it grew by Washington's death in 1915 to more than one hundred buildings and about 1,500 students, becoming a central institution of Black higher education in the United States. It took its present name in 1985.

Facts

Founded Year

1881 1

Country

United States 1

Cross-Tradition Connections

Founded By

Booker T. Washington

Washington was the founding principal; the Alabama legislature provided the legal charter.

Source Tuskegee University Official Site

Sources

1. Tuskegee University Official Site

Booker T. Washington legacy page, Educating Others section

Quote, Booker T. Washington legacy page, Educating Others section

On February 12, 1881, Governor Rufus Willis Cobb signed the bill into law, establishing the Tuskegee Normal School for the training of Black teachers.

View the Source

1. Tuskegee University Official Site

Legacy page, Alabama location

Quote, Legacy page, Alabama location