QUAKER CONSORTIUM: AN ENROLMENT INITIATIVE BETWEEN PHILADELPHIA’S ELITE COLLEGES

The Quaker Consortium is an arrangement between four tertiary institutions in Pennsylvania, dotted around Philadelphia and the western Main Line region. The four member schools share a long history of cooperation and collaboration, a common ethos and a Quaker foundation, albeit all are non-sectarian today. All four are highly-selective and academically rigorous, established amongst the best in the United States and the world.

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The Quaker Consortium refers to an informal arrangement between three illustrious, academically rigorous and acclaimed colleges (which are predominantly undergraduate institutions) and one world-famous research university. Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with the behemoth cereal and baked goods companies with a Quaker foundation that have come to dominate American breakfast tables in the morning and which have been the subject of various humorous and bizarre conspiracy theories over the years.

The Society of Friends, better known as Quakers, had a profound impact on the early history of Pennsylvania, and particularly Philadelphia, the “City of Brotherly Love” (or “Quaker City”). Indeed, William Penn established the colony of Pennsylvania as a haven for Quakers, escaping persecution for their religious beliefs in Europe and, later, in colonial New England. Early Quaker pilgrims sought the freedom to practice their faith in peace and to create a society that was the manifestation of their ethos. Philadelphia was intended to be that city, a tolerant and progressive community embodying Quaker beliefs and ideas. Despite mainstream Quakers extolling pacifism and tolerance, which saw many in opposition to the Revolutionary War (or indeed any war), the roles of Quaker settlers in the early history of the American Republic were so influential that Philadelphia served as the nation’s capital until 1800.

The Quaker influence was also substantial in the early educational institutions of the United States, dating back to the colonial era. Many of the country’s first schools were established by Quakers, including: Friends Select School, Abington Friends School, Penn Charter School and Wilmington Friends School, all of which were established prior to the Declaration of Independence. However, the Quakers did not have the same early influence on early institutions of higher learning such as colleges and universities. Many of the oldest third-level educational establishments in North America were intended, originally, to serve as theological seminaries for the purposes of preparing young men for clergy life in service of whatever faith the founding mission practiced. The Society of Friends had no such need as Quakers do not have ordained ministers conducting their community worship.

That being said, the University of Pennsylvania was founded in Philadelphia in 1740, and whilst no Quakers were involved in the school’s creation (instead having Evangelical Anglican and Methodist influences in its foundation), the university has come to be associated with Quakers. Throughout much of this revered institution’s history, a substantial proportion of its student body and graduates have been or are Quakers. The university’s Quaker nickname rather reflects its geography instead of any ethos or religious affiliation, with Philadelphia being considered the “Quaker City”.

Penn (or UPenn) as the university is commonly known, is one of the most celebrated universities in the world. It is one of only a handful of such institutions that predate American independence and is a member of the prestigious Ivy League. It is the only member of the Quaker Consortium, that is a full research university.

The other members of the Quaker Consortium include: Haverford College, a private liberal arts college founded by Quakers in 1833; Swarthmore College, an elite selective liberal arts college founded by a Society of Friends community in 1864; and Bryn Mawr College, founded in 1885 as a women’s college with a Quaker ethos and one of the renowned Seven Sisters colleges. These three colleges are located west of Philadelphia in the exclusive Main Line neighbourhoods. They form their own separate consortium – the Tri-College Consortium. Bryn Mawr and Haverford also operate as the Bi-College Consortium. These three selective liberal arts colleges are lauded as some of the best in the country, long having been viewed as alternatives to the larger Ivy League universities. Indeed, the three regularly are named amongst the so-called “Little Ivies” or “Hidden Ivies” and have reputations and alumni lists to rival their bigger peers.

The four member schools, whilst not strictly aligned with the Quaker movement today, do adhere to the Quaker inquiry-based educational philosophy. Quaker schools, traditionally, are well-regarded for their progressive ethos, embracing diversity and inclusiveness. They typically subscribe to a pedagogy that espouses curiosity and a probing mindset whilst embracing ideas of citizenship and community building, locally and globally. These colleges are amongst the most progressive in the country but also operate some of the most selective admissions policies requiring well-above average academic records, significant extracurricular credits and demonstrable community contribution and leadership.

They have a long history of working together on various academic and administrative matters and, despite competing directly with one another to attract the top applicants, they have a cross-registration and enrolment scheme. This is the central aspect of the Quaker Consortium (sometimes referred to as “The Quaky” or “Quaky Con”). The scheme operates as a reciprocal arrangement that allows students of one participating member to register for and attend classes at another. Credits earned on such a programme can be applied towards the student’s graduation requirements.

This programme has been in operation for nearly a century, with the earliest records of the University of Pennsylvania’s involvement dating back to an approval from the university’s trustees in the 1930s. Each of the participating schools has differing criteria and approvals processes for students wishing to undertake a programme of study at another. Typically, the course must not be one offered at that student’s existing college, formal approval is required from a professor or dean and students are generally limited as to the number of such courses they may take in any one semester. Given the much more limited resources and faculty at the smaller liberal arts colleges of the Tri-College Consortium, the scheme has generally been taken up more by pupils at Bryn Mawr, Haverford and Swarthmore rather than the University of Pennsylvania which has one of the broadest academic programmes on offer in the world and the educational faculty to complement it. Furthermore, the Tri-College members operate a much closer relationship and even provide a complementary shuttle bus service linking their campuses. This does not apply to the University of Pennsylvania and Quaker Consortium scheme students must organise their own transport arrangements to undertake any programme of study at UPenn. Students enrolling in a course at another college under the scheme will not be subjected to any additional tuition fees.

The Quaker Consortium extends upon the existing relationships cemented between the three liberal arts colleges that have formed the Tri-College Consortium. The Tri-Co Consortium is much more closely integrated with a combined library scheme and joint academic initiatives, such as the Middle East Studies Initiative, and pooled faculty who circulate amongst the three campuses to carry out instruction to students registered on their courses. The integrated transport arrangement greatly facilitates cross-registration and cross-faculty for these schools and, additionally, makes for a greater sense of community and collaboration between them. The two Bi-College Consortium members have an even deeper relationship, jointly coordinating their academic programmes, staff recruitment and even participation on athletic teams of the other.

The University of Pennsylvania does, however, operate a 4+1 degree programme which allows for undergraduates at the other Quaker Consortium schools to begin their Masters degree studies in their final year. This means that students are eligible to attain their Masters with only one year of study at the University of Pennsylvania if they have successfully completed their four-year Bachelor’s degree at Bryn Mawr, Haverford or Swarthmore. Outside of this scheme, such students may be required to spend two or more years studying at Penn to attain their Masters-level award. Many other universities in North America offer similar schemes.

The Quaker Consortium does not exist on a formal footing and has no underlying articles of incorporation or legal agreement. Rather its existence is dependent upon the ongoing goodwill and agreed participation of the respective members. This has not been without some uncertainty. The arrangements were suspended when COVID-19 began to spread and caused much of the country to enter successive lockdowns. Furthermore, much evidence exists to suggest that Penn gains no real advantage from the arrangement and that very few Penn students choose to take part (probably due to the wide offer already available on campus and the hassle of having to travel to one of the smaller, suburban campuses of the other participating colleges). Nonetheless, participation in the scheme is relatively cost-effective with no real expense to any participating institution. In any event, the numbers of students studying at the University of Pennsylvania under a Quaker Consortium sponsored arrangement is very small (some 250 students per semester) when compared to the overall size of Penn’s enrolment (approaching 25,000 students). Countering this, there is an argument that attendance of Quaker Consortium students at Penn, who have cross-registered from another college, gives them a great insight into life on campus and enhances the prospect of them attending as graduate students in the future. Indeed, should they choose to do so, they will be attending on a fee-paying basis whilst Penn is unlikely to lose prospective graduate students to the primarily undergraduate colleges that make up the rest of the Quaker Consortium.

The Quaker Consortium is not, and has never been, associated with the formal educational associations and bodies associated with the Society of Friends and the member institutions are now non-sectarian but the naming convention remains anyway. The schools are committed to diversity and inclusion (a trait common to Quaker institutions and a manifestation of Quaker progressiveness) welcoming applicants of all faiths and none. Bryn Mawr, Haverford and Swarthmore are, however, members of the Friends Association for Higher Education (FAHE). These three colleges are also members of The Alliance to Advance Liberal Arts Colleges (AALAC), the Annapolis Group of Liberal Arts Colleges, the Consortium of Liberal Arts Colleges (CLAC), the Liberal Arts Collaborative for Digital Innovation (LACOL), the Oberlin Group of College Libraries and the Pennsylvania Consortium for the Liberal Arts (PCLA), alongside other leading selective liberal arts colleges from across the region and the country. Additionally, Bryn Mawr and Haverford were members of the Selective Liberal Arts Consortium (SLAC). The three colleges and the University of Pennsylvania are members of the Consortium on Financing Higher Education (COFHE) and, with the exception of Bryn Mawr, are members of the Questbridge college preparatory consortium and the 568 Presidents Group, focussing on improving and supporting exceptional applicants from diverse backgrounds or whose financial situation may preclude them from attending a top-ranked college. The three colleges, alongside Ivy League Penn, are all part of the wider “Ivy Plus” community and participate in various Ivy Plus initiatives under the Ivy Plus consortium banner, including the Ivy Plus Sustainability Consortium (IPSC) and the Ivy Plus Writing Consortium (IPWC).

The Quaker Consortium does not facilitate any athletic programmes or competition between member schools, albeit that they do share a degree of rivalry when they compete in other conferences or competitions. Bryn Mawr students are eligible to participate on Haverford women’s teams in certain sports. Bryn Mawr’s, Haverford’s and Swarthmore’s primary athletic conference is the Centennial Conference while Penn competes in the Ivy League.

Despite that the Quaker Consortium operates a cross-enrolment scheme, they do not have a common admissions policy and do not cooperate on matters of admissions criteria or selectivity. Applicants will still need to meet their respective preferred school’s admissions criteria and procedures before being able to apply to undertake a course of study at another participating school under the Quaker Consortium. Furthermore, applicants are encouraged to apply to their choice of school based on campus fit, culture and programme of study rather than the potential option to cross-register or to seek to transfer to one of the other colleges. The Quaker Consortium should not be viewed as a potential backdoor admissions arrangement. Indeed, the member schools are peer schools of one another and are similarly selective with many applicants having applied to various of the Quaker Consortium colleges. To find out more about each school’s application process or Quaker Consortium participation requirements, please get in touch with your preferred college as listed below.

If you attended any of the Quaker Consortium schools, we would be very keen to hear about your experiences and any useful insights that you are able to share to prospective applicants. Maybe you undertook a course of study at another college under the Quaker Consortium? If so, our readers would be very grateful for your thoughts and stories about the same. Please feel free to share with us in the comments section below.