Benedict College

Benedict College

Former names	Benedict Institute (1870–1894)
Motto	A Power for Good in Society
Type	Private historically black college
Established	December 12, 1870; 153 years ago (1870-12-12)
Religious affiliation	American Baptist Churches USA
Endowment	$26.5 million (2021)[1]
President	Roslyn Clark Artis
Students	1,840 (fall 2022)
Location	Columbia , South Carolina , United States
Campus	110-acre (45 ha)
Colors	Purple and gold
Nickname	Tigers
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division II - SIAC
Website	www.benedict.edu
Benedict College Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
original Benedict College building as seen in 1875
Show map of South Carolina Show map of the United States
Location	Roughly bounded by Laurel, Oak, Taylor and Harden Sts. on Benedict College campus, Columbia, South Carolina
Area	3.9 acres (1.6 ha)
Architect	Urquhart, James B.
Architectural style	Classical Revival
NRHP reference No.	87000809[2]
Added to NRHP	April 20, 1987

Benedict College is a private historically black college in Columbia, South Carolina. Founded in 1870 by northern Baptists, it was originally a teachers' college. It has since expanded to offer majors in many disciplines across the liberal arts. The campus includes buildings in the Benedict College Historic District, a historic area listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Benedict College was founded in 1870 on land of a former 110-acre (45 ha) plantation in Columbia, South Carolina. Representing the American Baptist Home Mission Society, Bathsheba A. Benedict of Pawtucket, Rhode Island had provided $13,000 to purchase the property. This was one of numerous educational institutions founded in the South for formerly enslaved people by northern religious mission societies, as education was seen as key to the future for African Americans.