Lycoming College, private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, U.S. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Emphasizing a curriculum in the liberal arts, the college offers bachelor’s degrees in more than 30 fields and several preprofessional programs. In addition to a Bachelor of Arts degree, it awards a Bachelor of Science (in nursing). There are approximately 1,400 students enrolled at the college.
The history of Lycoming College began in 1812, when the school was founded as Williamsport Academy, an elementary and secondary school operated by the Presbyterian church. The school was sold to the Methodist church in 1848, and it became Dickinson Seminary and offered college preparatory courses. In 1929 it became the first junior college in Pennsylvania and was renamed Williamsport Dickinson Junior College. When the school began offering four-year degrees in 1947, it was renamed Lycoming College.