Franklin & Marshall College

Statistics

Scholarships & Financial Aid

School Says - General Information
Franklin & Marshall College is a place where the liberal arts and sciences are connected to the real world, where innovation meets practicality and where students are engaged in the hard work of having an impact on the world.

For more than 200 years, Franklin & Marshall has provided students with endless opportunities for intellectual, creative and personal growth. Here, you will explore the natural, social and cultural worlds through our liberal arts education, then apply the knowledge you gain in an experiential setting. This combination of learning and doing will thoroughly prepare you for graduate school, professional school or your chosen career.

With 2,200 students, Franklin & Marshall has a 10:1 student-faculty ratio and an average class of 19 students. Only professors teach classes, and nearly all full-time permanent faculty members hold a Ph.D. or the highest degree in their field.

Franklin & Marshall's 180-acre campus is nestled in the historic and vibrant city of Lancaster, Pa. Our facilities are as functional as they are inspiring. In addition to the world-class educational buildings (listed in the Campus Life/Facilities section), the campus is home to the Caroline Steinman Numan Arboretum, four performing-arts centers, a Barnes & Noble bookstore, four College Houses encompassing 11 residence halls and an ever-expanding athletic complex. A variety of dining halls, eateries and cafes offer students any type of cuisine or satisfy a broad range of dietary requirements. The College also features a kosher, international, vegan/vegetarian and organic menu that is available in the Benjamin Franklin Dining Hall.

Within walking distance of campus, you will find a large variety of shops, art galleries, music venues and restaurants. Beyond the city, you will discover rolling hills, open farmlands, nature preserves and parks where you can hike, bike and explore. Lancaster is within approximately 100 miles of Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Direct Amtrak service and proximity to nearby Harrisburg International Airport make it easy to get to and from your desired destination.

School Says - Student Body
Our 2,200 students represent 40 states and 45 foreign countries. Coming from public and private high schools, Franklin & Marshall students are diverse in thought, religion, race and socioeconomic backgrounds.

The College House system is the foundation of residential life at Franklin & Marshall. Upon enrollment, students are assigned to one of four College Houses and remain a member of that College House throughout their four years. With the guidance of faculty dons and administrative prefects, students govern their houses and develop and implement social and academic programming. Housing is guaranteed at Franklin & Marshall for all four years.

With 100 active clubs, students can find familiar activities or try something new. One-quarter of our students belong to one of seven fraternities or three sororities. More than 80 percent of students participate in community service through the Ware Institute for Community and Civic Engagement.

Two-thirds of our students continue their education through postgraduate study within 10 years of graduation. In recent years, more than 90 percent of qualified seniors applying to law school have been admitted and 90 percent of qualified applicants to medical schools have been admitted (compared to a national rate of 47 percent). Franklin & Marshall ranks in the top 4 percent of more than 1,450 colleges and universities in the percentage of graduates earning doctorates. The College also has formal recruiting relationships with more than 300 high-quality professional organizations, corporations and companies and 85 graduate and professional schools.

School Says - Admissions
Franklin & Marshall seeks to enroll students from a broad spectrum of economic, cultural and racial backgrounds. The primary focus of admission evaluation is the high school transcript. Other factors considered by the Admission committee are evidence of a student's intellect and commitment to the ideals of academic and personal growth, the ability to write creatively and analytically, letters of recommendation from teachers and counselors, standardized test scores, involvement in extracurricular activities, demonstrated interest in the College, and a personal interview (recommended).

The College accepts either the SAT or the ACT without Writing. SAT Subject Tests are not required but may be submitted to demonstrate an applicant's strength within academic subjects.

The Standardized Test Option is available to applicants. In lieu of test scores, the student must submit two recent, graded writing samples. These writing samples, along with the student's overall credentials, will be used to evaluate the student for admission and possible scholarship. The Option is particularly beneficial for students whose academic performance and scholarship potential is not equally matched by their standardized test results.

Franklin & Marshall uses only the Common Application and requires the Franklin & Marshall Supplement. Students who choose to apply for Early Decision increase their chances of admission and receive full consideration for financial aid. Admission application deadlines:

November 15: Early Decision round I
January 15: Early Decision round II
February 1: Regular Decision

School Says - Campus Life
Franklin & Marshall has 70 buildings totaling 1.6 million square feet on 180 acres. Among our world-class, graduate-level facilities are:
- The Barshinger Life Sciences and Philosophy Building, housing laboratories for aquatic environments, artificial intelligence, behavioral analysis of beginning years and neuroscience; a vivarium; global-warming research equipment; and the Steinman Plant Growth Facility;
- The Patricia E. Harris Center for Business, Government and Public Policy, home of the Global Finance Lab Ââ€" a high-tech media room with four large-screen plasma TVs and three Bloomberg terminals to track the global markets Ââ€" and the Floyd Institute for Public Policy, which produces the nationally cited Franklin & Marshall College Poll;
- The Roschel Performing Arts Center, featuring a state-of-the-art theater, two dance studios, an interactive media lab and drama rehearsal space;
- The Philadelphia Alumni Writers House, a venue for readings by professional and student writers, seminars, master classes, dinners and salon-style reading groups;
- The Grundy Observatory;
- The Hackman Physical Science Complex, housing research laboratory facilities in environmental geochemistry, geophysics research, paleontology, remote sensing and GIS, and sedimentology;
- The Kunkel Aquatic Center, featuring one of the largest 50-meter, Olympic-size swimming facilities in the East;
- The Alumni Sports and Fitness Center;
- The Brooks Tennis Center; and
- Tylus Field, a lighted, synthetic-turf field.

Students Say - Academics
Franklin & Marshall is widely regarded as a school that "prepares students well for law school and medical school," along with retaining "a stellar reputation in graduate school admissions departments," but there's more to F&M than a bunch of high-strung future doctors and lawyers. True, the school has earned a reputation as a pre-professional powerhouse through its "intense workload" and "very difficult grading structure," conditions that some see as necessary in order to provide "an environment for intense personal and academic growth and development of the skills necessary to achieve well-rounded success in life." But F&M also boasts "amazing departments in German, economics, history, government...and geology/environmental science," among others. And in all areas-not just in the high-profile sciences and business-the school ensures that "independent research, especially for upperclassmen, is a vital part of the academic experience" and that "there are enough resources that can be accessed to make good grades more easily attainable," the "demanding" workload notwithstanding. Close student-teacher relationships help make the experience; professors here "are by far the greatest thing about this school. If you're interested in doing something, you can always find a professor or other staff member who would love to help you."

Students Say - Campus Life
There is a grind at F&M during the week, "not a bad one, but you have to be ready for it. Everyone takes his role as a student here very seriously: class, library, meetings, more class, more library, extracurriculars. Most students follow this itinerary during the week." Weeknight respites come in the form of "concerts, movies, amazing lectures, and other things to break up the schedule." For most, weekends "are a good time to relax and drink and forget about all of the work that has been done and still needs to be done in the week to come," so "most students like to go to one or more of the numerous fraternity parties or they may go to a party in someone's room or apartment." And "If you aren't into the drinking scene or the partying scene on campus"-and some students here aren't-"you can go to Ben's Underground, which is an alcohol-free, student-run club. Students can go to play pool or see comedians. It's really a nice facility to use and open all week." Also, "athletics are fairly popular for a Division III school, and the orchestra draws as well." Hometown Lancaster offers "a bunch of art galleries, really good cafés, an old opera house that has great plays, and a concert venue that has pretty big-name bands play." However, by the time most students are juniors, "Lancaster and the frat scene get old, so older students take to the local bars and sometimes take road trips to...Philadelphia or Washington, D.C."

Students Say - Student Body
F&M is "an extremely preppy school, and many designers are flashed all around campus. Students are not afraid to show that they have money, but they are never in your face about it." Not everyone here is a slave to fashion. "You have students that do not get all dressed up for class that just wear sweats and sweatshirt," says a student. Along with those students "from boarding schools or expensive private schools," you'll find "a handful of international students, a smaller handful of minority students, and a few 'townies.' Everyone finds a niche, though." The small campus sometimes feels smaller because students can be cliquish; undergrads here "can be broken into many groups: frats, sororities, specific athletic groups, similar interests (arts, music, etc)."

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