Edgar Allan Poe enrolled at the University of Virginia in 1826. He registered in February, during the university’s first years, and studied ancient and modern languages, including Latin and French.
Poe was 17 and had recently returned to Richmond after living with his foster family, John and Frances Allan. The university’s unusual system gave students considerable freedom to choose courses and manage their daily lives, but it also exposed them to gambling, debt, and disorder. Poe reportedly excelled academically, especially in Latin.
His time there lasted only about one year. Financial problems, including disputes with John Allan and debts Poe accumulated while studying, made it impossible for him to continue. He lived in room 13 West Range, which the university preserves as a historic Poe site.
A common mix-up is 1827, the year Poe enlisted in the U.S. Army and published Tamerlane and Other Poems. His University of Virginia enrollment came earlier, in 1826.