Admissions
Looking for a small, close-knit campus filled with incredible, hands-on learning opportunities? Our Admissions Office can help make Elmira College YOUR place.
Grounded in the liberal arts and sciences, Elmira College provides a collaborative and supportive environment that enables students to become active learners, effective leaders, responsible community members, and globally engaged citizens.
The legacy of academic excellence at Elmira College runs deep with a heritage and culture that have been forward-thinking from day one, as the first college for women with a course study equivalent to men's.
At Elmira, you’ll have opportunities that shape your future, raise your sights and equip you with targeted tools and skills to succeed in the professional world. Join a community that’s close-knit, fun-loving, and just the right amount of quirky.
Elmira College makes a private education more affordable than you realize, with a number of ways to get the financial assistance you may need. Our financial aid office can guide you through options, including scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study programs.
Elmira College includes meeting students from around the world, participating in Elmira traditions, completing community service projects, and hopping into a pickup kickball game.
Elmira College provides you with a foundation for future success.
The home of the three-time NCAA National Champion Elmira College Soaring Eagles.
Elmira College alumni stay connected and engaged with the College long after they graduate.
Gifts to Elmira College ensure excellent academic and co-curricular opportunities for generations of EC students.
Looking for a small, close-knit campus filled with incredible, hands-on learning opportunities? Our Admissions Office can help make Elmira College YOUR place.
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With over 35 majors and minor areas of concentration, Elmira College lays the foundation for a diverse, cross discipline education, encouraging you to both specialize and explore.
Check out our news section to learn about all that's going on at Elmira College.
The EC campus map can help you find your way around campus and find the best parking spot.
Looking for registration deadlines, spring break or when grades are due? Our academic calendar has all of the important events for this academic year.
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What you need to know about Elmira College.
Elmira College offers more than 35 majors and academic programs, an honors program, 17 academic honor societies, and 18 Division III varsity teams. Located in the Southern Finger Lakes Region of New York, Elmira's undergraduate and graduate student population hails from 30 states and 20 countries.
The College sits on 49 acres in the City of Elmira, and 20 acres at the Murray Athletic Center in Pine Valley. It is located 90 minutes south of Rochester and about four hours from Philadelphia, New York City, and Toronto.
Location: Elmira, NY 14901 (pop. 25,852)
Institution Type: Private, coeducational
Carnegie Classification: Baccalaureate Colleges - Arts & Science Focus
Calendar: (2) 12-week terms, followed by a six-week short term
College Flower: Iris
College Colors: Purple and Gold
College Shape: Octagon
Mascot: Simeon, the Soaring Eagle
Traditions: Mountain Day, Holiday Banquet, and Candlelight
The College is home to the Center for Mark Twain Studies, which encompasses the Mark Twain Study, Mark Twain Archives, and Quarry Farm. The Center attracts Twain scholars from around the world and is one of four historically significant Twain heritage sites in the U.S.
Twain’s wife and College alumna, Olivia Langdon Clemens, was an Elmira, N.Y. native and member of the Class of 1864.
The Mark Twain Study, now located on campus, is the study in which the famous author penned The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and other iconic works. USA Today named the Mark Twain Study one of the nation’s top ten literary landmarks.
Quarry Farm, home to Twain’s in-laws and where Twain and his family spent more than 20 summers, was recently named one of New York State’s literary landmarks by United for Libraries and the Empire State Center for the Book, an affiliate of the Library of Congress Center for the Book.
Phi Beta Kappa: Elmira College, home to the Pi of New York Chapter since 1940, is one of 286 chapters in the country. The chapter won the Triennial Award for the Outstanding Chapter in the Nation.
Army and Air Force ROTC programs offered in partnership with Cornell University.
Undergraduate Degrees Awarded: AA, AS, BA, BS
Graduate Degrees Awarded: MS (General Management), MSEd (General Education, Literacy: Birth through Grade 12, Adolescence Education: Grades 7-12, Inclusive Special Education)
average class size
of students complete a career-related internship before graduation
student-faculty ratio
hours minimum of community engagement completed by all full-time students before graduating
of students study abroad at some point during their college career
Elmira College is test-optional, but the middle 50% testing ranges for enrolled students are:
Elmira College offers one of the lowest undergraduate tuition prices of any four-year private college or university in the region.
undergraduate applications
acceptance rate
freshman retention rate (Fall 2022 cohort)
graduate rate (Fall 2017 cohort)
Students come from 30 states and territories and 20 countries.
Choose from nearly 50 student clubs and organizations, ranging from political to social to community engagement. Some popular clubs include:
85% of students live on campus.
Home to five NCAA & NCA National Championships.
More than 33% of students participate in intercollegiate athletics.
Elmira College is an NCAA Division III member and has 18 athletic teams. The College is part of the New England Hockey Conference, United Volleyball Conference, and the Empire 8 Athletic Conference.
U.S.News & World Report: #7 Best Regional Colleges North 2024
U.S News & World Report: #2 Best Value Colleges North 2024
U.S News & World Report: #4 Social Mobility 2024
Princeton Review: Best 389 Colleges in the Nation 2024
Money: Best Colleges in America 2023
Washington Monthly: #7 Top 242 Bachelor's Colleges
