The college was named for Earlham Hall, home of the Gurneys, an important English Quaker family.

Price left the position in July 2018, and in November of that year was appointed director of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston.

[13] While Earlham is predominately an undergraduate institution, it also offers a Master of Arts in Teaching degree.

Roughly 70% of Earlham students go on a semester-length off-campus program to such destinations as Mexico, the U.S./ Mexican border, Vienna, Martinique, Northern Ireland, Great Britain, France, Germany, Spain, New Zealand, Japan, and Tanzania.

[20] Earlham has good representation in the Butler Undergraduate Research Conference, held each year in the spring.

[21] Earlham's biology and chemistry departments have a long history of producing distinguished graduates, such as Warder Clyde Allee, Jim Fowler, Larry E. Overman, Harold Urey, and Wendell Stanley, the latter two of which won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (in 1934 and 1946, respectively).

Students and faculty in Earlham's CS applied groups jointly provide computer infrastructure support for the college.

[22] The choral and instrumental music departments collaborate on a biennial basis, performing works such as Carmina Burana and Michael Tippett's A Child of Our Time.

In addition, 6-10 theater performances occur throughout the year on campus through either the academic department, senior projects or the student company.

In 2016, Earlham students won the million dollar Hult Prize for their "Magic Bus" proposal to help with transportation problems in developing urban environments.

[35] During the 2022 Baseball season, Earlham College legend Jeordon Kuderer hit the longest left handed home run in Quaker history.

The ball was hit 518 feet down the right field line, wrapping around the foul poll and landing on top of an apartment building beyond the street.

Many inside the school have considered commemorating that moment by placing a statue of Kuderer outside of Sadler Stadium.

[36] Earlham's club teams include Ultimate Frisbee, Women's and Men's rugby, the Bike Co-Op, Cheerleaders, Earthquakers (Competitive Dance), Equestrian Program, martial arts groups, Men's Volleyball, and Outdoors Club.