Hollins at a glance

Students: Total enrollment: 785 undergraduate women and 261 coed graduate students. From 43 states and 11 countries. 54% Virginians. 13% minority. Average high school GPA: 3.5.

Student satisfaction: Forbes magazine ranks Hollins in the top 100 in its 2010 list of America's best colleges. Hollins is featured among the country's top colleges and universities in the 2010 edition of the Princeton Review's annual guide, The Best 371 Colleges. In 2005 Kaplan/Newsweek named Hollins the country's "Hottest Riding School." The 2010 Fiske Guide to Colleges lists Hollins among the top seven women's colleges in the country — and also lauds us as one of the small colleges and universities strong in art, film, and dance.

Internships: 80% undertake internships for credit. During our January Short Term, students have interned at The London Times, CNBC in London, CBS News, Time Inc., Bronx Zoo, ABC News, Amnesty International, Centers for Disease Control, New York Stock Exchange, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to name a handful of organizations.

Community service: SHARE, Hollins' student-run organization, involves more than 25% of students. In all, 35% of students participate is some type of community service activity. A service-learning program takes students to Jamaica each year.

Faculty: 73 full-time, 35 part-time faculty members. 96% have the Ph.D. or highest degree in their field.

Faculty/student ratio: 1:10. Class size: 84% have fewer than 20; 97% have fewer than 30.

Academic programs: Challenging liberal arts and sciences program. Most popular majors: English and creative writing, psychology, business, communication studies, and studio art. Special academic programs include education (teacher licensure), Certificate in Leadership Studies, pre-medicine, pre-dental, pre-pharmacy, pre-physical therapy, pre-law, and pre-veterinary. Coed graduate programs: (M.F.A.) children's literature, creative writing, dance, playwriting, screenwriting and film studies; (M.A.) children's literature, liberal studies, screenwriting and film studies, teaching.

Women's college advantage: Just ask our graduates, or any graduate of a women's college, for that matter. A recent national survey showed that women's college alumnae are more likely than women at coed institutions to gain leadership experience in student government and campus media; to learn to think analytically; to work as part of a team; to write and speak effectively; and to gain entry to a career. But there's an intangible benefit, too: the kind of confidence that comes from spending four years at a place constructed entirely with women, their education, and their empowerment in mind.

Career success: Nearly 95% of Hollins graduates say Hollins prepared them well for the life they are living. On average within one year of graduation, 72% of our graduates are employed and 26% attend graduate or professional school. Hollins' nationwide Career Advising Network is highly committed to the long-term success of Hollins students. Our alumnae open the doors to internships and career opportunities that last a lifetime. The Career Center's HollinsWorks program will help students every step of the way — from internships and skills development to lifelong career counseling.

Calendar: 4-1-4 academic calendar enables students during the January Short Term to pursue career internships, participate in travel/study programs, or focus intensely on an unusual course or project.

International programs: More than 50% of our students have an international learning experience. We sponsor our own programs in Paris and London. In addition, our students study in Cordoba, Argentina; Seville, Spain; Osaka, Japan; Puebla, Mexico; Legon, Ghana; Perugia, Italy; Limerick, Ireland; Rome; Athens; Ludwigsburg, Germany; Cape Town, South Africa; and the School for Field Studies, with programs in Costa Rica, Mexico, Australia, and Kenya. We also sponsor an annual service learning project in Lucea, Jamaica.

Athletics: NCAA Division III athletic programs with intercollegiate competition in basketball, golf, lacrosse, riding, soccer, swimming, and tennis; and field hockey and softball club teams. Hollins' riding program is a national powerhouse, evidenced by the fact that we are a two-time winner of the IHSA national championship, in 1993 and 1998. In addition, the team has finished in the top ten 11 times since 1993. Hollins has had 16 individual IHSA champions, and our riders have won the Cacchione Cup four times. Hollins Outdoor Program (HOP) provides outdoor adventure activities such as canoeing, hiking, rock climbing, and caving.

Residence life: 10 student residences, including 5 residence halls, a 35-unit apartment complex, and 4 houses. More than 85% of undergraduates live on campus. Every residence hall room has network access to the Internet. Six computer labs for students; five open 24 hours a day.

Cocurricular experience: More than 35 clubs and organizations, including Hollins Repertory Dance Company, Intercultural Club, SHARE (service organization), NEFA (fine arts), and Model United Nations. Honor societies/organizations: 12, including Phi Beta Kappa. Long-standing traditions — White Gift service, Founder's Day, Tinker Day, Ring Night — form the ties that bind generations of Hollins students to each other.

Facilities: Campuses in Virginia, Paris, and London. Wyndham Robertson Library designated Virginia's first National Literary Landmark. The library received the 2009 Excellence in Academic Libraries Award, the library world's top honor. Sophisticated equipment and instrumentation in Dana Science Building. Front Quadrangle listed on the National Historic Register. Richard D. Wetherill Visual Arts Center and Eleanor D. Wilson Museum.

History: Founded in 1842 as Virginia's first chartered women's college. Established coed graduate programs in 1958.

Location: 475-acre campus located in Roanoke, Virginia (population 236,000). Regional airport 10 minutes from campus; Blue Ridge Parkway and Appalachian Trail 20 minutes away. 35,000 undergraduates at 10 institutions within one-hour's drive.

Financial aid: Through grants, scholarships, student assistant jobs, access to low-interest loans, and interest-free payment plans, Hollins offers flexible financial assistance programs to make a Hollins education affordable. 99% of Hollins students receive some form of financial assistance.

Accreditation: Hollins University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097; telephone: 404-679-4501), to award degrees at the bachelor and master's levels. Hollins is on the approved list of the American Association of University Women.

Hollins does not discriminate in admissions because of race, color, creed, sexual orientation, handicap, national or ethnic origin, and maintains a nondiscriminatory policy throughout its operation. For more information, call the director of human resources, (540) 362-6660.