For 150 years, Peace College has remained committed to its original pioneering mission to educate and empower young women. Established through private philanthropy in 1857, William Peace, an elder of First Presbyterian Church of Raleigh, NC founded Peace through a personal donation of eight acres of land and $10,000. A longtime vision of providing education for young women, William Peace realized his dream during a time when such progressive ideas were frowned upon. Yet in its first 50 years, Peace College served as a primary, secondary and collegiate school. From World War II on, the institution became a private preparatory school, and was one of the first junior colleges accredited in the South - where few universities admitted women.

Today, Peace College offers the only undergraduate leadership degree in the state of North Carolina and recently added degrees in History and Anthropology. Other BA degrees offered are biology, business administration, communication, English, human resources, liberal studies, music performance, psychology, Spanish, child development and politics and public affairs and graphic design. For the 2007 academic year, Peace will launch an innovative teacher education program to prepare students for dual licensure in elementary education and special education.

True to its tradition, Peace maintains its long standing desire to provide personal attention to her student with a student-to-faculty ratio of 14:1.
Peace College holds true to William Peace’s vision today as reflected in its mission statement: “Peace College is a baccalaureate college of arts and sciences that challenges women to an adventure of intellectual and personal discovery, preparing them for graduate and lifelong learning, for meaningful careers, and for ethical lives of purpose, leadership and service.”

We welcome you to Peace College and invite you to learn more about us!