While many lessons are taught in classrooms, more life lessons are learned on campus, in dorms, and at social gatherings with friends.
Relationships are why audiences are often drawn to TV series that illuminate the interactions and intricacies of college life. Stacker surveyed TV history and chose 15 of the best series about college life. To qualify, the show had to have at least a 6.5 on IMDb and have 2,000 votes. Shows were organized by IMDb user rating.
Some of the shows took on controversial topics while others made audiences laugh or yearn for their college days. Relive the moment when Rory from “Gilmore Girls” had to pick between Harvard, Yale, or Princeton, and watch Denise Huxtable grow up as she attends the fictional Hillman College in the first season of “The Cosby Show” spinoff “A Different World.”
Don your college sweatshirt and continue reading to discover 15 of the best shows about college.
Felicity
Hulton Archive // Getty Images
– IMDb user rating: 6.8
– Years on the air: 1998–2002Keri Russell stars as Felicity in the series of the same name, as she follows Ben, her secret high school crush, to the fictional University of New York. The series, created by J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves, centers around Felicity and her friends as they learn hard lessons about love and life. Other notable cast members include Donald Faison, Scott Foley, and Amy Smart.
A Different World
Carsey-Werner Company
– IMDb user rating: 6.9
– Years on the air: 1987–1993The sitcom, a spinoff of “The Cosby Show,” explores college life for Denise Huxtable and her cadre of friends at the fictional Hillman College, a historically Black college in Virginia. The groundbreaking series addressed topics including racism, riots, and AIDS. During a 2021 episode of E!’s “Reunion Road Trip,” Lena Waithe, Emmy-winner and creator of “The Chi,” said she was so heavily impacted by “A Different World” that she named her production company Hillman Grad Productions.
China, IL
Neely Comics
– IMDb user rating: 7.0
– Years on the air: 2008–2015Brad Neely’s animated sitcom features the Smith brothers, a pair of professors who lower the bar of learning. The duo swap education for popularity, to the delight of their students. The notable cast includes Greta Gerwig, Gary Anthony Williams, Chelsea Peretti, Hannibal Buress, and Hulk Hogan (along with his daughter Brooke), among other big names.
Coach
Bungalow 78 Productions
– IMDb user rating: 7.0
– Years on the air: 1989–1997Fans of “Coach” enjoyed nine seasons following the life of college football coach Hayden Fox, played by Craig T. Nelson. The popular sitcom, which won two Emmys, sees Fox switch teams and also marry his girlfriend Shelley, played by Christine Armstrong.
Scream Queens
Prospect Films
– IMDb user rating: 7.1
– Years on the air: 2015–2016“Scream Queens” is a black comedy that unfolds at a sorority at Wallace University. Emma Roberts and Jamie Lee Curtis star in the hilariously dark series, where murders unfold as sorority drama escalates.
Greek
Piller Squared/The Segan Company
– IMDb user rating: 7.5
– Years on the air: 2007–2011Fans of ABC Family’s “Greek” watch the Cartwright siblings maneuver Greek life at the fictional Cyprus Rhodes University. The intrigue escalates when Rusty rushes a fraternity and upsets his sister’s picture-perfect reign on the sorority scene.
The Magicians
Groundswell Productions
– IMDb user rating: 7.6
– Years on the air: 2015–2020Lee Grossman’s trilogy about students who are recruited to the secretive Brakebills University for Magical Pedagogy made for a captivating fantasy TV show. The SyFy series illuminates the dark sides of magic and imagination.
Fresh Meat
Lime Pictures
– IMDb user rating: 7.8
– Years on the air: 2011–2016“Fresh Meat” invites viewers into the lives of six college students who share a house. Drinking, drugs, and debt are on the roster in this British comedy-drama that explores modern student life. Standup comedian and actor Jack Whitehall stars as one of the six main characters.
Undeclared
Apatow Productions
– IMDb user rating: 7.9
– Years on the air: 2001–2003Created by Judd Apatow, “Undeclared” follows the transformation of Steven Karp from nerd to man on campus at University of North Eastern California. Viewers watch Steven and his friends fumble through the love, lessons, and lunacy of freshman year.
Gilmore Girls
Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions
– IMDb user rating: 8.1
– Years on the air: 2000–2007Audiences tuned in as Rory received acceptance letters from Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, having followed her and her mother through her high school years. “Gilmore Girls” gives us a picture of student life at Yale in the early 2000s—however, it turns out the show wasn’t actually filmed at Yale.
How to Get Away with Murder
Shondaland
– IMDb user rating: 8.1
– Years on the air: 2014–2020Viola Davis stars in this dramatic TV series that centers around a university professor, her students, her associates, and a secret that keeps them bound together. The series focuses on the dark past that the group can’t escape, and the layer of lies that won’t allow them to move on.
Blue Mountain State
Blue Mountain State Productions
– IMDb user rating: 8.3
– Years on the air: 2010–2011Football and friendship are the foundation of the TV series “Blue Mountain.” The show follows a quarterback and his quirky best friend as they fumble through college life.
Last Chance U
Conde Nast Entertainment
– IMDb user rating: 8.4
– Years on the air: 2016–2020“Last Chance U” opens the curtain to reveal what is going on beyond the field and locker room in a junior college football. The docuseries looks at the lives of players at East Mississippi Community College and the challenges they face.
Normal People
Element Pictures
– IMDb user rating: 8.5
– Years on the air: 2020“Normal People” follows Marianne and Connell, first through their years at a secondary school and then at Trinity College Dublin. The series explores the friends’ relationship with each other, their families, and their peers.
Community
Krasnoff Foster Productions
– IMDb user rating: 8.5
– Years on the air: 2009–2015A Spanish study group formed by a charlatan lawyer who faked his college degree creates the storyline for “Community.” The group forms a surprising bond as they learn Spanish and life lessons.
