Founded 1889 · Fairmont, Eastmoor
A liberal arts education built for a century of change.
"Lux et Veritas Nova"
New Light and Truth — the Fairmont motto since 1889
Founded 1889 · Fairmont, Eastmoor
"Lux et Veritas Nova"
New Light and Truth — the Fairmont motto since 1889
Our Story
In 1889, textile merchant and self-taught scholar Josiah T. Fairmont deeded 40 acres of hillside pasture and a modest endowment to found "Fairmont Seminary for the Liberal Arts" — a school built on a simple conviction: that a rigorous, humane education shouldn't be reserved for the wealthy few.
Within a generation the seminary had become Fairmont College, admitting women from its charter and awarding its first graduate degrees in 1921, when it took the name Fairmont University. Today the university sits on the same hillside — now a 214-acre campus of red-brick halls, elm-lined walkways, and modern research facilities overlooking the Kettleworth River valley.
Fairmont remains what it was in 1889: a mid-sized university where undergraduates are taught by full professors, not teaching assistants, and where a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio is a promise, not a marketing line.
"To educate independent thinkers who combine intellectual rigor with civic responsibility — and to do so in a community small enough that no student goes unknown."
— Fairmont University Mission Statement
Academics
Fairmont offers 46 undergraduate majors and 22 graduate programs across five faculties, each small enough for close faculty mentorship and ambitious enough to compete with research universities many times our size.
Home to the Fairmont Trading Floor, a 40-terminal simulated markets lab, and a nationally competitive undergraduate consulting program. Concentrations in finance, entrepreneurship, and supply chain management.
Anchored by the Ainsworth Center for Applied Robotics, opened 2019. Programs in mechanical, civil, environmental, and computer engineering with a mandatory senior capstone built for a real community partner.
The university's founding faculty. Strong departments in English, History, Philosophy, and Studio Art, plus the Whitcombe Playhouse, a 320-seat working theatre used for four student productions a year.
Runs the 96-acre Kettleworth River Field Station for undergraduate ecology research, alongside pre-med, biochemistry, and environmental science tracks with an 88% med-school acceptance rate.
A small, teaching-focused law school awarding the J.D. and a joint J.D./M.B.A. with Camden College. Home to the Fairmont Legal Aid Clinic, which has served the Fairmont community pro bono since 1974.
Undeclared students choose a faculty by the end of sophomore year, with a dedicated advisor from day one.
Explore admissions requirements →
Research & Resources
Open until 2am during term time, the library holds 780,000 volumes and serves as the university's principal study, research, and archival space — including the Founders' Room, home to Josiah Fairmont's original 1889 correspondence.
Campus Life
Roughly 74% of undergraduates live on campus across all four years — one of the highest residency rates among Eastmoor colleges — supported by 118 registered student organizations, NCAA Division III athletics, and a campus small enough to walk end to end in fifteen minutes.
The Great Lawn
Study groups & clubs
Residence halls
Seminar-style classes, capped at 28
Nine residence halls, from Gothic-revival Kettleworth House (1897) to the LEED-certified Ainsworth Commons (2016). First-years are guaranteed housing; most students remain on campus through senior year.
118 registered student organizations, from the Fairmont Mock Trial team (national quarterfinalists, 2025) to the campus radio station WFMT, broadcasting since 1962.
The Fairmont Foxes compete in 19 NCAA Division III sports as members of the Eastmoor Collegiate Conference, with new turf and aquatics facilities completed in 2022.
Admissions
Fall 2027 Admission
Fairmont admits a class of roughly 2,150 first-year students each fall from an applicant pool of over 9,000. We admit test-optional and evaluate every application by full committee review — no algorithmic pre-screening.
Upcoming Events
Prospective students and families are welcome at every event below — no appointment required for open houses, registration requested for info sessions.
Campus-wide tours, faculty panels from all five faculties, and a financial aid Q&A with the admissions office.
A live, hour-long walkthrough of the FAFSA, Fairmont's need-based aid model, and merit scholarships — hosted by the Office of Financial Aid.
Alumni return for the Foxes vs. Ashworth College football game, faculty-led campus walks, and the annual bonfire on the Great Lawn.
A hands-on evening session for ED applicants: essay feedback from admissions readers and a document checklist review before the Nov 15 deadline.