Key Takeaways
- Colleges across the U.S. are home to ghost stories, urban legends, and creepy encounters.
- Some hauntings tie directly to historic events like war, epidemics, or tragic accidents.
- Whether fact or folklore, these stories make campus tours a little more exciting!
Whether you believe in ghosts or not, many colleges have spooky stories tied to their history and culture. Passed down through generations, these tales add a chilling twist to campus life.
Just in time for Halloween, here are 16 haunted college campuses.
1. Ohio University
Flickr user Michael
Ohio University is often called one of the most haunted places in America. It checks nearly early horror movie cliché built on a former asylum, resting on a Native American burial ground, and surrounded by a “pentagram” of cemeteries.
The most famous story is about Room 428 in Wilson Hall. In the 1970s, a student reportedly behaved strangely, spoke in an unknown language, and fell to her death. Her spirit haunted the dorm so persistently that Room 428 was permanently sealed shut.
2. Penn State University
Flickr user Penn State
Hauntings are so common here that Penn State even has its own Paranormal Research Society.
One of the most famous ghosts is of Frances Atherton, wife of founder George Atherton. She’s said to watch over his grave from the old Botany building window. Students also whisper about phantom footsteps, scratching sounds, and moving objects.
And then there’s the school’s most unusual ghost: a mule. Old Coaly, the university’s first mascot, is said to still wander campus with his hooves and bray echoing through the halls.
3. Fordham University
Flickr user David
Fordham’s gothic architecture sets the scene, and it’s eerie that “The Exorcist” was partially filmed there. Students report a young blonde ghost staring silently in Keating Hall showers, while another male ghost vanishes when spotted. Loud, unexplained crashes often echo near stairwells.
In Finlay Hall—built over a morgue—students share chilling tales of feeling someone pulling at their feet or phantom hands around their throat.
4. Gettysburg College
Wikimedia Commons user Library of Congress
Once a Civil War hospital, Gettysburg College is full of soldiers’ spirits. The Lone Sentinel, a ghostly soldier, is said to patrol Penn Hall with his gun raised at passing students.
One terrifying account tells of staff trapped in a malfunctioning elevator. Instead of the first floor, they descended to a basement where they saw blood-drenched doctors and wounded soldiers racing around.
In Stephens Hall, students have reported sightings of the “Blue Boy,” a ghostly figure said to appear at windows. Legend says he was an orphaned boy once cared for by the dorm’s residents, and now his spirit occasionally shows his blue-tinged face to passing students.
5. Wells College
Wikimedia Commons user Phmalo
During a harsh winter influenza outbreak, a makeshift hospital was created on the fourth floor of Wells’ main building. Many students died, and bodies were stored behind a red-painted door. Even after repainting, the red color kept bleeding through.
Other spirits roam campus, including Max, the security guard, who died saving students from a fire. Some say you can still feel a ghostly hand pushing you along the stairwell, urging you to get out safely.
Another ghost haunts Zabriskie Hall. In life, she was a promising science student who discovered her professor stealing her work. When she confronted him, he stabbed her to death. Now, students report seeing her spirit as she pleads for someone to pull the knife from her back.
6. University of Georgia
Flickr user Zlatko Unger
At the University of Georgia, many of the sorority and fraternity houses are haunted. The sad tale of Susie Carithers, former owner of the Alpha Gamma Delta house, is often the centerpiece of the yearly ghost tours on campus. The story goes that she was left at the altar, and she hung herself in the Alpha Gamma Delta house in grief. Residents say they sometimes see her ghost staring out the window of the attic.
Over at the Phi Mu house, the ghost of Anna Hamilton lingers. Her husband was murdered and buried in front of the Phi Mu house, so she watches over his grave. Some sorority sisters have even tried to contact Anna with a Ouija board.
7. Kenyon College
Flickr user Curt Smith
Kenyon College has an entrance nicknamed “The Gates of Hell.” Legend says that if you cross it at midnight while the church bells ring, your soul goes straight to hell.
Tragedy struck in 1949 when nine students died in a horrific fire. Today, people report hearing bloodcurdling screams, seeing flickering lights, and even hearing phantom flushing toilets.
Another spirit, known as “Greenhouse Ghost,” lost his life in a diving accident at the pool. Students say he leaves wet footprints around campus and mysteriously turns on showers.
8. East Tennessee State University
Flickr user Jimmy Emerson, DVM
Not all spirits on campus are frightening. The ghost of Founding President Sidney Gilbreath is said to turn off lights left on, and close windows left open. He also reportedly enjoys watching performances at the school’s theater.
Other spirits are a bit spookier. “Marble Boy” makes the sound of rolling marbles echo through Clement Hall, though no marbles are ever found. The portrait of David Sinclair Burleson is said to follow students’ movements with its painted eyes.
9. University of Notre Dame
Flickr user Dan Dzurisin
Famous football star George Gipp, the original “Gipper,” is said to still roam campus with school spirit. One cold winter night, he was locked out of his dorm and forced to sleep on snowy steps, eventually dying of pneumonia. Students say his spirit pats them on the back and even plays mysterious music at night.
Given the university’s Catholic heritage, religious spirits also wander the campus. Father Sorin, who died on Halloween in 1893, is seen walking the grounds. Stories include kindly nuns and a priest with no feet who reportedly passes through walls.
10. Boston University
Flickr user NVinacco
Kilachand Hall’s fourth floor is known for strange activity. Before the university acquired the building, it was a hotel where playwright Eugene O’Neill passed away. His ghost is said to linger there, with the elevator stopping unexpectedly at the fourth floor, where the lights are the dimmest. Students report hearing knocks on doors, even when no one is outside.
Another, darker spirit reportedly haunts Myers Standish Hall: the Boston Strangler. Chairs are moved, drawers rifled, and some even say these disturbances happen in locked rooms. And the building’s code: 666.
11. California State University, Channel Islands
Before it became a university, this campus was the Camarillo State Mental Hospital, where over 1,000 patients lived—and many died. The hospital was known for harsh treatments, including electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), heavy sedatives, and seclusion. It’s rumored to be haunted by former patients.
Students and paranormal enthusiasts report hearing cries of women and other unexplained noises in abandoned buildings. The property also once housed a dairy farm used to teach patients animal care. Now the old hospital and farm structures stand overgrown and deserted, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
12. Drew University
Drew University’s historic 19th century campus is known for its Gothic architecture and ghost stories. Students and staff claim to have witnessed shadowy figures, unexplained footsteps, and flickering lights. A ghostly woman known as the “Lady in Blue” has been seen near the lake.
The campus theater and library are said to host mysterious noises and moving objects after dark. Some accounts even describe fleeting apparitions in long hallways and dorm rooms. These tales contribute to the haunted setting that has made Drew a favorite for ghost hunters and thrill seekers alike.
13. Montclair State University
Montclair State University has a reputation for paranormal activity, with reports of strange noises, flickering lights, and ghosts hovering over students’ beds. Off campus, the Hawk Crossings apartments are rumored to sit atop an old burial ground. On-campus sightings include a Native American man appearing in doorways, and a demonic face in Wilson Hall.
Other spooky encounters include doors slamming, unexplained footsteps, and thumping noises, adding to the campus’ reputation for haunted tales.
14. Flagler College
Flickr user Steven Martin
Flagler retains more than just the name of industrialist Henry Flagler, some say the spirit still haunts Ponce de León Hall. Though successful, Flagler led a turbulent personal life. Among his last requests were the instructions to keep windows and doors open during his funeral. Unfortunately, a janitor left many closed, leading to the supernatural theory that Flagler’s spirit is trapped in the hall. Students report that the lights will flicker or go out if you speak his name.
Another spirit is said to haunt Ponce Hall. Legend goes that a little boy was playing on the balcony when he lost his balance and fell to his death. Students report hearing ghostly stomping at late hours. People think it’s the lingering soul of the little boy, still playing.
15. Texas State University
Flickr user Jon Lebkowsky
Most freshmen students sign up for a campus tour or attend student org fairs. At Texas State University, ghost tours are given to the freshmen. Old Main is said to be home to multiple spirits, including the ghost of a former female student who carries books and seems to be looking for her classes. One professor recalls a chilling experience when she was on a conference call with some students. The phone reportedly started spouting white noise, and she heard a faint voice speaking gibberish, and managed to hear a whispered ‘Help me.’
A ghost-hunting group visited the school’s Pi Kappa Alpha house to investigate the hauntings there (prior to 2007, when a fire destroyed the building). They found ‘Help me’ and ‘I’m sorry’ carved into kitchen surfaces. Bloody handprints supposedly appeared and vanished as well.
16. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Flickr user Megan Rosenbloom
The campus’ English building used to be a women’s dorm, which once had a pool. A female student drowned there, though the stories alternate between saying it was an accident, she took her own life, or she was murdered. Regardless of origin, students say that her ghost wanders the halls and stares out the windows. Ghostly footsteps, closing doors, and disembodied voices are just some of the ways this spirit reaches out into the land of the living.
Would You Dare to Attend?
Whether you’re a believer in ghosts or just love a good story, these haunted campuses show how history and legend live in colleges across the country.
Curious if one of these spooky schools could also be a great fit for your future? Try College Raptor’s FREE College Match tool to help you choose a good college. You’ll see which colleges align with your interests, budget, and goals, and you might uncover a haunted campus along the way.
