Students: Total enrollment: 759 undergraduate women and 249 coed graduate students. From 46 states and 13 countries. 52% Virginians. 20% minority. Average high school GPA: 3.5.

Student satisfaction: Forbes magazine ranks Hollins in the top 250 in its 2011 list of America's best colleges. Hollins is featured among the country's top colleges and universities in the 2012 edition of the Princeton Review's annual guide, The Best 376 Colleges. The 2012 Fiske Guide to Colleges lauds us as one of the small colleges and universities strong in art, film, and dance.

Internships: Approximately 50% of Hollins students complete internships and 50% study abroad. Our January Short Term gives students a full month to test career interests. Because it's been around so long, the Hollins internship program has developed far-reaching ties to corporations, government agencies, private foundations, hospitals, museums, technology firms, and media outlets - which means you have unmatched opportunities and connections.

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: 71 full-time, 28 part-time faculty members. 98% have the Ph.D. or highest degree in their field.

Faculty/student ratio: 1:11. Average class size: 13.

Academic programs: Challenging liberal arts and sciences program. Most popular majors: English, psychology, studio art, biology and business. Special academic programs include education (teacher licensure), Arts Management Certificate, Certificate in Leadership Studies, pre-medicine, pre-dental, pre-pharmacy, pre-physical therapy, pre-law, and pre-veterinary, three-year accelerated program, and Horizon Program for adult women. 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; children's book illustration certificate.

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. [Read an op-ed from The Washington Post about the relevance of women's colleges, 9/7/10]

Career success: On average within one year of graduation, 70% of our graduates are employed and 27% 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: In the most recent graduating class, more than 40% of our students had an international learning experience. We sponsor our own programs in Paris and London. In addition, our students study in Cordoba, Argentina; Seville and Alicante, Spain; Osaka, Japan; Puebla, Mexico; Legon, Ghana; Perugia, Rome, and Florence, Italy; Limerick, Ireland; Athens, Greece; Ludwigsburg, Germany; Cape Town, South Africa; and the School for Field Studies, with programs in Costa Rica, Mexico, Australia, and Kenya/Tanzania. 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, tennis, and volleyball; and fencing, cross country, and martial arts 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 12 times since 1993. Hollins has had 18 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: 9 student residences, including 5 residence halls, a 35-unit apartment complex, and 3 houses. More than 78% 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 30 clubs and organizations, including Hollins Repertory Dance Company, Intercultural Club, SHARE (service organization), NEFA (fine arts), and Model United Nations. Honor societies/organizations: 16, 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. Swannanoa Hall, home of the Jackson Center for Creative Writing.

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 250,000). Regional airport 10 minutes from campus; Blue Ridge Parkway and Appalachian Trail 20 minutes away. Visit www.roanokeoutside.com to learn more about outdoor activities in the Roanoke area. 35,000 undergraduates at 10 institutions within one-hour's drive. Roanoke was recently featured in the October/November issue of Garden & Gun magazine.

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 Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097; telephone: 404-679-4500), 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 admission because of race, color, religion, age, disability, genetic information, national or ethnic origin, veteran status, or sexual orientation, and maintains a nondiscriminatory policy throughout its operation. For more information, contact the director of human resources/title ix coordinator, (540) 362-6660 or hollinshr@hollins.edu.