Haverford College

Haverford, PA · founded 1833 · 1,400 students · liberal arts college · Centennial Conference

Known for: Haverford College is a small, highly selective liberal arts college known for its rigorous academics, Quaker heritage emphasizing consensus and community, and its close partnership with Bryn Mawr College and other institutions in the Tri-College Consortium. It is also renowned for its strong science programs and trust-based student governance.

Rankings

U.S. News liberal arts: #18
Forbes: #56

Top programmes

Biology
Physics
Chemistry
Political Science
English
Psychology

Notable alumni

Richard Smalley — Nobel Prize-winning chemist
Nnedi Okorafor — Award-winning science fiction and fantasy author
John B. Hurford — Businessman and philanthropist
David Baltimore — Nobel Prize-winning biologist
Maxwell Anderson — Art museum director and CEO
Daniel Coit Gilman — First president of Johns Hopkins University
C. Vann Woodward — Historian and author
John A. DiBiaggio — Former president of Tufts University, Michigan State University, and University of Connecticut

Traditions

Customs Week (orientation)
Haverford-Bryn Mawr Bi-College events
Steam Pipe Beer Festival
Singing on the Founders Green

If Haverford College were…

As a food: Homemade sourdough bread from a community bakery — Crafted with care, nourishing, unpretentious, and made better by shared effort and time-honored process. Haverford's Honor Code and consensus-based community mirror that artisanal, collaborative ethos—quality through col
As an athlete: Tim Duncan — Fundamentally sound, ego-free, team-first player who let his consistent excellence speak for itself—no flash, all substance. Haverford students are similarly low-key high-achievers who prioritize community and integrity
As a person alive today: Ira Glass — Thoughtful storyteller who values nuance, listens deeply, and builds narratives with care and intellectual curiosity. Haverford cultivates that same attentive, empathetic approach to ideas and people—smart without being
As a historical figure: Bayard Rustin — Quaker-influenced civil rights organizer who combined moral conviction with strategic brilliance, worked behind the scenes, and never compromised his principles despite immense pressure. Haverford's Quaker roots and Hono
As a movie or TV show: The West Wing — Idealistic, earnest, deeply invested in process and principle, populated by smart people who talk fast and care deeply about doing the right thing. Haverford has that same walk-and-talk intellectual energy and faith in c
As a US president: Jimmy Carter — Principled, morally serious, committed to human rights and community service, more interested in substance than style. Haverford's Quaker-influenced culture of integrity and social responsibility mirrors Carter's earnest
As a city: Madison, Wisconsin — Progressive college town with strong community values, accessible intellectualism, great quality of life, and a population that's earnest without being pretentious. Haverford captures that same Midwestern-nice-meets-East
As an element: Carbon — Foundational to all organic life, forms strong bonds, exists in multiple forms (diamond, graphite, fullerenes), and is essential for building complex structures. Haverford is similarly fundamental—it builds character, fo
As a car: 1992 Saab 900 Turbo — Haverford's quirky-intellectual, low-key Quaker ethos is pure Saab: thoughtfully designed by Swedish engineers who rejected flash, beloved by philosophy professors, with an honor code as idiosyncratic as its ignition-bet

Campus life

Haverford's campus life is characterized by a quiet, intellectually intense, and community-focused atmosphere with a strong emphasis on trust and student self-governance. Social life is largely centered on campus events, clubs, and traditions, with a low-key party scene. The small size fosters close relationships.