Learn with purpose.
Lead with impact.
Own Your Influence. Effect Real Change.
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 »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’s foremost survey research organizations. It publishes the Franklin & Marshall College Poll—the 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’ opinions. “Being able to have this opportunity to help draft questions for a statewide poll that gets national media attention—that is an incredible opportunity that a lot of students probably would not have been able to have at other schools,” said Ethan Grabowski ’26, a government and history major.
Learn more »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’ opinions. “Being able to have this opportunity to help draft questions for a statewide poll that gets national media attention—that is an incredible opportunity that a lot of students probably would not have been able to have at other schools,” said Ethan Grabowski ’26, a government and history major.
Learn more »“At F&M, I wasn’t just learning what to think—I was learning how to think.”
A Franklin & Marshall liberal arts education taught Nicolas Rios ’23 how to think critically, communicate effectively and approach problems from multiple angles. “At F&M, I wasn’t just learning what to think—I was learning how to think,” he said. “That ability to analyze, adapt and connect ideas across disciplines has been incredibly valuable in the workforce.” Rios, a business, organizations and society graduate, is now an analyst at Goldman Sachs. “In 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,” Rios said.
Read more »“This experience showed me how classroom knowledge can be used to solve real-world problems.”
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 ’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. “This experience showed me how classroom knowledge can be used to solve real-world problems,” Nguyen said.
Read more »“I felt a sense of community and shared academic passion that day that I had not felt anywhere else.”
As a high school senior, Skylar Zachian ’25 logged on to a virtual admitted students event during which Associate Professor of English Erik Anderson taught a creative writing lesson. “I could have stayed on that Zoom meeting for hours,” Zachian said. “I 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’s unique creative writing track and engaging with distinguished authors at The Philadelphia Alumni Writers House.”
Read more »Connecting Classroom Theory to Behavioral Reality in a Yale Lab
Learning by doing is part of our DNA as Diplomats. Noah Katzer ’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. “I'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,” he said.
Read more »“The arts at F&M have been an integral part of my college experience.”
“Singing 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.” — Eleanor Metz ’27
Explore music at F&M »A Diplomat’s Deep Dive into Marine Biology
Learning by doing is part of our DNA as Diplomats. Jaeyun An ’26 dove headfirst into this philosophy, spending a semester in the turquoise waters of Turks and Caicos researching the island’s diverse marine life. “My time was spent equal parts in the classroom and in the field,” An said. “We 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.”
Read more »“I have a strong passion for hands-on mechanical and electrical engineering projects.”
Learning by doing is in our DNA as Diplomats. Inna Shapovalenko ’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)—a “drone for exploring the ocean”—while interning for Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. She also helped code a robot that leads F&M visitors through a playful quiz about the College. “I have a strong passion for hands-on mechanical and electrical engineering projects,” she said.
Read more »“The vivarium is this beautiful gem in the crown that is F&M.”
At F&M, you’ll step beyond the classroom and into the vivarium. “The vivarium is this beautiful gem in the crown that is F&M,” said Lillian Basom ’08, Director of Operations, College Vivarium. “There 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.”
Read more »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’ll 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’ll discover Lancaster is the ideal place to practice, participate, and contribute to a thriving community that’s 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’ll experience creative collisions that spark transformative connections within a community devoted to your success.
Our Commitment to Affordability
We are committed to making an F&M education accessible for all admitted students. That’s 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’s 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.
The Latest from F&M
April 30, 2026
Senior Lacrosse Standout Eyes Medical Career
Lauren Pittman ’26 wanted top-notch academics and a competitive lacrosse program when choosing a college. At Franklin & Marshall, “I could get the best of both worlds,” said Pittman, named the USA Lacrosse Magazine Division III Preseason Player of the Year prior to her senior season.
April 30, 2026
Meghan Kelly Named Director of College Library
Meghan Kelly has been named director of the Franklin & Marshall College Library, following a year of service in the interim role and more than a decade of leadership within the library itself. She will oversee operations at the College Library’s two locations: Shadek-Fackenthal Library and Martin Library of the Sciences.
April 30, 2026
First-Year Students Honored for Excellence in Writing
Three Franklin & Marshall College first-year students were recently recognized for their exemplary writing across a wide range of subjects they discovered through their Connections courses, which are explicitly designed to help new students explore and answer complex questions related to real-world issues.
Ken Mehlman ’88 Makes Historic $7.5 Million Gift to Power F&M Athletics and Wellness
A new $7.5 million gift from Ken Mehlman ’88, Franklin & Marshall College Trustee and Board Vice Chair, is the College’s largest gift in support of athletics and wellness. It will be used to begin construction of the Mehlman Center for Strength, Conditioning, Wellness and Performance, an innovative new facility that will be home to strength training, fitness and performance-centered growth.
A Transformative Investment in the Performing Arts
Franklin & Marshall College is pleased to announce that the Green Room Theatre will be rededicated as the James Lapine Theater, a tribute to the Broadway legend and one of F&M’s most decorated and accomplished performing arts graduates.
#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
— all within safe walking distance of campus.Notable Rankings & Outcomes
Our Home: The City of Lancaster