Learn with purpose.
Lead with impact.
F&M鈥檚 top-tier academics, hands-on experiences, and transformative connections will
prepare you to shape the future 鈥� starting now.
Own Your Influence. Effect Real Change.
At Franklin & Marshall, we believe your college years are a launchpad for lifelong leadership. That鈥檚 why we created four distinctive fellowship programs for students who are curious, motivated, and eager to make a positive and immediate impact in the fields of climate and sustainability, creative writing, entrepreneurship, and public service. Every Fellow receives a four-year merit scholarship ($15,000 annually), deep mentorship from tenured faculty who are experts in their fields, and membership in a living-learning community focused on their specific area of intellectual and leadership development.
Learn more 禄Conduct Voter Opinion Research With the F&M Poll
F&M is home to the Center for Opinion Research, widely recognized as one of the nation鈥檚 foremost survey research organizations. It publishes the Franklin & Marshall College Poll鈥攖he oldest statewide public opinion poll in Pennsylvania and a trusted source for national media outlets. The Center for Opinion Research actively engages F&M students, empowering you to better understand the work behind an effective survey of voters鈥� opinions. 鈥淏eing able to have this opportunity to help draft questions for a statewide poll that gets national media attention鈥攖hat is an incredible opportunity that a lot of students probably would not have been able to have at other schools,鈥� said Ethan Grabowski 鈥�26, a government and history major.
Learn more 禄Conduct Voter Opinion Research With the F&M Poll
F&M is home to the Center for Opinion Research, which publishes the Franklin & Marshall College Poll, one of the top surveys in the United States. The Center for Opinion Research actively engages F&M students, empowering you to better understand the work behind an effective survey of voters鈥� opinions. 鈥淏eing able to have this opportunity to help draft questions for a statewide poll that gets national media attention鈥攖hat is an incredible opportunity that a lot of students probably would not have been able to have at other schools,鈥� said Ethan Grabowski 鈥�26, a government and history major.
Learn more 禄鈥淎t F&M, I wasn鈥檛 just learning what to think鈥擨 was learning how to think.鈥�
A Franklin & Marshall liberal arts education taught Nicolas Rios 鈥�23 how to think critically, communicate effectively and approach problems from multiple angles. 鈥淎t F&M, I wasn鈥檛 just learning what to think鈥擨 was learning how to think,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat ability to analyze, adapt and connect ideas across disciplines has been incredibly valuable in the workforce.鈥� Rios, a business, organizations and society graduate, is now an analyst at Goldman Sachs. 鈥淚n fast-paced environments like Goldman Sachs, technical skills are important, but what really sets you apart is your ability to collaborate, ask thoughtful questions, and think strategically,鈥� Rios said.
Read more 禄鈥淭his experience showed me how classroom knowledge can be used to solve real-world problems.鈥�
Our home city of Lancaster is an integral educational partner teeming with opportunities to learn, serve, and engage with the local community. For Nancy Nguyen 鈥�26, a double major in economics and data science, this meant turning a passion for mathematics into meaningful solutions for the Power Packs Project, a nonprofit combating food insecurity in Lancaster. Nguyen built digital tools to better understand the cost of the meals provided. This included organizing hundreds of recipes, analyzing ingredient price trends, and designing and launching a website for better accessibility and future planning. 鈥淭his experience showed me how classroom knowledge can be used to solve real-world problems,鈥� Nguyen said.
Read more 禄鈥淚 felt a sense of community and shared academic passion that day that I had not felt anywhere else.鈥�
As a high school senior, Skylar Zachian 鈥�25 logged on to a virtual admitted students event during which Associate Professor of English Erik Anderson taught a creative writing lesson. 鈥淚 could have stayed on that Zoom meeting for hours,鈥� Zachian said. 鈥淚 felt a sense of community and shared academic passion that day that I had not felt anywhere else. I could truly picture myself as an F&M student, studying English on the College鈥檚 unique creative writing track and engaging with distinguished authors at The Philadelphia Alumni Writers House.鈥�
Read more 禄Connecting Classroom Theory to Behavioral Reality in a Yale Lab
Learning by doing is part of our DNA as Diplomats. Noah Katzer 鈥�26, a psychology and government double major, exemplified the F&M tenets of exploration and discovery by interning at the Emotion Health and Psychophysiology Lab at Yale University in New Haven, Conn. 鈥淚've learned new research methods and gained insight into new subsections of psychology that have changed the way I think about achieving my goals and the type of research I want to conduct,鈥� he said.
Read more 禄鈥淭he arts at F&M have been an integral part of my college experience.鈥�
鈥淪inging with F&M's Chamber Singers and playing piano in the Symphonic Wind Ensemble and orchestra have allowed me to foster meaningful relationships with my professors and fellow students. I love being a part of F&M's musical community and find it incredibly meaningful to be part of something that is bigger than myself. Some of my closest friends are people I met through ensembles, and a lot of my favorite college memories are from my three and a half years involved in music.鈥� 鈥� Eleanor Metz 鈥�27
Explore music at F&M 禄A Diplomat鈥檚 Deep Dive into Marine Biology
Learning by doing is part of our DNA as Diplomats. Jaeyun An 鈥�26 dove headfirst into this philosophy, spending a semester in the turquoise waters of Turks and Caicos researching the island鈥檚 diverse marine life. 鈥淢y time was spent equal parts in the classroom and in the field,鈥� An said. 鈥淲e would learn about a certain topic in class, such as species identification, and in the field exercises, we would go out to the ocean, and have a quiz identifying creatures we see while snorkeling. I saw sharks, eagle rays, turtles, dolphins, and even whales! This experience gave me the confirmation that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.鈥�
Read more 禄鈥淚 have a strong passion for hands-on mechanical and electrical engineering projects.鈥�
Learning by doing is in our DNA as Diplomats. Inna Shapovalenko 鈥�26, a computer science and physics double major, exemplifies this tenet of hands-on exploration. As a summer intern at the Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC), Shapovalenko assembled two versions of NASA STELLA spectrometers. She later developed an Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV)鈥攁 鈥渄rone for exploring the ocean鈥濃�攚hile interning for Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. She also helped code a robot that leads F&M visitors through a playful quiz about the College. 鈥淚 have a strong passion for hands-on mechanical and electrical engineering projects,鈥� she said.
Read more 禄鈥淭he vivarium is this beautiful gem in the crown that is F&M.鈥�
At F&M, you鈥檒l step beyond the classroom and into the vivarium. 鈥淭he vivarium is this beautiful gem in the crown that is F&M,鈥� said Lillian Basom 鈥�08, Director of Operations, College Vivarium. 鈥淭here are very few facilities that offer undergraduate students that kind of hands-on, experiential learning right from the moment they step on campus. The facility and our programming, which supports up to 80 students a semester, wouldn't exist without the commitment of our incredible students.鈥�
Read more 禄How We Do It
World-Ready Leaders
We prepare you to be world-ready, equipping you with the skills to excel in not just one career, but many. You鈥檒l become a purpose-driven leader committed to shaping a better world.
Learning by Doing
We ensure you learn with purpose through hands-on experiences. You鈥檒l discover Lancaster is the ideal place to practice, participate, and contribute to a thriving community that鈥檚 a microcosm of the world.
Creative Collisions
With a 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio, we offer unparalleled access to faculty who are leading experts in their fields. You鈥檒l experience creative collisions that spark transformative connections within a community devoted to your success.
Saturday, April 11, 2026
The Inauguration of Andrew Rich
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Our Commitment to Affordability
We are committed to making an F&M education accessible for all admitted students. That鈥檚 why we launched the Commonwealth Commitment this year. Through this bold initiative:
- Pennsylvania residents with household incomes below $75,000 attend F&M tuition-free.
- Those earning between $75,000 and $150,000 pay no more than in-state tuition at Penn State University.
Learn more about our need-based aid, which supports 65% of all enrolled F&M students, including international students.
Where Liberal Arts Meets AI
At F&M, we frame AI as a tool for inquiry, teaching you to navigate its complexities with an ethical and responsible lens. As you explore the technology鈥檚 potential, you will become technically proficient while sharpening the high-level critical thinking, ethical judgment, and creative problem-solving skills that are more important than ever. This is the F&M advantage: mastering the tools of the future while cultivating the timeless humanist perspectives that will set you apart.
March 26, 2026 F&M has been selected for inclusion in the 2026 Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Campus Antisemitism Report Card, a national initiative evaluating how colleges and universities support Jewish students and respond to antisemitism. March 25, 2026 F&M wrestling captain James Conway 鈥�26 left it all on the mat at last weekend鈥檚 Division I NCAA championships to conclude one of the most decorated careers in school history. See his biggest takeaways as a student-athlete at F&M, and what鈥檚 next after graduation. March 24, 2026 Led by two faculty mentors, Franklin & Marshall juniors and seniors with a keen interest in political polling, civics, and voter sentiment meet weekly to discuss best practices and trends in polling, how to analyze and contextualize results, and even take a hand in crafting the wording of poll questions. It鈥檚 a prime example of the type of real-world, hands-on experiences that build the kind of high-demand skills that prepare F&M students to excel in industry or graduate school.The Latest from F&M
ADL Report Card Reflects F&M鈥檚 Commitment to Jewish Life on Campus
James Conway 鈥�26 Concludes Historic Wrestling Career
Seat at the Table: Students Work Alongside National Experts on the F&M Poll
Featured Story
Ken Mehlman 鈥�88 Makes Historic $7.5 Million Gift to Power F&M Athletics and Wellness
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#7 Best Small College in Northeast (Wall Street Journal) #35 National Liberal Arts Colleges (U.S. News & World Report) 100% Demonstrated Financial Need Met for All Enrolled Students Top 50 Best Value College (U.S. News & Princeton Review) 92% Employed or in Graduate School Within Six Months of Graduation (Class of 2025) $76,124 Early Career Median Salary (U.S. Dept. of Education) #24 Most Accessible Professors (Princeton Review) #33 Best Undergraduate Teaching (U.S. News & World Report) F&M's extraordinary home city is an urban oasis. Lancaster, PA offers arts, culture,
and experiences for every taste and preference and is full of extraordinary opportunities
鈥� all within safe walking distance of campus.Notable Rankings & Outcomes
Our Home: The City of Lancaster