Scripps College

Claremont, CA · founded 1926 · 1,100 students · liberal arts college

Known for: Scripps College is a highly selective women's liberal arts college known for its interdisciplinary core curriculum and its beautiful, mission-style campus. It is part of the Claremont Colleges consortium, allowing students to share resources with neighboring institutions.

Rankings

U.S. News liberal arts: #28
Forbes: #82

Top programmes

Art
Biology
English
Psychology
Politics & International Relations
Environmental Science

Notable alumni

Anne Lamott — Author and political activist
Michele Norris — Journalist and former host of NPR's 'All Things Considered'
Ellen Browning Scripps — Founder and philanthropist (pre-founder, but central to history)
Molly Ringwald — Actor and author
Ruth Asawa — Artist known for wire sculptures
Lydia Davis — Short story writer and translator
Deborah Jin — Physicist who created the first fermionic condensate

Traditions

Core Curriculum Lecture Series
Matriculation Ceremony
Graduation Rose Ceremony
Thursday Night Tea

If Scripps College were…

As a food: Farmers market heirloom tomato salad with burrata — Fresh, California-pretty, elevated but unpretentious, benefits from proximity to excellent neighbors (the consortium as farmers market), and more substantial than it first appears—there's real intellectual nutrition unde
As an athlete: Megan Rapinoe — West Coast feminist icon who's both fiercely competitive and deeply collaborative, unafraid to speak truth to power, blending activism with excellence in her field while maintaining an accessible, authentic presence.
As a person alive today: Greta Gerwig — Intellectual, feminist, artsy, collaborative (co-writes, ensemble casts), rooted in humanities but making it commercially viable—exactly the Scripps ethos of rigorous thought meeting creative expression without sacrifici
As a historical figure: Simone de Beauvoir — Feminist intellectual who insisted women's education and philosophical rigor were inseparable, lived collaboratively in a community of thinkers, and wrote beautifully—Scripps' Core curriculum in human form.
As a movie or TV show: Gilmore Girls — Hyper-literate rapid-fire dialogue, strong women supporting each other, cozy intellectual community where everyone knows everyone, and an underlying belief that reading widely and thinking deeply is the point of existenc
As a US president: Jimmy Carter — Thoughtful, humanities-oriented, committed to social justice and human rights, collaborative rather than domineering, and more substantive than the initial soft-spoken impression suggests—underestimated but deeply princi
As a city: Santa Barbara — Beautiful, cultured, California-sunny, smaller than the big names but intellectually serious, benefits from proximity to larger institutions while maintaining distinct identity, attracts people who want substance with th
As an element: Copper — Excellent conductor that works best in alloys and networks (the consortium), beautiful patina that develops with time (the humanities focus), essential for complex systems, and has been valued across cultures for millenn
As a car: 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint — Small, women-centered liberal arts gem in the Claremont Consortium—Italian elegance, feminist intellectualism, and collaborative spirit wrapped in SoCal sunshine. Refined, artsy, beautifully designed, and punches above i

Campus life

Scripps offers a close-knit, residential community focused on women's leadership and intellectual engagement. Social life is intertwined with the other Claremont Colleges, providing a wide range of activities, clubs, and events. The campus culture emphasizes arts, sustainability, and collaboration.