the second), and the second U.S. institution of higher education to be coeducational (Oberlin College was first). Though the college initially admitted only students who belonged to the Religious Society of Friends, Earlham began admitting non-Quakers in 1865. The college was named for Earlham Hall, home of the Gurneys, an important English Quaker family.

Over time, as Quakerism in America became more progressive,