Hiram College

Student Profile

Fall 2015 Enrollment
1,063 undergraduate students
85% of undergrad students are full time
50% male — 50% female
23% of students are from out of state

Faculty Profile

2015-2016 Academic Year
79 full-time faculty
55 part-time faculty
10 to 1 student/faculty ratio

Residence Life

Fall 2015
93% of first year students live on campus
79% 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, 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 2015

66% of students began in Fall 2014 and returned in Fall 2015 (full time, first time freshmen)

6 year graduation rate 2015

60.4 % of students graduated in 6 years

ENROLLMENT BY RACIAL/ETHNIC CATEGORY - FALL 2015

Athletics

The Terriers of Hiram College play in the NCAA Division III. Fourteen of Hiram’s 15 teams compete in the North Coast Athletic Conference, with one sport (men’s volleyball) set to join the Allegheny Mountain Conference. 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 32 majors and 38 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 by participating in internships, study abroad or faculty-guided research projects through Hiram Connect, a new program that allows students to gain experience and reflect on how these 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 545-acre acre James H. Barrow Field Station.
• kick-start an academic pathway with Hiram’s direct-admittance nursing program, and partnerships with local medical schools for other health-related careers.
• 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 also 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.

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. This can be 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 studying polymers with members of the chemistry department. Many students gain their off-campus experience in internships throughout Ohio and across the country.

Ethics Theme

Every year, Hiram College focuses on an ethics theme. For example, this year’s theme, which emphasizes race, identity, and community, will bring students together to learn how to better engage in difficult conversations about difficult topics both on campus and in the larger community.  

Activities Offered

Hiram Connect

The Hiram Connect program gives students the opportunity to develop personally and professionally throughout their undergraduate careers. Connect is an exhaustive plan for students to obtain internships, go on study abroad 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 the colloquia are small, tightly knit groups of sixteen students each. By their second semester, they have 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 the General Education program that leads 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 and leads all students to a capstone project before graduation. The capstone project allows students to demonstrate how the knowledge and experience they have gained are reflected in an individual project and presentation. These experiences prepare students for life outside college.

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, bringing 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 12–1–3 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, International-focused coursework, Interdisciplinary studies, Team-taught coursework, Capstone experience, Hands-on requirement (internship, study away, or research experience)

Class Size Breakdown

The ACES Program

Hiram encourages students to further their intellectual growth by going to engaging extracurricular events. ACES (Academic and Co-Curricular Engagement Series) is an academic loyalty rewards program that enters students into weekly and monthly giveaway raffles as a prize for their attendance. This extra incentive pushes students to learn more outside of their classes while helping them get involved and out into the campus community. Through ACES, students are rewarded for their curiosity—both with points and prizes as well as with the friends they make at the events themselves.

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.

Campus Housing Options for Undergraduates

Service Learning, Community-Based 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. Likewise, both the course and community partner also are evaluated so that all can be assured they are getting sufficient experiences.

Internships/Co-ops/Practicums

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 2015

1,864 Total Applicants
1,074 Total Admissions
161 Total Freshmen Enrollment

Selectivity
57.62% of applicants admitted

Admissions Deadlines for 2016-17 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
Standardized test scores
Application Essay
Recommendation(s)
Interview
Extracurricular activities Talent/ability

Considered
Class rank
Alumni/ae relation
Volunteer work
Work experience

Freshmen Profile Fall 2015

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 2016-17

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