Swedish-American liberal arts college in East Orange, NJ (1893–1995) affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church.
Upsala College was founded in 1893 at the annual meeting of the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod, opening in Brooklyn with 16 students under Rev. Lars Herman Beck. The college moved to Kenilworth, New Jersey in 1897 and finally to East Orange in 1924, where it occupied a 45-acre urban campus. Named to honor Uppsala University in Sweden and the 1593 Meeting of Uppsala, the college emphasized mission, ecumenism, and social service. It was the first college in New Jersey to admit women and maintained a welcoming stance toward students of diverse nationalities and religions throughout its history.
By 1910, Upsala offered Bachelor of Arts degrees in modern and classical languages, and Bachelor of Science degrees in Mathematics and Sciences. The college also provided a three-year preparatory program, music instruction for teachers and organists, and commerce and business training. The curriculum reflected both its Swedish Lutheran heritage and its commitment to practical education for diverse student populations.
From the 1970s onward, Upsala faced severe financial difficulties and declining enrollment, exacerbated by demographic changes in East Orange following the 1967 Newark riots. Enrollment fell from approximately 1,400 students in 1969 to 475 by 1990. A turnaround strategy in the early 1990s briefly increased enrollment to 882 by recruiting minority and international students, but a high-interest loan of roughly $12 million and inability to refinance proved insurmountable. The college closed on May 31, 1995, with approximately $12.5 million in debt and filed for bankruptcy shortly after.
After closure, the college's East Orange campus was sold to the East Orange School District, which built East Orange Campus High School on the eastern half. The western half was demolished in 2005 and redeveloped as residential housing. Upsala's library was largely acquired by Florida Gulf Coast University, and student transcripts are maintained by Felician University in New Jersey. The college's radio station, WFMU, survived as an independent nonprofit and continues broadcasting today.