For More Than 150 Years, Cedar Crest College Has Prepared the Next Generation of Empowered Learners and Leaders.
Immersed in our mission, we deliver a powerful educational experience through strong scholarship, real-world training and holistic support. We empower our diverse student body — young women, adult undergraduate students and graduate students — to hone their skills, realize their potential, and reach for bolder and braver goals now and into the future. This is Cedar Crest College.
Explore the four levels of the Cedar Crest story:
Next level preparation
We meet the needs of the future
In a society made better when all people are given a voice, we help all our students realize and accept the potential and power within them. Through new and innovative programs, leading-edge undergraduate research and technology and a commitment to building global perspectives, we prepare students to not just see the issues that impact society, but to also invent their solutions.
Next level leadership
We empower strong and confident leadership
At Cedar Crest College, your inner leader comes to life. Our strong academics and real-world experiences urge the passionate pursuit of interests. The result: the fearless independence and unwavering confidence to contribute to a global community.
Next level transformation
We inspire progress and possibilities
Cutting-edge learning and interdisciplinary opportunities inspire progressive thinking. We prepare students to remain relevant in an ever-changing workforce, applying their unique gifts and intelligence to rise beyond their circumstances and take the next steps to change their lives so they can change the world.
Next level community
We champion the individual in collaborative community
At Cedar Crest College, we strive to maintain an inclusive environment in which each individual has a voice and unrestricted access to the world. Our supportive, close-knit campus community invests in the whole person, encouraging meaningful connections while providing resources to help each student thrive. We open our doors to a diverse and international community, creating opportunities that bring out the very best in each other.
Cedar Crest College is educating the next generation of leaders, offering flexible pathways to achieving bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees and certificates in high-demand fields for both men and women.
Keep reading to learn what sets us apart from the rest.
- #7 in Top Performer on Social Mobility among regional universities in 2023 by U.S. News and World Report
- #28 in Best Value Schools among regional universities in 2023 by U.S. News and World Report
- Among the top 50 Best Colleges for Veterans by U.S. News and World Report’s Best College Rankings 2023
- Among the top 100 Best Regional Universities in the North by U.S. News and World Report’s Best College Rankings 2023
- #15 Nursing School in Pennsylvania and #41 in the Mid-Atlantic Region by Nursing Schools Almanac in 2022
- #6 Best Registered Nursing Programs in Pennsylvania in 2022 by RegisteredNursing.org
- #6 Nursing School in Pennsylvania in 2022 by RNCareers.org
- Among the Best Colleges for Student Voting in 2022 by Washington Monthly
- Among Washington Monthly’s 2022 Best Bang for Your Buck Category in the Northeast
- Among Washington Monthly’s national 2022 Master’s University Ranking based on contribution to the public good through social mobility, research and promoting public service
Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania
Mission: Cedar Crest College is a liberal-arts college, primarily for women, dedicated to the education of the next generation of leaders. Cedar Crest College prepares students for life in a global community by educating the whole student at all stages of life and experience.
Campus: 84-acres; includes a nationally-registered arboretum with more than 130 species of trees
History: Cedar Crest College, first known as Allentown Female College, was founded in 1867 in the basement of the Zion Reformed Church with an inaugural class of nine young women
School Colors: Yellow and white
Motto: Religio, Libertas et Scientia (Latin) or Divinity, Liberty and Knowledge
Number of Students Enrolled (91% female)
Students of Color
First-Generation Students
International Students
Majors: 40+
Minors: Almost 30
Preprofessional Programs: 3 pre-dentistry, pre-medicine and pre-veterinary
Graduate Programs: 17
Certificate Programs:18
Student-to-Faculty Ratio
Average Class Size
Of Classes have Fewer than 20 Students
Full Time Faculty; 79% with Highest Degree
Education Abroad
- Sponsored programs and approved partner locations around the world
- Sophomore Expedition, a guaranteed short-term study abroad experience. Recent destinations include Greece, England, Brazil and Costa Rica.
- 216 students studied abroad in 2019
- 56% of the Class of 2020 studied abroad
- $18,750 awarded through the CCC Study Abroad Scholarship in 2019
Visit the Office of Global Initiatives and International Programs
30+
Clubs Available on Campus
See the Club and Organization List
nearly
16,000+
Hours of Community Service Performed by Cedar Crest Students in the Lehigh Valley, 2019-2020
Learn More: The Lutz Center for Community Service
11 Sports: Basketball, Cross Country, Field Hockey, Lacrosse, Soccer, Softball, Swim & Dive, Tennis, Track & Field, Volleyball, Wrestling
Mascot: Franki the Falcon
Athletic Department GPA: 3.393
Athletic Conference Affiliations: NCAA Division III, CSAC, NEAC, ECAC