Top college guide names Earlham College a national leader for value, career preparation

Earlham College is among the nation’s top institutions of higher education for return on investment, according to The Princeton Review’s “Best Value Colleges for 2021.”

In determining the nation’s top values, The Princeton Review evaluated 650 colleges and universities in the U.S. and rated them based on more than 40 data points, covering academics, affordability and career preparation. Fewer than one-third of the institutions made the list.

The Princeton Review also ranks Earlham 13th in the nation among all private institutions on its list of the “Best Schools for Making an Impact.” This list recognizes schools with plentiful opportunities to participate in community service, student government, sustainability efforts, and on-campus student engagement.

“Our students receive a personal, world-class liberal arts education from renowned faculty that treat them as partners in learning while preparing them make a positive difference in the world,” Earlham President Anne Houtman said. “Value—and values—are at the heart of everything we do. Every year, we devote significant financial aid resources to ensure that an Earlham education is as affordable as possible to students from all backgrounds.”

Earlham is a collaborative learning community that inspires and motivates students with transformative opportunities and experiences so they can become catalysts for good in a changing world. The College also offers an offer an opportunity that is rare in higher education: a funded internship, research experience or community-based project virtually anywhere in the world. With opportunities to study abroad, many students, participate in more than one out-of-the-classroom experience.

Alumni are leaders in a variety of fields—from science, to business, to international affairs, to the arts. Earlham graduates are winners of the Pulitzer Prize, Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Golden Globe Award. They also include diplomats, doctors, teachers and advocates—and most credit Earlham for shaping their world views and preparing them for diverse and dynamic careers.

Our recent graduates have earned some of the world’s most sought-after post-graduate awards, including the Rhodes Scholarship, Knight-Hennessy Scholarship, Watson Fellowship, and the Fulbright award. And about 90 percent of recent graduates are hired within six months or have enrolled in graduate school. Eighty-six percent are accepted into medical school, about twice the national average.

This is the second time in the last year that The Princeton Review has recognized Earlham for its distinctive approach to the liberal arts. For the third straight year, the College is also included on a list of just 20 institutions for having the nation’s best classroom experience. The designation is based on responses to a national survey about the percentage of classes students attend, the quality of their classrooms and lab facilities, and the amount of in-class time devoted to discussion.

Earlham is also featured annually in other top resource guides for college-bound students and their families. In the last year, U.S. News and World Report recognized the College for value and a commitment to undergraduate teaching. The Fiske Guide to Colleges 2021 included Earlham as one of the nation’s “best and most interesting” institutions of higher education, noting the College’s commitment to career preparation and its diverse and inclusive campus community.