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Clarify note
The '''Ivy League''' is an [[athletic conference]] of eight private universities in the Northeast; during the first half of the 1900s they played each other frequently. By the 1930s they were referred informally to as the "Ivy League," but the organization was not formalized until 1954.
The '''Ivy League''' is an [[athletic conference]] of eight private universities in the Northeast; during the first half of the 1900s they played each other frequently. By the 1930s they were referred informally to as the "Ivy League," but the organization was not formalized until 1954.
By extension, the term also refers to the eight schools considered as a group, and to social characteristics perceived to be common to the group. The schools of the Ivy League are all old—all but Cornell having been founded before the American Revolution. They are sometimes referred to as the Ancient Eight.<ref>The group, however, fails to include two Colonial Colleges: William and Mary and Rutgers; and includes Cornell, founded much later.</ref> They are all stellar in academics, and all of them have a traditional connection with social prestige.
By extension, the term also refers to the eight schools considered as a group, and to social characteristics perceived to be common to the group. The schools of the Ivy League are all old—all but Cornell having been founded before the American Revolution. They are sometimes referred to as the Ancient Eight.<ref>Harvard, Yale, and Princeton were at one time referred to as the Ancient Three. The phrase Ancient Eight may be an extension of that phrase. The Ivy League is ''not'' comprised of the eight oldest colleges in the U. S., however. It fails to include William and Mary or Rutgers, and includes Cornell, which is younger than many other colleges.</ref> They are all stellar in academics, and all of them have a traditional connection with social prestige.
Six of them were founded as Protestant institutions, firmly connected with specific denominations. Penn and Cornell were founded as nonsectarian. Brown, although Baptist (and requiring undergraduates to attend chapel) was founded with a charter guaranteeing religious liberty.
Six of them were founded as Protestant institutions, firmly connected with specific denominations. Penn and Cornell were founded as nonsectarian. Brown, although Baptist (and requiring undergraduates to attend chapel) was founded with a charter guaranteeing religious liberty.