3424 South State Street
Chicago, IL 60616

Grounded in the tradition of the Great Books, Shimer College is a small, independent liberal arts college located on a 120-acre campus in Chicago. Founded by Frances Wood Shimer and Cinderella Gregory, the core curriculum, known as the Hutchins Plan, was originally designed by Robert M. Hutchins when he was president of the college. He later became chancellor of the University of Chicago.

First established as Mount Carroll in Northwestern Illinois by its two female founders, the school established an affiliate relationship with the University of Chicago in 1895. In 1978, the school moved to Waukegan, Ill., and later to its current location on the ITT campus in Chicago.

Today, the school offers three undergraduate options in humanities, natural sciences and social sciences. Graduate courses are offered in a teaching fellows program. Shimer College is a small school with approximately 100 students who enroll each year. Shimer College only employs 14 full and part-time faculty members, making the school seem more like a community.

Students who succeed at Shimer College love to read and are seeking a unique, intellectually stimulating environment. Students do not need a minimum GPA to apply for entrance to Shimer College. Rather, the college admits students based on interviews and writing samples submitted during the admissions process.

Shimer College offers access to the ITT school library, which includes more than 1.1 million printed volumes, as well as online and electronic databases. The Shimer Library also has more than 20,000 volumes in its library.

Shimer students also have the opportunity to live on the ITT campus. Students have the choice of dorm-style rooms or fully-equipped apartments. Shimer students also have access to all of the cultural, sporting and other events the Windy City has to offer.

Quick Facts:

The median class size is eight students and the average student to teacher ratio is 11:1.

The campus may be small, but Shimer College is a very active campus, with over 150 organizations in which students may become involved.

The Arthur S. Keating Sports Center on the ITT/Shimer campus seats 2,000 and also has a number of amenities students can use for sports and recreation. The building includes racquetball/handball/squash courts, a fitness center, basketball courts and a swimming pool.

Shimer College offers an early entrant program for high school-aged students.

Third and fourth year students at Shimer College have the option of applying for the 1-2 semester study abroad program at Oxford in Great Britain.

This school profile has been compiled and updated by The CollegeBound Network. The school is not affiliated with The CollegeBound Network and shall not be considered a sponsor of this program.