Earlham College: A Deep Dive into Notable Programs and Degrees

Earlham College, founded in 1847 in Richmond, Indiana, is a private liberal arts institution with deep Quaker roots. The college maintains its commitment to principles such as integrity, peace, social justice, and community engagement, which shape both its academic and extracurricular life. Despite its modest size, Earlham has built a reputation for academic rigor, experiential learning, and global perspectives.

Academic Environment and Faculty Interaction

One of Earlham's distinguishing features is its commitment to fostering close relationships between students and faculty. With a low student-faculty ratio of 7:1, Earlham College offers "small class sizes [that allow] faculty to easily connect with students." Students have plenty of opportunity to "have a strong and close connection with professors." Faculty are "extremely available and willing to connect" to help their students really understand the subjects they "are passionate in teaching." Those professors are "amazing to work with". They are like incredibly knowledgeable friends who have [a] strong interest in your future and helping you succeed." Overall, their courses are described as "rigorous," "interesting," and "engaging," and students also find they can "get the help [they] need" without much trouble.

Diverse Academic Programs

Earlham College offers a diverse range of undergraduate programs. The most popular majors at Earlham College include: Biological and Biomedical Sciences; Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services; Psychology; Visual and Performing Arts; Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies; Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services; Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics; Physical Sciences; Social Sciences; and Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies. The college places a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary learning, allowing students to engage in cross-disciplinary courses and independent research. In 2024, Earlham College awarded 123 undergraduate degrees, including 84 single majors, 18 double majors, and one triple major.

3+2 Engineering Program

The college also offers a 3+2 Engineering Program, where students spend three years at Earlham before transferring to an affiliated university, such as Columbia or Case Western Reserve, to complete an engineering degree.

Science Programs

In the sciences, Earlham places a large emphasis on integrating research into the undergraduate curriculum. Through Ford/Knight grants, most science faculty have been or are currently involved with students in research. Earlham has good representation in the Butler Undergraduate Research Conference, held each year in the spring. Earlham's biology and chemistry departments have a long history of producing distinguished graduates, such as Warder Clyde Allee, Jim Fowler, Larry E. Overman, Harold Urey, and Wendell Stanley, the latter two of which won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (in 1934 and 1946, respectively).

Read also: Earlham Scholarships and Aid

Global and Career Education

The Center for Global and Career Education is a great resource, offering coaching, résumé guidance, and networking. And its Epic Advantage Internship Program provides all students with funding for a meaningful internship, research opportunity, or career-oriented experience, either during the summer or the academic year. “There are … a lot of opportunities for research, internships, and travel,” as well as “lots of encouragement for [study] abroad programs.” Earlham is “highly regarded,” and the college “networks with a number of large programs and universities around the country and world.” Further support is provided through Career Communities, which align students with mentors (faculty and alumni), advisers, and job and internship opportunities related to their interests.

Quaker Values and Campus Culture

Earlham was founded in 1847 as the Friends Boarding School, a boarding high school for the religious education of Quaker adolescents. In 1859, Earlham became Earlham College, upon the addition of collegiate academics. Though the college initially admitted only students who belonged to the Religious Society of Friends, Earlham began admitting non-Quakers in 1865. Over time, as Quakerism in America became more progressive, Earlham's practices changed with them. The college has still remained faithful to its Quaker roots. The college has a strong focus on Quaker values such as integrity, a commitment to peace and social justice, mutual respect, and community decision-making.

Diversity and Inclusion

Despite being a small school, Earlham manages to yield a "diverse population." You can find students "from all over the world" who enrich the campus with their "interesting stories and backgrounds." Undergrads seem to mesh well as everyone treats each other "with kindness and compassion." Moreover, many students here are "concerned about social issues and justice" and a large number "seem to be inclined to left-wing policies." Or, as another undergrad puts it, "Earlham is hippies. Earlham is bare feet and climbing trees. Earlhamites are activists. Earlham has students from 77 countries, which equates to roughly 200 students. This high diversity is due in part to a strong relationship with the United World College network of international boarding high schools. Since 2004, Earlham College has been a part of the Davis United World Scholars program, which offers need-based scholarships for UWC graduates to continue their education at select institutions in the United States. The college also draws from all regions of the United States, with students from 42 states.

Student Life and Activities

Many undergrads proudly proclaim that the "possibilities are endless" at Earlham when it comes to campus activities. It's "a wonderful environment for passionate and selfdriven students" who thrive on having "back-to-back commitments." As one enthusiastic individual explains, "I run a club, direct and act in plays, sing in the choir, go to the gym, and still take nineteen credits." It's hard to resist the many school-sponsored activities "such as concerts, bowling, movie night, [and] roller skating." Another popular activity is Dance Alloy, which is a "bi-yearly student choreographed dance performance" that many students join and "spend multiple nights a week practicing and preparing" to get just right. Peer mental health volunteers perform both direct (1:1 student:peer) and indirect (educational outreach) offerings. Earlham has an entirely student-managed public radio station, WECI 91.5FM. Earlham has the United States' only equestrian program which is run entirely by students. Lessons are available for students of the college and community members. The equestrian center is adjacent to the college-owned 11-acre Miller farm which hosts agricultural interns during the school year and summer and "work days" on Saturdays for the rest of the community during the school year.

Athletics

Earlham teams (nicknamed Quakers) compete in NCAA Division III and in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. The women's sports are basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, indoor track, lacrosse, outdoor track, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball. The football team was organized in 1888 and has been playing games since the 1889 season. As one of the earliest college programs, Earlham has competed against larger foes such as Indiana University, Purdue University, the University of Kentucky, Ball State University, and Butler University. In past years, Earlham was an NAIA member in all sports; they won the NAIA men's soccer national title in 1963. Earlham's club teams include Ultimate Frisbee, Women's and Men's rugby, the Bike Co-Op, Cheerleaders, Earthquakers (Competitive Dance), Equestrian Program, martial arts groups, Men's Volleyball, and Outdoors Club. A $13-million Athletics and Wellness Center opened at the beginning of the Fall 1999 semester.

Read also: Earlham's Athletic Programs

Campus and Facilities

The main quadrangle of the campus is called "the Heart". It is bordered by Earlham Hall (with the Runyan Center student union directly behind it), Olvey-Andis Hall, Lilly Library, Carpenter Hall, Landrum Bolling Center, the science buildings (Stanley Hall, Noyes Hall and Dennis Hall), Tyler Hall, Bundy Hall and Barrett Hall. The school has embarked on major campus improvement projects which cost a combined $62.3 million. The science complex (Stanley and Noyes Halls) has undergone a complete renovation. Stanley Hall was completed by fall 2013 and received a LEED Silver certification.

Challenges and Economic Impact

Earlham College is a major economic driver in Richmond, Indiana, and the surrounding region. According to the Independent Colleges of Indiana, Earlham College has a total economic impact of $76 million on the state and has created nearly 725 jobs in Indiana. Through programs like the Center for Social Justice and the Bonner Scholars Program, Earlham students engage in community service projects throughout Richmond. Earlham College has experienced a decline in full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment over the past decade. In the 2013-14 academic year, enrollment stood at 1,159 students, dropping to 677 students in 2022-23. Earlham College’s current endowment is $419 million, down from $475 million in 2021. Financial challenges stem from declining enrollment and reduced tuition revenue. Despite these challenges, Forbes rated Earlham A- with a 3.499 GPA, signaling relative financial resilience.

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