Society of Friends Colleges & Universities

The Religious Society of Friends, also known as Quakers, has a number of colleges and universities that are affiliated with their principles and values which include a commitment to peace, social justice, and mutual respect. Members refer to each other as Friends after John 15:14 in the Bible.

Friends schools vary greatly, both in their interpretation of Quaker principles and in how they relate to formal organizations that make up the Society of Friends. Most Friends schools are similar in their mission, however: to provide an academically sound education while also instilling values of community, spirituality, responsibility and stewardship in their students.

While the Religious Society of Friends is a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations, many institutions originally founded by Friends are now non-denominational or secular. These include Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania (secular) and Friends University in Kansas (non-denominational).

Some other institutions were founded by individual Quakers and are rooted in Quaker values, but never had a formal affiliation with the Society of Friends. These include Guilford College in North Carolina, William Penn University in Iowa, and Pacific Oaks College in California.

Those that continue to call themselves “Quaker schools” may have formal oversight from Friends yearly or monthly meetings* (often called coming “under care of” a meeting), and others are governed by members of the Society of Friends and/or otherwise adhere to Quaker practice.

Colleges currently associated with the Society of Friends:

Barclay College (Haviland, Kansas) is a private Quaker college known for ministry degrees but it also offers degrees in other professional fields. Throughout its history, Barclay College has maintained an affiliation with the Religious Society of Friends. It’s “an evangelical Friends school which accepts and embraces persons with evangelical Christian beliefs from a variety of denomination backgrounds.” The college offers full-tuition scholarships to students who enroll full-time on campus and pay to live in the residence halls.
Earlham College (Richmond, Indiana) is a private liberal arts college affiliated with the Quakers Western Yearly Meeting (FUM). Earlham School of Religion is its affiliated graduate seminary, which has relations with all branches of the Society of Friends.
George Fox University (Newberg, Oregon) is the largest private university in Oregon, and it is affiliated with the Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends (EFCI).
Malone University (Canton, Ohio) is a private Christian university sponsored by Evangelical Friends Church Eastern Region (EFCI).
Wilmington College (Wilmington, Ohio), founded by Quakers and associated with Wilmington Yearly Meeting (FUM), is still Quaker-affiliated and adheres to seven core Quaker values.

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