Principia College (commonly referred to as Principia or Prin) is a private liberal arts college in Elsah, Illinois, United States. A four-year coeducational institution, the college was founded in 1912 by Mary Kimball Morgan, and its stated purpose is "to serve the Cause of Christian Science." According to the college, it has no affiliation with the Church of Christ, Scientist, but "the practice of Christian Science is the cornerstone of campus life." Students and staff are practicing Christian Scientists. Principia sits on bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River between Alton and Grafton in the Metro East region of Southern Illinois, thirty miles north of St. Louis. The 2,500 acres (10 km2) acre campus is a designated National Historic Landmark by the United States Department of the Interior.
