Lesley University

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Lesley University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1909 to educate teachers and began as a women’s college. The school started as the Lesley School, founded by Edith Lesley, and was inspired by Froebel’s ideas about kindergarten. In 1944 it became Lesley College and began awarding bachelor’s degrees; graduate programs started in 1954. The School of Practical Art opened in 1912 and, after evolving, became the Art Institute of Boston in 1967. In 1998 the Art Institute of Boston and Lesley College merged, and the new Lesley University was formed in 2001. When the university started, its undergraduates were organized into the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (from Lesley College) and the College of Art and Design (from the Art Institute). Lesley became fully coeducational in 2005.

Today, Lesley has three main campuses in the Cambridge–Boston area: South Campus on Brattle Street (the former North Prospect Church site and the Episcopal Divinity School buildings), acquired in 2018; the Doble Campus near Harvard Square; and the Porter Campus in Porter Square. The university offers more than 20 undergraduate majors and, together with its graduate programs, over 90 degree and certificate options, including online and hybrid formats.

Lesley is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). As of 2024, about 3,134 students study at Lesley (roughly 1,342 undergraduates and 1,792 graduates). The endowment was about $184 million in 2024. The university colors are green and white, and its athletic teams are the Lynx, competing in NCAA Division III in the New England Collegiate Conference.

Janet L. Steinmayer has been president since 2019. In recent years, Lesley restructured some programs and made layoffs to adapt to changing enrollment.