The Quintessential College Experience
Topping nearly every list of beautiful campuses — Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, House Beautiful, to name a few — Kenyon occupies a singular place in the American imagination as the very picture of college life. Located in the truest college town in America — Gambier, Ohio — where the campus and village are one and the same and connected by an iconic Middle Path. An hour southwest is Columbus, one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation and itself a destination — the Wall Street Journal ranks it among the top hiring spots for new graduates.
All College, All the Time
Where students learn to write their story, and communicate it with confidence.
Kenyon’s reputation as the writer’s college is well-earned — 100% of graduates, no matter their major, report that Kenyon made them stronger writers. Across industries, employers rank communication and storytelling among the top skills needed in the age of AI — and Kenyon graduates deliver.
Whether writing for you is a calling or it takes more time, it’s a differentiator in any field. At Kenyon, you’ll read widely, write often and learn to listen closely. You’ll develop a voice that is practiced and confident, one you can carry into any field or future.
In the Kenyon Review Associates program, undergraduates work alongside the staff of the Kenyon Review, one of the nation's most influential literary magazines, on everything from manuscript evaluation to marketing, with seminars and exclusive access to visiting writers.
In Kenyon's Science and Nature Writing program, students learn how to write artfully, creatively, and with precision about the natural world to communicate complex issues to a general audience.
Writing is a practice, and one that extends beyond classrooms and onto the pages of The Kenyon Collegian, one of the nation's oldest student newspapers, and nearly a dozen student literary magazines.
Where exploration leads to expertise.
At Kenyon, you have the freedom to follow your interests across disciplines, stretching and testing yourself in and out of the classroom. By the end of your sophomore year, you choose one or more majors, focusing your exploration and developing a deep expertise. Every student completes a senior capstone that demonstrates not just mastery but your own informed view.
Breadth and Depth
Where faculty advising originated, and remains the gold standard.
Kenyon pioneered faculty advising in 1841, becoming the first college in the U.S. to make faculty mentorship a formal part of the student experience. To this day, the tradition matters as much to faculty as to students — advising relationships at Kenyon are deep, meaningful and often lifelong.
Even before you arrive on campus, you are paired with a faculty advisor who helps you select courses and make the most of your Kenyon education. After choosing a major or majors, you work with a faculty advisor in your major to deepen your studies.
Kenyon students take great pride in mentoring up. Many academic departments have peer advisors and tutors, and student-led mentoring programs are as numerous as student interests.
Kenyon’s deeply loyal alumni provide guidance and support on and off campus through formal mentoring programs, including job shadows, Professional Extension Projects and Just Ask, an online networking platform.
Each summer, Kenyon funds more than 100 student scholars who work alongside and under the direction of faculty mentors who are conducting research in fields that span every academic division.
Where more NCAA Division III championships have been won than any other college in history.
With 62 NCAA team championships — more than any other Division III college in the country — Kenyon is a national leader in athletics. About one in three students suits up as a varsity athlete, pairing elite competition with nationally recognized, state-of-the-art facilities. What’s more, Kenyon is ranked second in the country among Division III institutions for producing NCAA Postgraduate Scholars.
Kenyon offers 23 intercollegiate sports and is a founding member of the North Coast Athletic Conference, the first to give equal emphasis to men's and women's sports.
Where Fulbright Fellows get their start and medical school acceptances are double the national average.
Kenyon graduates stand apart in post-graduate success by almost every measure. Kenyon is a top producer of Fulbright Fellows and its STEM grads go on to earn doctorates at rates ahead of every Ivy. In a recent cycle, 100% of Kenyon graduates who applied to medical school were accepted. Whether your aim is a job, a fellowship or continuing your education, faculty mentors and career advisors help you prepare for the life after Kenyon you want.
Landing with Purpose
Where community is centered all four years.
Kenyon is a we-not-me, relationship-first college, where students live on campus all four years. Because no one moves off campus, bonds can form across class years in a mix of residential communities — traditional residence halls, suites and apartments.
Unlike many colleges where Greek life can become its own off-campus world, Kenyon’s fraternities and sororities remain an integrated part of the residential campus community.
At the heart of campus is Peirce, Kenyon’s historic dining hall. Everyone passes through its doors, making it a natural crossroads for community. Traditionalists love Old Side, modernists love New Side, and book readers might tuck downstairs. No matter: Peirce has a table for every mood.
Kenyon offers an array of housing options, from traditional residence halls — including a first-year quad — to apartments and suites for more independent living. You can sample them all in four years.
Kenyon has long honored traditions passed from one class to the next, connecting students to centuries of college history. These traditions have unusual staying power, binding students to one another and to generations of alumni who carry Kenyon with them today.
Summer Sendoff is Kenyon’s unofficial last hurrah of the academic year. Every spring, the student-run Social Board transforms Ascension Lawn into an outdoor festival, with student bands who won their spot months earlier at a Battle of the Bands opening for a headlining act. Flanked by food trucks, carnival games and more, Sendoff makes for one of Kenyon’s most anticipated campus traditions.
At Kenyon, every student lives within walking distance of one another, so clubs, organizations, performances and events become a natural extension of residential life. Participation is high and enthusiastic. It’s not uncommon at Kenyon for one student to be involved in several clubs.
Where all-in means it’s all included.
The most powerful college experience is a full college experience, where every student has access to every opportunity, regardless of financial means. This is why Kenyon’s tuition and fees are radically inclusive. One rate for housing. Unlimited dining. Free laundry. No extra fees for labs, fieldwork or course-related travel. Plus, we offer generous funding for summer research and internships. Kenyon meets 100% of demonstrated need and recognizes merit in financial aid packages that extend all four years, even to study abroad.
