The successful outcomes of a PHC education result directly from the College’s three commitments:
High Academic Rigor;
Fidelity to the Spirit of the American Founding; and an
Unwavering Biblical Worldview. Patrick Henry College is the only college in the nation dedicated to all three.
Located only 50 miles from Washington, D.C., PHC offers students access to the most prestigious undergraduate internships in the nation, the ability to learn from this generation’s leading thinkers and influencers, and provides a great place to unwind and relax on the weekends.
PHC’s classical liberal arts education teaches students to think deeply, write persuasively, and communicate articulately. Our students move beyond talking points and cultural slogans; they consider all sides of an issue, engage in substantive dialogue, and form careful conclusions. Resulting from this education, PHC has the #1 collegiate moot court program in the nation and a mock trial program that ranks in the top 5% nationally.
Our students fearlessly and passionately apply biblical truth in responding to the needs of their neighbors and the nation, whether by working to bring an end to human trafficking, protecting the nation from its enemies, or shoveling snow for the elderly in the community.
These students are charged to preserve religious and constitutional liberty for their generation and the ones to follow. They are inspired by their faculty to live integrated lives in which both faith and reason inform all aspects of their experiences.
While these are challenging times for our country and the world, I see hope and promise in the students and graduates of Patrick Henry College.
Jack W. Haye President
AN OVERVIEW
Founded: 2000 by Michael
P. Farris, J.D., LL.M.
Source of Control: Private, non-profit
Years of Undergraduate Study: 4
Degree Offered: Bachelor of Arts
Academic Calendar: Two semesters (fall/spring) and a shorter summer session
MAJORS
Classical Liberal Arts
Economics & Business Analytics
English
Environmental Science & Stewardship
Government
History
Journalism
Strategic Intelligence in National Security
MINORS
Biblical Studies
Classics
History
Journalism
Literature
Music
Philosophy
Location: 50 miles west of Washington D.C., 10 minutes from Leesburg, Virginia
Campus: 119 acres in Purcellville, Virginia; Purcellville’s population is 9,289, Loudoun County’s population is 427,592.
High School Background: 73% Home School, 19% Private School, 8% Public School
Top 5 Denominational Backgrounds: Nondenominational, Baptist, Presbyterian, Reformed, Assembly of God/Pentecostal
Percent of Students Age 25+: <1%
Male to Female Ratio: 54:46
Enrollment (Fall 2022): 409
States Represented: 42
Students from Virginia: 76
Top 6 States Represented: Virginia, California, Texas, North Carolina, Washington, and Florida.
Percent of Students from Out-of-State: 81%
Denomination: Non-denominational
4-Year Graduation Rate: 65% (2018)
6-Year Graduation Rate: 65% (2016)
Retention Rate (overall): 87%
Retention Rate (1st year cohort): 88%
Patrick Henry College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award baccalaureate-level degrees. Questions about the accreditation of Patrick Henry College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 300334097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).
Patrick Henry College is accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) [15935 Forest Road, Forest, VA 24551; Telephone: (434) 525-9539; e-mail: info@tracs.org], having been awarded Reaffirmation II of its Accredited Status as a Category II institution by the TRACS Accreditation Commission on October 26, 2021. This status is effective for a period of ten years. TRACS is recognized by the United States Department of Education (ED), the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), and the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE).
THE LIBERAL ARTS STRESS CONTENT, THE IMITATION OF EXCELLENCE, THE PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE THAT IS VALUABLE IN ITSELF, AND THE EXERCISE OF THE WHOLE RANGE OF TALENTS THAT GOD HAS GIVEN —PHC PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
PEOPLE WHO ARE TO BE FREE MUST BE GIVEN AN EDUCATION THAT EQUIPS THEM FOR FREEDOM
“LIBERAL” EDUCATION, FOR THE FOUNDERS, WAS ESSENTIAL FOR LIBERTY.”
—PHC PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
THE CORE CURRICULUM
PHC structures its academic programs around a distinctive, classical liberal arts Core Curriculum, which features many ‘great books’ by important authors. Our Core is "classical" in that it is founded on the great texts and ideas that have stood the test of time and experience. Every student regardless of major will complete these courses:
THEOLOGY OF THE BIBLE I & II
HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES I & II
HISTORY OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION I & II
WESTERN LITERATURE I & II
CONSTITUTIONAL LAW
ECONOMICS FOR THE CITIZEN
FREEDOM'S FOUNDATIONS I & II
PHILOSOPHY
BIOLOGY WITH LAB
PHYSICS WITH LAB
MUSIC HISTORY & APPRECIATION
LOGIC
RHETORIC & COMPOSITION
RECITATION
EUCLIDEAN GEOMETRY
PRINCIPLES OF BIBLICAL REASONING
MODERN/CLASSICAL FOREIGN LANGUAGE
63
Credits plus Intermediate-Level Foreign Language Scan to learn more.
70 Great Books required in Core Courses*
22 Students—the Average Enrollment per Core Course*
89
84
Percent of Core Curriculum Credits Taught by Full-Time Professors*
Percent of Core Curriculum Credits taught by Terminally-Degreed Faculty*
96 Percent of Core Curriculum Courses Successfully Completed.**
* 2023 Analysis **Spring/Fall 2022
THERE IS NO ELECTIVITY IN THE CORE WHICH MEANS THAT PROFESSORS IN THE UPPER LEVEL PROGRAMS CAN KNOW WHAT THEIR STUDENTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN EXPOSED TO—WHAT BOOKS THEY HAVE READ WHAT SUBJECTS THEY HAVE STUDIED WHAT SKILLS THEY HAVE DEVELOPED—SO THAT LEARNING CAN BUILD ON COMMON FOUNDATION
—PHC PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
PATRICK HENRY COLLEGE
INTELLIGENCER
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONS
GEORGE WYTHE REVIEW
Chahyadi, J. (2023). Promises Made, Promises Kept? Analyzing the 2017 Tax Cuts & Jobs Act’s Impact on American Families. George Wythe Review, 14(1), 2-16.
Todd, J. (2023). The Court of Empirical Data: How Science Judges Qualified Immunity, George Wythe Review, 14(1), 50-61.
Buck, F. (2023). The People Who Elected Mussolini: Why Fascism Triumphed in Italy, George Wythe Review, 14(1), 62-77.
Tully, K. (2023). Family First Prevention Services Act: Outcomes and the Welfare of Children, George Wythe Review, 14(1), 78-96.
Loos, B. (2023). Keep Your Enemies Closer: How Cooperation with Corrupt Governments Can Cause More Pain Than Gain, The Intelligencer, 31(3), 14-16.
Schmidt, G. (2023). The Dark Side of African Smart Cities: Strategic Aims of Chinese Surveillance Technology, The Intelligencer, 31(2), 3-5.
Ooi, J. (2023). China’s Islands: Expansion in the South China Sea, The Intelligencer, 31(2), 8-10.
King, G. (2023). Peace at Treriksrøysa: Russian Aggression Pushes Finland Towards NATO, The Intelligencer, 31(2), 11-13.
Walker, T. (2023). Saving the Line: The Crisis at the Pakistan-Afghanistan Border, The Intelligencer, 31(1), 3-5.
Black, A. (2023). China’s Starlink Sovereignty Crisis: Can China Destroy Unwanted Satellites Above Its Territory?, The Intelligencer, 31(1), 6-7.
ALETHIA
Fox, A. (2023). Music, Silence, and Noise: Weapons of God and the Devil in Lewis and Tolkien, Aletheia, 2(2), 11-14.
Torcellini, I. (2023). The Arc of Glory: Nature Deformed, Renewed, and Transcended in Dante’s Divine Comedy, Aletheia, 2(2), 15-18.
Thomas, G. (2023). Ordered Emotion and the Good Life, Aletheia, 2(2), 19-22.
Tully, K. (2022). The Instinctive Tendency to Acquire an Art: The Instinct for Language as a Fundamental Aspect of the Imago Dei, Aletheia, 2(1), 8-11.
PATRICK HENRY COLLEGE PROMOTES AN ETHOS” APPROPRIATE TO ITS IDEALS…
—PHC PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
[PHC] FOLLOWS THE MODEL OF HOW CLASSICAL UNIVERSITIES PREPARED YOUNG PEOPLE FOR THEIR PROFESSIONS, GIVING THEM RIGOROUS GROUNDING IN THE LIBERAL ARTS AND THEN SENDING THEM OUT TO PRACTICE THEIR CRAFT UNDER MASTER/ MENTOR
—PHC PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
SCAN TO LEARN ABOUT MERIDIAN ’S APPRENTICESHIP
S TUDY T RIPS
F AITH & R EASON
L ECTURES
DR. LOUIS MARKOS
Why Christians Should Read the Pagan Classics
DR. DARRELL COX
Character: The Necessary Foundation of Calling
DR. MICHAEL WARD
After Humanity: CS Lewis on the Abolition of Man
DR. DOUG FAVELO
Clio Reborn: A Call for a Return to High-Telos History
DR. TRACEY MCGRATH
The Book of Nature
DR. ROSARIA BUTTERFIELD
Five Lies of our Anti-Christian Age
DR. MATT ROBERTS
Faith, Reason, and Imagination
ISRAEL
Students tour sites of strategic, historic, and spiritual significance, including visits to many Biblical cities such as Caesarea, Capernaum, Jerusalem, Nazareth, and historic sites of Kidron Valley, the Mount of Olives, Gethsemane, and the Temple Mount.
ROME & GREECE
Dr. Doug Favelo, Professor of History, regularly leads groups of students on educational tours of Rome or Greece. Students learn about significant historic and archeological sites, view Classical artwork and architecture in museums and cathedrals, and explore the local culture of these ancient cities. Having studied the Classical roots of Western civilization in the classroom provides traveling students a strong foundation of knowledge and understanding to fully appreciate these trips.
ENGLAND
Dr. Cory Grewell led students on this 10-day trip to England to “give a sense of place to works of literature these students have studied.” The trip included visits to the Globe Theater in London, the British Museum, the Jane Austen Museum, the city of Bath, Westminster Abbey, Oxford, Windsor Castle, the Tower of London, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Charles Dickens’ home, and many other palaces and museums.
G LOBAL S TUDIES & S ERVICE
Patrick Henry College's Global Studies & Service (GSS) semester creates opportunities for students to study and serve abroad, making progress towards degree completion while serving others in cross-cultural contexts. As a part of a well-rounded classical liberal arts education, GSS helps students to improve communication skills, apply critical thinking skills, develop a heart of gratitude, and better understand what it means to be human.
EDEN TROUPE — STUDENT THEATER
Eden Troupe is PHC’s drama club, a student arts organization, seeking to glorify God through the production of plays that communicate truth and beauty, and productions that engage our culture's values in a meaningful and productive manner.
Eden Troupe proudly presents at least two full-length, theater-quality productions per academic year, including the following:
A Man for All Seasons (2016)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2012)
A Tale of Two Cities (2007)
An Ideal Husband (2005, 2022)
Arsenic & Old Lace (2008, 2015) As You Like It (2002) Cyrano De Bergerac (2006. 2021)
Fiddler on the Roof (2013)
Frankenstein (2019)
Henry V (2015)
It’s a Wonderful Life: The Musical (2014)
John: His Story (2015)
Leave it to PSmith (2008)
Little Women (2017)
Macbeth (2005, 2016)
Much Ado About Nothing (2004, 2013)
Our Town (2002, 2012)
Peter Pan (2010)
Pirates of Penzance (2023)
Pride & Prejudice (2006, 2022)
Screenwriters (2013)
Six Characters in Search of an Author (2015)
The Cocktail Party (2020)
The Crucible (2009)
The Importance of Being Earnest (2003, 2018)
The Three Musketeers (2018)
The Mousetrap (2011)
The Winter’s Tale (2017)
Twelfth Night: A Modern Adaptation (2009)
Wait Until Dark (2010)
You Can’t Take It With You (2007)
You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (2011)
12 Angry Jurors (2019)
RESIDENCE LIFE PROGRAMS
SELECTED TOPICS
Faculty, staff, alumni, and other guests are frequently invited to the residence halls to lead a Residence Life Program on a topic of interest to students, such as the following:
Auto Maintenance
A Sense Study in French Cuisine
Biblical Self-defense
Slow Cooking Pork & Brisket
Personal Finance, Budgeting, & Taxes
Driving Range Entrepreneurship
Beauty at the National Gallery of Art
On Avocados and Hospitality
Biblical Manhood
Korean Food & Culture
Corporate Decorum
Flower Knowledge & Arrangement
Tennis through Movie Clichés
Physics of Flight, Air/Space Museum
Wilderness Survival Demonstration
Making Cinnamon Rolls from Scratch
Film History & Criticism
Painting with Watercolors
Wing Hiking Day
SELECTED STUDENT ACTIVITIES
Co-Curricular Activities
Chorale
Civic Debate
George Wythe Review
Herald Media
Intelligencer
Mock Trial
Moot Court
Orchestra
Westmarch
Campus Traditions & Events
Faith & Reason Day
The Liberty Ball
Homecoming
The Freshmen Dance
The Hoedown
Harmonicomedy
Lessons & Carols
Christmas Ball
Official Student Clubs
Alexandria Historical Society
Art Society
Eden Troupe
Equestrian Club
Great Commission Association
IJM Campus Chapter
National Model United Nations
Running Club
Patrick Henry Investment Group
Pre-Law Society
Public Policy Education Club
Shall We Dance Society
The Swim Club
Intramural/Club Athletics
Basketball Frisbee
Racquetball
Indoor Soccer
Softball
Tennis
Volleyball
Intercollegiate Sports
Men’s & Women’s Basketball
Men’s & Women’s Soccer
STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES
New Student Orientation
Chapel
Academic Advising
Bookstore
Counseling Services
Food Services
Financial Aid
Technology Helpdesk
Admissions
Campus Safety
Registration Support
Study Support Center
Library
Career Services
Mail Center
Student Employment
Apprenticeship Support
Scan to learn more
GRADUATE & LAW SCHOOL
PHC Alumni report their enrollment in top graduate and law schools across the nation:
Acton School of Business
American Military University
American University
Arizona State University College of Law
Ashland University
Auburn University
Baptist Bible College & Seminary
Baylor University
Biola University
Boise State University
Case Western Reserve University School of Law
Clemson University
Columbia University
Cornell University
De Anza College
Duke University School of Law
Eastern Washington University
Emory University School of Law
George Fox University
George Mason University
George Washington University Law School
Georgetown University
Georgetown University Law Center
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
Grand Valley State University
Harvard Law School
Indiana University
Indiana University School of Medicine
Institute of World Politics
Johns Hopkins University
Knox Theological Seminary
Liberty University
Marymount University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University College of Law
Nashotah House Theological Seminary
New York University
Ohio State University - Moritz College of Law
Old Dominion University
Pennsylvania State University
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University School of Law
Queen’s University Belfast
Reformed Episcopal Seminary
Reformed Theological Seminary
Regent University
Rice University
Saint Louis University
San Jose State University
Santa Clara University School of Law
Seattle Pacific University
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southern New Hampshire University
St. John’s College
Sullivan University
Texas A&M
Texas A&M University School of Law
Texas Tech University
The Catholic University of America
The College of William & Mary
The Pennsylvania State University
University of Alabama
University of Arizona
University of California at Davis
University of California, Hastings College of Law
University of Chicago School of Law
University of Colorado
University of Concordia, Irvine
University of Dallas
University of Illinois
University of Mary
University of Massachusetts
University of Michigan
University of Montana School of Law
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
University of Notre Dame
University of Regina
University of Richmond School of Law
University of South Carolina
University of St. Andrews
University of Texas School of Law
University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law
University of Virginia
University of Virginia School of Law
University of Washington
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Villanova University
Wake Forest University Law School
Washington & Lee University
Western Governor's University
Western Michigan Cooley Law School
Western Seminary
Westminster Seminary California
Westminster Theological Seminary
Yale University Law School
“I have been to [Patrick Henry College] four times, and each time I have been astonished by the combination, in the students, of eager intelligence and innocent youth; their questions to me after my first lecture there...were more perceptive and ranged more widely than any questions that any audience has ever asked me, including such audiences as were made up of professors at Princeton and Yale and other elite schools.”
