Hiram College

Student Profile

Fall 2017 Enrollment
967 undergraduate students
87% of undergrad students are full time
47% male — 53% female
32% of students are from out of state

Faculty Profile

2017-2018 Academic Year
79 full-time faculty
63 part-time faculty
10 to 1 student-to-faculty ratio

Residence Life

Fall 2017
88% of first-year students live on campus
84% of all students live on campus

School Location

Located in the gently rolling hills of Ohio’s Western Reserve less than 45 minutes from Cleveland, Youngstown, and Akron, Hiram College offers students the best of all worlds. The rural beauty of Hiram’s 110-acre campus is the perfect setting for quiet contemplation and distraction-free learning, all while allowing students to enjoy the many amenities, culture, and attractions found within a short drive from campus.

High-Impact Practices

Read more about the importance of High-Impact Practices 

Retention fall 2017

70% of students began in Fall 2016 and returned in Fall 2017 (full-time, first-time freshmen)

6-year graduation rate 2017

60% of students graduated in 6 years

ENROLLMENT BY RACIAL/ETHNIC CATEGORY - FALL 2017

Athletics

The Terriers of Hiram College play in the NCAA Division III. Fourteen of Hiram’s 16 teams compete in the North Coast Athletic Conference, with one sport (men’s volleyball) set to join the Allegheny Mountain Conference (AMCC), and competitive Cheer/STUNT currently unaffiliated. Hiram’s varsity athletics teams include men’s baseball, basketball, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming and diving, and volleyball; and women’s basketball, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, and volleyball.

Other Information

Hiram College is unlike anywhere else, and each student’s experience is distinctive. A Hiram education ensures students have the opportunity to:   

• Choose from 33 majors and 39 minors to design an academic direction that supports individual interests, passions and goals.
• Reach goals outside the classroom by participating in Hiram’s robust and active athletics program.
• Experience the 12+3 Hiram Plan that includes 12 weeks of regular classes and three weeks every semester of total immersion in a subject of interest.
• Gain real-world experience through Hiram Connect, a new program that allows students to participate in internships, study abroad, or faculty-guided research projects to reflect on how their experiences will impact their future.
• Experience personal academic attention in small classes and develop faculty relationships that will last a lifetime.
• Study at a college that truly values environmental sustainability and provides rare learning opportunities at the 550-acre James H. Barrow Field Station.
• Kickstart an academic pathway with Hiram’s direct-admittance nursing program and partnerships with local medical schools for other health-related careers.
• Experience the New Liberal Arts through integrated study, high-impact experiences, and mindful technology.
• Feel confident knowing tuition won’t increase during the four years at Hiram because of the Tuition Guarantee.

Hiram students grow to become individuals who can answer tough questions, solve complex problems, and communicate ideas clearly. They excel in their chosen field of study while acquiring the broad skills needed to make a mark on the world, wherever they are called to be.

Academic Programs

Accounting and Financial Management, Applied Computer Science, Art History, Asian Studies (Minor), Biochemistry, Biology, Biomedical Humanities, Chemistry, Classics, Communication, Computer Science, Creative Writing, Economics, Education, Teacher Licensure, Educational Studies, Engineering (dual degree program), English, Entrepreneurship (minor), Environmental Studies, Ethics (minor), Exercise/Sport Science (minor), French, Gender Studies (minor), History, Integrative Exercise Science, International Studies (minor), Management, Mathematics, Natural History (minor), Music, Neuroscience, Nursing, Photography (minor), Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Pre-Dentistry (B.A. to D.M.D. Partnership with Case Western Reserve University), Pre-Law, Pre-Medical Studies (B.A. to M.D. Partnership with Northeast Ohio Medical University), Pre-Physician Assistant, Physical Therapy, Optometry, Podiatry Studies, Pre-Veterinary Medicine, Psychology, Public Leadership (minor), Religious Studies, Social Work (dual degree program, Case Western Reserve University), Sociology, Spanish, Spanish for the Professions, Studio Art, Theatre Arts, Writing

More Distinctions

• Hiram is a member of the Colleges that Change Lives organization, which highlights colleges that promote a lifelong love of learning and provide the foundation for successful and fulfilling lives beyond college.  

• Hiram is one of only 10 percent of colleges and universities nationwide to be awarded a Phi Beta Kappa chapter.

• Hiram College has been ranked nationally and regionally for affordability and excellence in the liberal arts.

• Hiram College is recognized as a College of Distinction by national college rating guide, Colleges of Distinction for its high-impact education practices, highly engaged students, high quality education, vibrant community, and successful outcomes.   

• Ranked in the top 15 percent of colleges in the U.S. for return-on-investment by Educate to Career, a nonprofit organization that provides college planning tools to high school students and parents.

• Ranked among the best liberal arts colleges in the country by Washington Monthly in 2015-2016, with particularly high marks in student service and social mobility.

• Recognized among the best colleges in the Midwest by the Princeton Review, in the 2015-2016 edition of The Best 379 Colleges.

• Ranked among the top colleges in the nation based on affordability and productivity, by Forbes.com in its 2016-2017 top colleges list.

• Ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges (National Liberal Arts Colleges) category.

The Emerging Scholars Program

Hiram College builds its curriculum and campus life around the practices that have been shown to result in student learning and success. For select students, the Emerging Scholars program provides direction and extra support to ensure students succeed in their first year. Hiram College’s persistence rates to graduation outperform expectations.

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

Every student is required to have an experience that goes beyond the classroom. One way in which this can take place is through a study-away experience led by Hiram faculty in places around the globe. Other experiences allow students to partner with faculty members to conduct research in such projects as wildlife rehabilitation at Hiram’s field station or polymer studies with members of the chemistry department. Many students gain their off-campus experience in internships both throughout Ohio and across the country.

Ethics Theme

Every year, Hiram College focuses on an ethics-related theme. For example, this year’s theme, which explores the idea of “citizen,” will bring students together both on campus and within the larger community to learn how to better engage in difficult conversations about challenging topics.

Activities Offered

Hiram Connect

The Hiram Connect program gives students the opportunity to develop both personally and professionally throughout their undergraduate careers. Connect is a plan for students to obtain internships, go on study-away trips, and apply their education to real-world contexts. Together, each of Hiram Connect’s hands-on programs challenge students to discover what they want to do, who they are now, and who they want to become.

First-Year Seminars and Experiences

The First-Year Program at Hiram locks down a sturdy foundation for all students adjusting to the new college lifestyle. Enrolling in a colloquium of their choice, students learn to bolster their communication skills and delve deeper into their passions. The learning communities in these colloquia are small, tightly knit groups of sixteen students each. And by their second semester, they are given opportunities to hone their skills and interests into research among any discipline across the arts, sciences, and humanities.

The First-Year program is the first step in Hiram’s General Education program, which aims to lead students through the ways of knowing that are characteristic of a liberal arts education. This program provides the broad grounding upon which majors are built, eventually leading all students to a capstone project that allows them to demonstrate the knowledge and experience they’ve gained.

Writing-Intensive Courses

Writing is highly valued at Hiram, as the College has enacted one of the oldest Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) programs in the United States to bring writing and communication to every discipline. Because writing is incorporated into nearly every course at Hiram, the Writing Center proves to be a valuable resource.

The Hiram Plan

Often referred to as the 12+3 plan, The Hiram Plan structures the College’s academic semester to include twelve weeks of traditional classes, a one-week break, and three weeks of a single-course intensive period. After a typical semester of multiple classes, students dive deeply into a particular topic of study. The three-week intensive period is often used for focused research, service-learning, internship experience, or a trip abroad.

Common Core

Other: Ethics, Diversity, Internationally Focused Coursework, Interdisciplinary Studies, Team-taught coursework, Capstone Experience, and a Hands-on Requirement (Internship, Study Away, or Research Experience)

Class Size Breakdown

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Sugar Day is an annual holiday at Hiram during which classes are canceled for a full day of community service. Students, faculty, and staff all band together to bring their helping hands out into the Hiram community. Even when class is in session, however, the Terriers still jump to serve whenever they can. Students can help out during Hiram’s Bread & Soup nights, weekly soup kitchens hosted at the beginning of each semester. There is always someone to help, and so there is always some way to serve.

DIVERSITY AND CULTURE

The Office of Diversity and Culture fosters Hiram’s goal to be inclusive and celebratory of its diverse student body. Cultural and religious clubs get direct support and guidance, ensuring that they remain flourishing for the sake of cultural representation and community. Minority students truly have a voice at Hiram thanks to the help they receive for both individual and group success.

CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS

A large part of the Hiram experience is being an active member of the family. Hiram has 40+ registered clubs and organizations including academic societies, cultural groups, sports clubs, political action, and special-interest groups

Campus Housing Options for Undergraduates

Other: Gender-Neutral Housing

SERVICE-LEARNING

Hiram College students make meaningful contributions through a variety of service-learning opportunities within communities that inspire reflection and civil responsibility. One- to four-credit service-learning courses take Hiram students out of traditional classrooms while providing them academic content and experiences that reinforce course objectives and overall learning. Students provide a minimum of 20 service hours, including at least five hours in direct contact with an agency or its clientele. Students receive preparation, support, and evaluation, and likewise, both the course and community partner are also evaluated so that all can be assured they are getting sufficient experiences.

INTERNSHIPS

Hands-on experience is critical to intellectual growth, and so Hiram commits to setting students up with internships that bridge the gap between their education and professional settings. Student interns are led through the entirety of their internships with the help of a supervisor who provides them guidance and support. They commit themselves to credit-earning work and reflect upon their experiences through an end-of-semester presentation.

CAPSTONE COURSES AND PROJECTS/SENIOR EXPERIENCE

Hiram College students showcase their knowledge through the completion of a capstone at the end of their senior year. Capstone projects begin their development with the help of faculty advisors who meet one-on-one with the students who select them. Together, these student-faculty teams brainstorm and outline a topic of research and analysis. And, after a few months of in-depth exploration, students create a strong, mature product that demonstrates who they have become as analytical academics.

ADMISSIONS

Admissions Fall 2017

2,761 total applicants
1,754 total admissions
258 total freshman enrollment

Selectivity
63.53% of applicants admitted

Admissions Deadlines for 2018-19 Admission

Rolling admission? Yes

Priority Date: Dec 15 

Admissions Factors

Very Important
Rigor of secondary school record
Academic GPA
Character/personal qualities
Level of applicant’s interest

Important
Interview
Extracurricular activities
Talent/ability

Considered
Class rank
Standardized test scores
Alumni/ae relation
Volunteer work
Work experience

Freshman Profile Fall 2017

TUITION AND COSTS

Net Price Calculator

http://www.hiram.edu/admission/financial-aid/for-traditional-undergraduates/net-price-calculator 

TUITION AND COSTS BEFORE FINANCIAL AID 2018-2019

Tuition Guarantee

The Tuition Guarantee ensures that students’ tuition will not increase over four years. That means a Hiram scholarship will not lose its value.

For example: A student receives a $10,000 scholarship/grant to attend Hiram College and a $10,000 merit-based scholarship from a similarly priced private college. Over four years, that student would pay more tuition to attend the other college because of annual tuition increases.

FINANCIAL AID

Average Financial Aid Packages 2015-2016 estimated

$19,753 All undergrads

Financial Aid Breakdown 2015-2016 estimated

$19,753 Average need-based scholarship or grant award
$4,393 Average need-based loan