Often compared to Duke and Vanderbilt, Emory may be most similar to Washington University in St. Louis. Both are in major cities and both tout business and premed as major draws. Emory’s suburban Atlanta location is tough to beat. Attracts a larger contingent from the Northeast than more Southern competitors such as Vanderbilt. Also consider Oxford College, Emory’s two-year, small-town liberal arts campus.

Emory University may lack the liberal arts prowess of the Northeastern schools with which it competes, but it’s a favorite of preprofessional students from both U.S. coasts and around the globe. They come for its size (big, but not too big), location, national reputation, and, increasingly, for its diversity. One sophomore says, “Probably the best part of Emory [is] meeting people from all over the world and all different kinds of backgrounds.” Regardless of where they come from, students are challenged, not coddled, in the classroom; they form study groups and work together to succeed. An atmosphere of Southern friendliness enhances the vibrant campus life.

Founded in 1836 and named in honor of a Methodist bishop, Emory is set on 631 acres of woods and rolling hills in the Druid Hills suburb of Atlanta. The campus spreads out from an academic quad of marble-covered, red-roofed buildings. Contemporary structures dot the periphery of the lush, green grounds. Emory, which has been funded by Coca-Cola largesse over the years, has expanded science and math research facilities, added a performing arts center, and updated freshman housing in recent years. The three-story Emory Student Center, opened in 2019, houses the campus’s main dining facilities, student organizations, and various multipurpose spaces.

Emory University offers applicants the choice between two different undergraduate experiences at two distinct campuses: Emory College in Atlanta, Georgia, and Oxford College, 45 minutes away in Oxford, Georgia. Emory College may be best for students who seek a standard four-year undergraduate experience at a research institution that values academic independence and intellectual engagement. Oxford College, which enrolls about 1,000 students, is suited for those who seek a small liberal arts college experience and early opportunities for leadership; it is also slightly easier to get into. Following two years of study at Oxford, all students continue as juniors at the Atlanta campus. Emory’s distribution requirements span the liberal arts and sciences, aiming to develop competence in writing, quantitative methods, a second language, and physical education. All freshmen take a first-year seminar that is limited to 15 students each and participate in PACE (Pre-Major Advising Connections at Emory), which brings together faculty, staff, and student leaders to mentor them on all aspects of college life.

Sixty-two percent of classes have fewer than 20 students. Just as Emory has invested in its physical plant, the school has spent lavishly in the past to add star faculty members to key departments, such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu in the school of theology, the Dalai Lama, Salman Rushdie, and, more recently, Tayari Jones in the creative writing program. “Faculty members make teaching a priority and set aside a significant amount of time for mentoring and helping students with both the course material and with life in general,” says one student. Opportunities for mentored research are available in all fields, and a chemistry major says, “Many students find research opportunities through professors they had during their freshman year.”

Business administration is a traditional strength and one of the most popular majors, along with biology, economics, nursing, and neuroscience. Notable offerings in biology and chemistry benefit from physical proximity to the federal Centers for Disease Control, while a major in quantitative sciences allows students to combine the study of data science with one of 18 liberal arts tracks, ranging from art history to psychology. Many political science professors have ties to the Carter Center (named for the former president, who for nearly 40 years participated in an annual town hall meeting on campus) and serve as regular guests on nearby CNN. The English and creative writing program is nationally recognized. Emory has received a significant portion of Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney’s archive, and its unique Irish studies program is said to rival those of Notre Dame and Boston College. A 3–2 dual-degree program allows students to earn a bachelor’s degree at Emory and a bachelor’s degree in engineering at Georgia Tech. The Center for International Programs Abroad offers more than 100 study programs on six continents. The 36 percent of students who participate earn Emory credit and Emory grades, and they can receive Emory financial aid, scholarships, and grants.

“Though Emory is definitely not an easy school, and you have to work hard to earn your grades, overall, everyone manages to find a good balance between classwork, extracurriculars, and socializing,” says a senior. Twenty-one percent of Emory undergraduates are from Georgia, and 15 percent are international. New York, New Jersey, California, and Florida are also well represented. African Americans make up 8 percent of the student body, Asian Americans 22 percent, Hispanics 11 percent, and multiracial students 4 percent. Politically, the campus is left-leaning, but according to one sophomore, political activism “is not a huge part of campus life.” That’s not to say students aren’t concerned about social issues; in fact, 83 percent do service work through Volunteer Emory. Emory meets the full demonstrated need of all admitted students; merit scholarships worth an average of $28,700 are awarded annually, but there are no athletic scholarships. Furthermore, university financial aid packages eliminate or cap loans for students from families who meet certain income requirements.

Sixty-three percent of Emory students live on campus; freshmen and sophomores are required to do so. Each first-year dorm has a special living theme, such as social innovation and global cultures, and a theater studies major reports, “The accommodations for first-years are really nice because all of the rooms have been renovated recently, but the sophomore residence halls aren’t as nice.” Lucky juniors and seniors may hang their hats in the one- to four-bedroom Clairmont Campus apartments, which boast such luxuries as private bedrooms, a washer-dryer in each unit, a rec center, and a heated, outdoor, Olympic-sized pool. In addition to the dining halls, there are small cafés, grills, and food courts on campus. Meals get fair reviews, but a nursing major cautions that “a disproportionate amount of tofu and catfish is served.” When it comes to combating sexual violence, one student says, “Emory is very big on education and prevention.”

“Most social life takes place on campus, but we are so close to Atlanta nightlife that many students choose to explore the area,” says a student. Fraternities and sororities attract 23 percent of Emory’s men and 22 percent of the women so, of course, Greek parties are abundant. Other options include concerts, Theater Emory shows, and other events organized by the Student Programming Committee. Alcohol isn’t allowed in the freshman dorms, and “anyone caught will definitely suffer consequences,” a freshman warns. A very popular highlight of the social calendar is Dooley’s Week, a spring festival in honor of the “Spirit of Emory” (the school’s unofficial mascot), Dooley, a skeleton who reportedly escaped from the biology lab more than 100 years ago. If Dooley walks into your class, the class is dismissed, and the week culminates with a costume ball in his honor. Freshman halls also have Songfest, a competition where residents make up spirit-filled song-and-dance routines.

Just 20 minutes away, downtown Atlanta offers a multitude of diversions, from major league sports to plays at the Fox Theatre, exhibits at the High Museum of Art, marine wildlife at the Georgia Aquarium, and shopping at Atlantic Station or the Lenox Square. Upperclassmen enjoy the Atlanta bar scene, and some local dance clubs host college nights. The Emory Experience Shuttle provides free transportation to popular neighborhoods and festivals. Road trips include Stone Mountain, Athens, Savannah, and the beaches of Florida and the Carolinas.

Emory doesn’t field a varsity football team, but the Eagles have produced a number of Division III national champs in recent years, including men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s tennis, and women’s volleyball. Emory competes against academic powerhouses such as the University of Chicago and Carnegie Mellon in the University Athletic Association conference. Many students join at least one intramural sports team at either a competitive or a recreational level. Popular intramurals include flag football, volleyball, and ultimate Frisbee.

While many Southern schools suffer from a regional provincialism, that isn’t true at Emory, which blends a focus on teaching and research to nurture creativity and turn out leaders who are highly sought after in the working world-and by postgraduate law, medical, and business programs. As one satisfied student concludes, Emory offers “high academic quality and rigor,” yet “still has the hospitality and charm of a Southern school.”

-Fiske Guide