Original sentence: Founded in 1693 by a royal charter (by a British letters patent) issued by King William III and Queen Mary II, it is the second-oldest institution of higher education in the United States after Harvard University
Edited sentence: Founded in 1693 by a royal charter (by a British letters patent) issued by King William III and Queen Mary II, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the United States to legally grant degrees (Harvard University began as a small school for clergy decades earlier, but did so without a legal charter)