The Diplomat Way.
Dig Deeper. Explore Further.
When you become an F&M Diplomat, your influence reaches everywhere—the classroom and laboratory, the studio and stage, the playing field, the city of Lancaster and beyond. Because each step you take, each choice you make, expands into something greater.
To shape the world, start right where you are. That's the Diplomat way.
Public Service, the Diplomat Way
Own your influence and affect real change. F&M’s Public Service Leadership Fellows program empowers future leaders like you by offering a four-year merit scholarship, mentorship from a tenured professor, leadership workshops, public service shadow opportunities, and more.
Learn more »Public Service, the Diplomat Way
Own your influence and affect real change. F&M’s Public Service Leadership Fellows program empowers future leaders like you by offering a four-year merit scholarship, mentorship from a tenured professor, leadership workshops, public service shadow opportunities, and more.
Learn more »Preservation, the Diplomat Way
Are you ready to learn how you can immediately help preserve the Chesapeake Bay? F&M’s Chesapeake Watershed Leadership Fellows program will engage you in meaningful field and laboratory research within the local Conestoga River watershed, a tributary to the Chesapeake Bay, in southeastern Pennsylvania. Chesapeake Watershed Leadership Fellows not only receive a four-year merit scholarship, but also mentorship from tenured professors, hands-on experience in original, action-oriented research, and more.
Learn more »Preservation, the Diplomat Way
Are you ready to learn how you can immediately help preserve the Chesapeake Bay? F&M’s Chesapeake Watershed Leadership Fellows program will engage you in meaningful field and laboratory research within the local Conestoga River watershed, a tributary to the Chesapeake Bay, in southeastern Pennsylvania. Chesapeake Watershed Leadership Fellows not only receive a four-year merit scholarship, but also mentorship from tenured professors, hands-on experience in original, action-oriented research, and more.
Learn more »Preservation, the Diplomat Way
Are you ready to learn how you can immediately help preserve the Chesapeake Bay? F&M’s Chesapeake Watershed Leadership Fellows program will engage you in meaningful field and laboratory research within the local Conestoga River watershed, a tributary to the Chesapeake Bay, in southeastern Pennsylvania. Chesapeake Watershed Leadership Fellows not only receive a four-year merit scholarship, but also mentorship from tenured professors, hands-on experience in original, action-oriented research, and more.
Learn more »Leadership, the Diplomat Way
Are you ready to learn how to identify problems, create solutions, and lead with resilience? F&M’s Future Founders Leadership Fellows program will immerse you in the core values of entrepreneurship and innovation by offering a four-year merit scholarship, mentorship from a tenured professor, a personal board of advisers, dedicated leadership workshops, experiential learning projects with local organizations, and more.
Learn more »Leadership, the Diplomat Way
Are you ready to learn how to identify problems, create solutions, and lead with resilience? F&M’s Future Founders Leadership Fellows program will immerse you in the core values of entrepreneurship and innovation by offering a four-year merit scholarship, mentorship from a tenured professor, a personal board of advisers, dedicated leadership workshops, experiential learning projects with local organizations, and more.
Learn more »Creative Leadership, the Diplomat Way
Are you ready to find your voice and affect meaningful change? F&M's Creative Writing & Cultural Leadership Fellows program will immerse you in writing, reading, literary activism, and creative expression, equipping you with the power to move people with your words. Fellows receive a four-year merit scholarship, mentorship from a professor, dedicated leadership training, opportunities to engage in literary and cultural activism, and more.
Learn more »Creative Leadership, the Diplomat Way
Are you ready to find your voice and affect meaningful change? F&M's Creative Writing & Cultural Leadership Fellows program will immerse you in writing, reading, literary activism, and creative expression, equipping you with the power to move people with your words. Fellows receive a four-year merit scholarship, mentorship from a professor, dedicated leadership training, opportunities to engage in literary and cultural activism, and more.
Learn more »Public Service, the Diplomat Way
Own your influence and affect real change. F&M’s Public Service Leadership Fellows program empowers future leaders like you by offering a four-year merit scholarship, mentorship from a tenured professor, leadership workshops, public service shadow opportunities, and more.
Learn more »Public Service, the Diplomat Way
Own your influence and affect real change. F&M’s Public Service Leadership Fellows program empowers future leaders like you by offering a four-year merit scholarship, mentorship from a tenured professor, leadership workshops, public service shadow opportunities, and more.
Learn more »Own Your Influence. Affect Real Change.
Building a community of leaders to tackle real-world challenges — that's the Diplomat way. At Franklin & Marshall, we believe your college years are a launchpad for lifelong leadership. That’s 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 »Notable Rankings
Ready to be a Diplomat? If F&M is your top-choice school, submit your application
for Early Decision I by November 15. Your ideas may start in the classroom, but they won’t be contained there. At F&M,
you can connect the things you care about to meaningful experiences, including research,
internships, volunteering, and more. We proudly embrace our global identity and commit ourselves to improving our cultural
fluency. We demonstrate this commitment by recruiting students from around the world,
emphasizing the transformative power of studying abroad, and creating opportunities
to engage with a globalized Lancaster. We’re a partner in your success on Day 1. Explore how we engage with students across
all four class years — and discover how that commitment helps you land jobs in leading
industries and gain admission to high-demand graduate and professional programs around
the world.Our Commitment to Affordability
Learn more about our need-based aid, which supports 65% of all enrolled F&M students, including international students.Apply Early Decision I by November 15
Explore, Experience, and Succeed at F&M
Real-World Learning
A Global Campus
Success Beyond F&M
Our Home: The City of Lancaster
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 — all within safe walking distance of campus.
Discover the city »F&M Stories
November 3, 2025
F&M Announces Commonwealth Commitment To Open Doors for More Pennsylvania Students
F&M’s newly launched Commonwealth Commitment ensures that Pennsylvania residents with household incomes below $75,000 attend tuition-free. Those earning between $75,000 and $150,000 pay no more than in-state tuition at Penn State. Need-based aid supports 65% of all F&M students, including international students.
October 29, 2025
F&M Junior Merges Music and Medicine
What you care for most is what you influence. Esther Burlington ’27 is making an impact as both a singer and pre-medical student at F&M. The junior is co-president of The Poor Richards, the College’s longest-standing a cappella group.
October 27, 2025
Wall Street Journal Recognizes Franklin & Marshall for Student Outcomes and Learning Opportunities
F&M was ranked among the best colleges in the U.S. by the Wall Street Journal-College Pulse, which rates 584 eligible universities in the country on how well colleges set graduates up for financial success.