Although its founding year is 1871, the University in fact has deeper roots tracing from West Chester Academy, a private, state-aided school that existed from 1812 to 1869. The academy enjoyed strong support from the highly intellectual Chester County Cabinet of the Natural Sciences of the pre-American Civil War decades. It was recognized as one of Pennsylvania's leading preparatory schools, and its experience in teacher training laid the groundwork for the normal school years that were to follow.

As the state began to take increasing responsibility for public education, the academy was transformed into West Chester Normal School, still privately owned but state certified. The normal school admitted its first class, consisting of 160 students, on September 25, 1871. In 1913, West Chester became the first of the normal schools to be owned outright by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

West Chester became West Chester State Teachers College in 1927 when Pennsylvania initiated a four-year program of teacher education. In 1960, as the Commonwealth paved the way for liberal arts programs in its college system, West Chester was renamed West Chester State College, and two years later introduced the liberal arts program that turned the one-time academy into a comprehensive college.

In recognition of the historic merit of the campus, in 1981 the West Chester State College Quadrangle Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The buildings included in this historic district are Philips Memorial Building, Ruby Jones Hall, Recitation Hall, and the Old Library. Except for Philips, these buildings are all constructed of native Chester County serpentine stone.

West Chester State achieved another major milestone with passage of the State System of Higher Education bill. West Chester became one of the 14 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education on July 1, 1983. Along with its new name – West Chester University of Pennsylvania – the institution acquired a new system of governance and the opportunity to expand its degree programs.

West Chester has received growing recognition as the nation's center for formal poetry. Its annual conference on form and narrative in poetry began in 1995 and is now the nation's largest poetry conference. It has also established a poetry center which sponsors readings and an annual book competition oriented toward formal poetry. It has also established Iris Spencer awards recognizing undergraduate achievement in formal poetry.








West Chester University is in West Chester, a town that has been the seat of government in Chester County since 1786. With a population of about 20,000, the borough is small enough to have the pleasant aspects of a tree-shaded American town, large enough to contain essential services and the substance of a vigorous community, and old enough to give the student exposure to America's early history. Students can walk to West Chester's many churches. The town has excellent stores and a fine hospital.

West Chester was settled in the early 18th century, principally by members of the Society of Friends. In the heart of town is its courthouse, a classical revival building designed in the 1840s by Thomas U. Walter, one of the architects for the Capitol in Washington, DC. West Chester today is part of the rapidly growing suburban complex surrounding Philadelphia and offers interesting opportunitities for the study of local, county, and regional government in a period of change and growth.

Philadelphia is 25 miles to the east and Wilmington 17 miles to the south, putting the libraries, museums, and other cultural and historical resources of both cities in easy reach. Valley Forge, the Brandywine Battlefield, Longwood Gardens, and other historical attractions are near West Chester. New York City and Washington, DC are easily accessible by car or train.

The athletic teams at West Chester University of Pennsylvania are named The Golden Rams. Students participate in NCAA Division II athletics in the PSAC conference. West Chester University has won national championships in women's basketball, women's lacrosse, women's swimming, women's field hockey, and men's soccer. *

In 1961, the Men's Soccer team won the NCAA Championship. Jerry Yeagley was a player on West Chester's championship team before going on to win six NCAA Championships and six National Coach of the Year Awards as the Men's Soccer coach at Indiana University.