Founded in 1851, Ripon College has earned a reputation as a leader in delivering top value liberal arts education. Some schools would have you spend two years completing classes with no direct relationship to your chosen major. At Ripon, you will never waste time taking classes you don't need. Our innovative five-course Catalyst curriculum ensures you have the 21st century skills employers seek while completing multiple majors and minors, studying abroad and holding internships - all in four years. As a matter of fact, we guarantee it. Every graduate completing Catalyst earns a Concentration in Applied Innovation. Ripon offers 30 majors, 41 minors, myriad teacher certifications, and a variety of fast track pre-professional programs. Career and professional development is integrated within the core curriculum and strong ties exist with the alumni office to foster networking and bolster opportunities for students to connect with alumni through Alumni Career Days, Master Chats and an award-winning Career Discovery Tour program. Ripon is committed to ensuring the college dream remains attainable for most families by providing financial aid for those students with demonstrated need, and through reducing excessive achievement pressures by implementing a holistic test-optional application process. Students applying to Ripon are encouraged to present application materials that most accurately reflect their diverse academic talents and potential, including: high school transcripts, recommendation letters, writing sample, leadership positions, work history, involvement in school and community activities, and commitment to Ripon's core values. Students may choose to submit either their ACT or SAT scores if they feel those results best represent their academic potential. The admission committee makes no assumptions between students who choose to submit scores and those who do not. Nearly 40 percent of students enrolled at Ripon are the first in their families to attend college. Thirty-five percent are Pell-Grant eligible, or from families with an annual income of $30,000 or less. Ripon considers it a point of pride to outpace all other schools in the state of Wisconsin in graduating students who have received Pell Grants. In fact, Ripon students who receive Pell Grants are 50 percent more likely to graduate than the national average.Within six months of graduation, 96 percent of all Ripon graduates are employed, student teaching or in graduate school. Ripon's five-year acceptance rate to medical school is 71 percent, nearly twice the national average.Students benefit from intimate class sizes with an average student-to-faculty ratio of 11:1. An overwhelming majority of students (96 percent) are satisfied or very satisfied with the amount of attention they receive from faculty, who serve as mentors, advisors and collaborators. Research opportunities across the academic program result in student-faculty collaborations that include presenting research at national conferences, co-authoring peer-reviewed books and articles, service learning experiences and patent discoveries. The College's sprawling 250-acre tree-lined campus, including 130 acres of restored prairie and oak savannah, and its location adjacent to downtown Ripon, WI, enhance applied learning opportunities and support meaningful interaction between students, faculty, staff and the community. Ripon supports more than 60 student-led clubs and organizations. Forty percent of students are members of varsity teams and 70 percent participate in intramural club sports. In fall 2017, Ripon opened its new athletic, health and wellness center, featuring a 65,000 sq. ft. field house with NCAA-regulation indoor track, state-of-the-art fitness and athletic training spaces, reservable fitness studios, a pool, six performance courts, high-tech classrooms, an athletic training facility and physiology lab, new locker rooms and offices, and more.
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