Allegheny College

When we talk about combining your interests, it means we recognize the complexity possible in each one of you. We not only recognize it, we model it, we embrace it. 

Look around and you’ll see an aspiring diplomat singing in the choir and building a bike path, a future physician who edits the newspaper and pole vaults on an international stage. At Allegheny, these unusual combinations are everyday examples of people pushing themselves in multiple directions.

We’re proud of our beautiful campus and cutting-edge technologies. And we know our professors are leading scholars who pride themselves even more on being among the best teachers in the nation. But it’s our students who make Allegheny the unique place that it is. You’ll see in our students, over and over again, such a variety of interests and passions and skills that after a while those combinations don’t seem so unusual at all.

If you start to get excited because you sense there is a college willing to embrace the various interests you have within yourself...well, then we look forward to meeting you.

Academic excellence
Allegheny is one of the few American liberal arts and sciences colleges that will ask you to choose a minor as well as a major. Some Allegheny students have majors and minors that complement each other in predictable ways: an International Studies major with a minor in French, for example. But you’ll also see students whose majors and minors represent very different aspects of themselves: an Environmental Studies major with a minor in Creative Writing, perhaps, or a Chemistry major with a minor in History.

Research and the Senior Project
At Allegheny, we believe a remarkable four years should culminate with a remarkable achievement. The Senior Project allows you to step beyond traditional classroom work to make your own unique contribution to your chosen field. Under the guidance of a faculty advisor in his or her major field, every Allegheny student completes the comprehensive Senior Project, a significant piece of original scholarly work with a creative, analytical, or experimental focus. The project demonstrates the skills most prized by employers and graduate schools: the ability to complete a major assignment, to work independently, to analyze and synthesize information, and to write and speak persuasively. The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) presented Allegheny with the inaugural Award for Undergraduate Research Accomplishment in 2016. The award was presented to Allegheny—the only baccalaureate college in the nation to receive it—for the exceptional research experiences Allegheny provides its students.

Seminar sequence
Every Allegheny student participates in a four-year seminar series that focuses on written and oral communication skills as well as academic and career advising. The progressive sequence begins with the First-Year Seminar, led by a professor who also serves as the student’s faculty advisor. 

Student life
Allegheny students are energetic, active, enthusiastic—and always up for fun. Student-inspired and -directed organizations and activities help students develop leadership skills and make a lasting impact on Allegheny’s campus culture. Our more than 120 student organizations include publications, honorary and leadership groups, performing arts groups, religious organizations, service clubs, and special-interest groups. You will find students cheering on friends from the muddy sidelines of a women’s rugby game and playfully debating Kierkegaard’s theories with the Philosophy Club over lattes at the student-run coffeehouse, Grounds for Change. If you don’t find the club that interests you, we encourage you to start it yourself!

Community service and internships
More than 80% of Allegheny students participate in community service projects, contributing over 70,000 hours each year. More than 65% complete one or more internships during their four years, with internships available across the country. We work with recruiters, a national database, and an extensive network of alumni to help our students find the internship that’s right for them.

Financial aid
Allegheny is committed to helping international students and their families identify financial aid options to assist them in paying for their educational investment. Through generous support from our alumni, Allegheny is able to provide over $43 million in achievement-based scholarships for our students. Allegheny’s financial assistance allows students to make their college choice based on value and fit rather than financial constraints.

Extraordinary outcomes
In the same way we’re convinced that a liberal arts and sciences education is a more pragmatic preparation for a rapidly changing world than any sort of narrow technical training, we believe that having multiple areas of expertise and myriad interests will make you that much more successful. The scientist who can present her data in an engaging yet persuasive manner will be more successful in her career. Likewise, the international aid worker who can quickly process the latest quantitative data will be that much more effective in his work. Life is not lived within narrow disciplinary lines. Why should college be?