▁teach ▁its ▁own ▁core ▁writing ▁courses ▁and ▁has ▁its ▁own ▁distinct ive ▁set ▁of ▁gradu ation ▁requirements . ▁ ▁Many ▁U . S . ▁univers ities ▁have ▁placed ▁increased ▁emphas is ▁on ▁their ▁resident ial ▁colleg es ▁in ▁recent ▁years . ▁This ▁is ▁exempl ified ▁by ▁the ▁creation ▁of ▁new ▁colleg es ▁at ▁I vy ▁League ▁schools ▁such ▁as ▁Y ale ▁University ▁and ▁Pr inc eton ▁University , ▁and ▁efforts ▁to ▁strength en ▁the ▁contribution ▁of ▁the ▁resident ial ▁colleg es ▁to ▁student ▁education , ▁including ▁through ▁a ▁ 2 0 1 6 ▁task force ▁at ▁Pr inc eton ▁on ▁resident ial ▁colleg es . ▁ ▁Origin ▁of ▁the ▁U . S . ▁usage ▁The ▁found ers ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁institutions ▁of ▁higher ▁education ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁were ▁gradu ates ▁of ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁Oxford ▁and ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁Cambridge . ▁The ▁small ▁institutions ▁they ▁founded ▁would ▁not ▁have ▁seemed ▁to ▁them ▁like ▁univers ities ▁– ▁they ▁were ▁tiny ▁and ▁did ▁not ▁offer ▁the ▁higher ▁degrees ▁in ▁medicine ▁and ▁the ology . ▁Furthermore , ▁they ▁were ▁not ▁composed ▁of ▁several ▁small ▁colleg es . ▁Instead , ▁the ▁new ▁institutions ▁felt ▁like ▁the ▁Oxford ▁and ▁Cambridge ▁colleg es ▁they ▁were ▁used ▁to ▁– ▁small ▁communities , ▁housing ▁and ▁feed ing ▁their ▁students , ▁with ▁instruction ▁from ▁resident ial ▁tut ors ▁( as ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁Kingdom , ▁described ▁above ). ▁When ▁the ▁first ▁students ▁graduated , ▁these ▁" col leg es " ▁assumed ▁the ▁right ▁to ▁confer ▁degrees ▁upon ▁them , ▁usually ▁with