About Skidmore College

Skidmore is a highly selective, independent, liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 men and women from some 40 states and 30 countries. With its relatively small size and student-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, the College is a close-knit academic community. Skidmore is known for its faculty of teacher-scholars devoted to the instruction and mentoring of undergraduates.

The College emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach to all areas of study and fosters experimentation and creativity across the disciplines. A central belief at Skidmore is that every life, every endeavor, and every career is made more profound with creative ability at its core, and creative thinking is an integral part of the campus culture. The cornerstone of the curriculum is the belief that a liberal arts education is the best preparation both for a life of continued learning and for a meaningful career, particularly as graduates face the challenges and opportunities of a world of rapid and unpredictable change.

Founded in 1903 by Lucy Skidmore Scribner to meet the educational needs of women in the Saratoga Springs area, Skidmore was chartered as a four-year liberal arts college in 1922. The College’s history includes several bold initiatives that have helped define the Skidmore of today, including the decision in the early 1960s to build a new campus, and the move to coeducation in 1971. Also in 1971 the College established the University Without Walls, one of the earliest nontraditional degree programs in the nation. In 1991 Skidmore implemented its first graduate-degree program, an interdisciplinary, nonresidential program offering the master of arts degree in liberal studies. In 2000, the College opened the Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery, which has earned a national reputation for pushing beyond the boundaries of a traditional college museum in bringing fields of study together in creative ways.

The Academic Program

Skidmore offers the bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degree in 65 areas, including majors both in traditional liberal arts disciplines and in such fields as exercise science, management and business, and social work. The curriculum’s flexibility allows students to pursue interdepartmental majors, minor programs, and self-determined majors. Internships and growing service-learning and faculty-student collaborative research programs enable students to explore specific areas of interest and gain valuable work experience.

For students who find traditional residential programs unsuited to their educational needs, Skidmore offers the University Without Walls (UWW), as well as the master of arts in liberal studies (MALS) program. UWW grants bachelor’s degrees through a flexible system that combines independent study, college courses, internships, and academic credit for knowledge gained outside the classroom. UWW’s nearly