Founded in 1836, Emory University is a private institution located in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. It moved to metropolitan Atlanta in 1915 through a land-grant by then president of The Coca-Cola Company Asa Candler. The school has a total undergraduate enrollment of 7,656 and utilizes a semester-based academic calendar.

Emory is divided into nine schools and colleges, four of which serve undergraduates and graduates. Emory's graduate programs include the highly ranked Goizueta Business School, School of Law, School of Medicine, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing and Rollins School of Public Health. Notable Emory alumni include Alben Barkley, 35th Vice President of the United States, Newt Gingrich, 58th Speaker of the House of Representatives, Lee Hong-koo, 26th Prime Minister of South Korea, Leah Ward Sears, former Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar (II), former Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court and Bill Haslam (BA 1980), current Governor of Tennessee. Also, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, physician and CNN chief health correspondent Sanjay Gupta and activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu have all taught at Emory.

Emory only requires its students to live on campus for the first two years of undergraduate life, but a majority of students choose to remain on campus for all four years. In addition to a thriving Greek community with a number of fraternity and sorority chapters, the Student Programming Council organizes events and performances throughout the year and has brought entertainers and musicians such as Tracy Morgan, Sean Kingston and Guster to campus in past years. A popular organization among students is Volunteer Emory, which oversees community service activities. "Dooley's Week," a tradition that takes place every year, is named for Dooley, a skeleton and "Lord of Misrule" who remains steeped in Emory legend and serves as the University's unofficial mascot.

Emory ranks among the top schools in the U.S. for best all-around athletics programs. The Emory Eagles have nearly 20 NCAA Division III varsity teams and are well known for their successful swimming and diving team. In addition to varsity athletics, all students are required to take two courses in physical education.