At Gettysburg College, our students receive a transformative liberal arts and sciences education that asks for engagement and offers challenges and opportunities in return. We cultivate each student’s potential to think innovatively and put what they learn into action.
Here, “Do Great Work” is more than a tagline. We believe learning means doing, and a college education should prepare our students to be great and do great work. So often, what happens outside the classroom is a vital extension of what happens inside. If you want to get involved—and most Gettysburg students do—the opportunities are almost endless.
A first-class faculty
Gettysburg College supports a first-class faculty who embrace innovation and cutting-edge developments. The benefit to students is clear: when professors are excited about and engaged with new thinking and discovery, they communicate this enthusiasm and knowledge in the classroom.
This passion for academics is most notably visible in our highly respected First-Year Seminar programs and abundant opportunities for highly personalized student-faculty research across all disciplines.
Programs of distinction
Our distinctive programs and unique facilities enable us to balance our small-town feel with big-campus resources. Whether our students want to learn about public policy and presidential leadership through the Eisenhower Institute, cultivate their personal leadership style through the Garthwait Leadership Center, engage in diverse perspectives and public interpretations of history through the Civil War Institute, make a meaningful difference in local and global communities through the Center for Public Service, or combine their love of music with their liberal arts and sciences education through the Sunderman Conservatory of Music, our students are challenged with programs that inspire them to achieve greatness and push them to unleash their potential.
Global classroom
Recognizing the value of preparing global citizens for a lifelong journey of positive impact, Gettysburg College provides opportunities for all students to take their learning out of the classroom and into the world. In fact, nearly 60% of Gettysburg students study abroad for at least one semester at many prestigious colleges and universities worldwide, earning us the distinction of being named fifth in the nation—and first in Pennsylvania—for semester-long study abroad experiences by the Institute of International Education.
Getting involved
Outside the classroom, “Gettysburgians” are actively involved in over 120 student organizations that cultivate an impressive array of interests, talents, and cultures.
An athletic powerhouse, Gettysburg offers 24 intercollegiate sports for men and women and has captured 114 Centennial titles over the last three-plus decades of competition as well as three NCAA Division III national championships. Strong recreational and intramural programs give everyone an opportunity to get involved. In fact, 85% of students participate in a campus recreation program.
During the weekends, students can attend over 800 events planned by the Campus Activities Board each year—including concerts, comedians, and coffeehouses; cheering on the Bullets; going on outdoor expeditions; exploring DC museums; taking in a movie or lecture; playing inner tube water polo; competing in a Ping-Pong tournament or trivia night; and so much more.
Planning a successful future
One of the things that distinguishes Gettysburg College is our dedication to helping students develop a career plan and build their professional network. At Gettysburg, the community our students join includes our network of over 30,000 active and engaged alumni who are just as committed to preparing future leaders as we are. Gettysburg students explore various career fields through internships, externships, job shadowing, career immersion trips, and networking events. More than 80% of students complete at least one internship or externship by the time they graduate. In fact, The Princeton Review ranked us 16th in the nation for internship opportunities.
All these opportunities for practical career development and networking, in addition to 98% of our recent graduates securing employment or pursuing graduate school within just one year after graduation, have earned Gettysburg College the distinction of being featured in The Princeton Review’s guide Colleges That Create Futures: 50 Schools That Launch Careers by Going Beyond the Classroom.
Why Gettysburg?
Gettysburg offers the best of both worlds: a classic college town in a beautiful historic setting with a vibrant downtown not far from major cities—Washington, DC, is just 80 minutes away.
All around Gettysburg are abundant opportunities for exploration and outdoor recreation. Spend the afternoon at the movie theatre, hike the Appalachian Trail, or hit the slopes at a nearby mountain. Maybe you will take a day trip with friends to explore Baltimore or DC, hop on a bus to New York City for a Broadway show, or interview for an internship in Philadelphia. See for yourself what makes Gettysburg great.
Come join us
For information about applying for admission and financial aid availability, please visit gettysburg.edu.
