Allegheny College (AC)

Allegheny College is one of the country's oldest and most dynamic private liberal arts institutions. Allegheny is the nation's premier college for students with "Unusual Combinations" of interests, skills, and talents.

Recognized as one of Loren Pope's 40 Colleges That Change Lives, Allegheny College is one of the nation's oldest and most dynamic private liberal arts institutions. Allegheny is a leader in higher education innovation, having been recognized as Number 1 in Undergraduate Research among four-year colleges by the Council on Undergraduate Research (2016) and as one of the country's top 30 most innovative national liberal arts colleges by U.S. News and World Report (2019).

Allegheny is the nation's premier college for students with "Unusual Combinations" of interests, skills, and talents. At Allegheny, when members of the college community talk about unusual combinations, they mean it as a tremendous compliment—a compliment that recognizes the unique character of each student.

When you look around, you'll see an aspiring diplomat singing in the choir and building a bike path, and a future physician who edits the college newspaper and pole vaults on an international stage. Unusual combinations, yes, but at Allegheny they are everyday examples of students exploring all of their talents, all of their passions.

Central to the college's focus on experiential learning is the Allegheny Gateway, which helps students connect classroom learning with real-world experience. Since its introduction in 2015, the Gateway has received national attention. It is a central location for collaboration and study in which students can access resume and career services, pre-professional and graduate school advising, research funding and fellowships, internship opportunities, and more.

2,100 students

46 states represented
65 countries represented

It is our students who make Allegheny the vibrant, creative, and innovative place that it is. We invite students to explore all of their interests and talents. At Allegheny, opportunities to pursue one's passions are limited only by the imagination.

Allegheny has more than 120 clubs and organizations that are run and led by students spanning areas like activism and politics, performing arts and media, and spiritual and religious life, and recreation and club sports. We are also home to 10 nationally affiliated social Greek organizations and were founding members of both the NCAA and North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC).

These activities help develop students' leadership skills and make a lasting impact on Allegheny's campus culture. That's because Allegheny is all about active learning and fun-not just learning about foreign policy in class, but arguing for change. Not just writing papers on social activism, but working to educate others. Our students create, laugh, dance, play, explore and serve together every day.

Faculty

Allegheny has a "very welcoming, judgment-free student body," with students who are "incredibly involved, engaged, and passionate about what they do." While students who hold more conservative viewpoints say that the school's generally liberal stance "may be alienating to conservative students," the majority of Allegheny students seem to applaud the college's emphasis on "welcoming students from different cultures and a general acceptance of varying creeds, sexual orientations, gender identities, and races." On the whole, students describe Allegheny as a "very active campus" and the "vast majority of people are involved with more than one organization on campus and are extremely invested in their studies and the school." Even though some say to "be prepared to have the majority of your life revolve just around what the school provides, which is a lot," adding that "the location is definitely a drawback," others add that students find plenty to do on campus and with off-campus trips to Pittsburgh and Erie, Pennsylvania, when Meadville gets too small.

Though some say Allegheny is "the school that studies like an Ivy and parties like a state school," others contend that most students' weeks are full of books and weekends revolve around some sort of on-campus fun. (A few students bristle at Allegheny's four-year residency requirement, but most find ways to stay occupied.) Meadville is a small town but with over 120 school-sponsored clubs and organizations, "everyone can find something [they're] passionate about at Allegheny." Greek life is "an important component of the school, but with only 20 percent of students involved, you'll never feel obligated to participate." The tight-knit school, with roughly 1,60*0 students, is "small enough that you will see a familiar face wherever you go, without feeling like you know everyone on campus." As one student puts it, Allegheny is "a school with traditions and weirdness," and during a pre-college campus visit it just "felt right." A very liberal campus, students note that while "there is always space for further diversity," the "majority of [the] student body prides itself on social justice and service work."

Allegheny College students are encouraged “to think about things in a completely different perspective, which aims to make us unique and specifically individualized for potential careers.” Allegheny’s Office of Career Education is “very helpful and proactive with internships and job placement,” and faculty members are excellent resources as well. “Most of my internships have come from [a] professor recommendation; as in they found the opportunity, made me aware that I would be a good candidate, and then helped me with the application process,” says a student. Over the past five years, 75 to 89 percent of Allegheny graduates completed one or more internships prior to graduation, enhancing their job skills, experience, and networking opportunities. And one day each semester, students set aside classes and schoolwork for “Gator Days,” where student explores what they are interested in doing after graduation via alumni panels, department open houses, and other professional opportunities. PayScale.com reports that Allegheny alumni earn a median starting salary of $58,700, with 33 percent working in a STEM-related field.