Label	Element	Value
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Registrant Name	dei_EntityRegistrantName	GLENMEDE FUND INC
Prospectus Date	rr_ProspectusDate	Feb. 28, 2020
Advisor | Small Cap Equity Portfolio
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Risk/Return [Heading]	rr_RiskReturnHeading	Small Cap Equity Portfolio (Advisor Shares)
Objective [Heading]	rr_ObjectiveHeading	Investment Objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block]	rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock	Long-term capital appreciation consistent with reasonable risk to principal.
Expense [Heading]	rr_ExpenseHeading	Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio
Expense Narrative [Text Block]	rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock	This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio.
Operating Expenses Caption [Text]	rr_OperatingExpensesCaption	Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Expense Example [Heading]	rr_ExpenseExampleHeading	Example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]	rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock	This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio’s Advisor Shares with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Portfolio Turnover [Heading]	rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading	Portfolio Turnover
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]	rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock	The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Portfolio shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio’s portfolio turnover rate was 54% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate	rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate	54.00%
Strategy [Heading]	rr_StrategyHeading	Principal Investment Strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block]	rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock	Under normal market circumstances, the Portfolio invests at least 80% of the value of its net assets (including borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred stocks, of U.S. small cap companies that Glenmede Investment Management LP (the “Advisor”) believes are undervalued. Small cap companies include companies with market capitalizations, at the time of purchase, that are within the market capitalization range of any stock in the Russell 2000® Index at its last rebalancing. That capitalization range was $152.3 million to $5 billion as of May 10, 2019. The Advisor uses a combination of quantitative and fundamental research to select securities. The Advisor uses a quantitative proprietary multi-factor computer model which identifies a list of attractive securities having revenue and earnings growth potential with reasonable valuations, then applies fundamental research to select which securities to buy and sell for this Portfolio.
Risk [Heading]	rr_RiskHeading	Principal Investment Risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block]	rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock	All investments carry a certain amount of risk and the Portfolio cannot guarantee that it will achieve its investment objective. In addition, the strategies that the Advisor uses may fail to produce the intended result. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Portfolio, regardless of the order in which it appears. An investment in the Portfolio is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Therefore, you could lose money by investing in the Portfolio. The Portfolio may be appropriate for you if you are investing for goals several years away, and are comfortable with stock market risks. The Portfolio would not be appropriate for you if you are investing for short-term goals, or are mainly seeking current income. Market Risk: Stocks may decline over short or even extended periods of time. Equity markets tend to be cyclical: there are times when stock prices generally increase, and other times when they generally decrease. In addition, the Portfolio is subject to the additional risk that the particular types of stocks held by the Portfolio will underperform other types of securities. Market risks, including political, regulatory, market, economic and social developments, and developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market, can affect the value of the Portfolio’s investments. Natural disasters, public health emergencies (including pandemics and epidemics), terrorism and other global unforeseeable events may lead to instability in world economies and markets, may lead to market volatility, and may have adverse long-term effects. The Portfolio cannot predict the effects of such unforeseeable events in the future on the economy, the markets or the Portfolio’s investments. Value Style Risk: Although the Portfolio invests in stocks the Advisor believes to be undervalued, there is no guarantee that the prices of these stocks will not move even lower. In addition, the value investment style can shift into and out of favor with investors, depending on market and economic conditions. As a result, the Portfolio may at times outperform or underperform other funds that invest more broadly or employ a different investment style. Small Cap Risk: The Portfolio is subject to the risk that the stocks of smaller and newer issuers can be more volatile and more speculative than the stocks of larger issuers. Smaller companies tend to have limited resources, product lines and market share. As a result, their share prices tend to fluctuate more than those of larger companies. Their shares may also trade less frequently and in limited volume, making them potentially less liquid. The price of small company stocks might fall regardless of trends in the broader market.
Risk Lose Money [Text]	rr_RiskLoseMoney	Therefore, you could lose money by investing in the Portfolio.
Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text]	rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution	An investment in the Portfolio is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]	rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading	Performance Information
Performance Narrative [Text Block]	rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock	The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows how the performance of the Portfolio’s Advisor Shares has varied from year to year. The table shows how the average annual total returns for one, five and ten years of the Portfolio’s Advisor Shares compare to those of selected market indices. The Portfolio’s past performance, before and after-taxes, does not necessarily indicate how it will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available by visiting www.glenmedeim.com or by calling 1-800-442-8299.
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]	rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns	The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows how the performance of the Portfolio’s Advisor Shares has varied from year to year. The table shows how the average annual total returns for one, five and ten years of the Portfolio’s Advisor Shares compare to those of selected market indices.
Performance Additional Market Index [Text]	rr_PerformanceAdditionalMarketIndex	The Russell 2000® Value Index is provided so that investors may compare the performance of the Portfolio to another well-known index for small cap stocks. The S&P 500® Index is provided so that investors may compare the performance of the Portfolio with the performance of a well-known index of leading U.S. companies. The Morningstar Small Blend Average is provided so that investors may compare the performance of the Portfolio with the performance of a peer group of funds that Morningstar, Inc. considers similar to the Portfolio.
Performance Availability Phone [Text]	rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone	1-800-442-8299
Performance Availability Website Address [Text]	rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress	www.glenmedeim.com
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]	rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture	The Portfolio’s past performance, before and after-taxes, does not necessarily indicate how it will perform in the future.
Bar Chart [Heading]	rr_BarChartHeading	Small Cap Equity Portfolio (Advisor Shares)
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]	rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock	During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was 18.49% (for the quarter ended December 31, 2010) and the lowest quarterly return was -22.10% (for the quarter ended September 30, 2011).
Performance Table Heading	rr_PerformanceTableHeading	Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2019)
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate	rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate	After-tax returns for the Portfolio are calculated using the historical highest individual Federal marginal income tax rates, and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred	rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred	Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Portfolio shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”).
Performance Table Narrative	rr_PerformanceTableNarrativeTextBlock	After-tax returns for the Portfolio are calculated using the historical highest individual Federal marginal income tax rates, and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Portfolio shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”).
Advisor | Small Cap Equity Portfolio | Advisor Shares
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Management Fees	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	0.55%
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.38%	[1]
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	0.93%
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	$ 95
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	296
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	515
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	$ 1,143
2010	rr_AnnualReturn2010	27.20%
2011	rr_AnnualReturn2011	0.10%
2012	rr_AnnualReturn2012	16.72%
2013	rr_AnnualReturn2013	47.92%
2014	rr_AnnualReturn2014	3.07%
2015	rr_AnnualReturn2015	(2.95%)
2016	rr_AnnualReturn2016	18.10%
2017	rr_AnnualReturn2017	15.75%
2018	rr_AnnualReturn2018	(15.89%)
2019	rr_AnnualReturn2019	21.12%
Highest Quarterly Return, Label	rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel	highest quarterly return
Highest Quarterly Return, Date	rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate	Dec. 31, 2010
Highest Quarterly Return	rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn	18.49%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label	rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel	lowest quarterly return
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date	rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate	Sep. 30, 2011
Lowest Quarterly Return	rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn	(22.10%)
Past 1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	21.12%
Past 5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	6.21%
Past 10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	11.84%
Advisor | Small Cap Equity Portfolio | Return After Taxes on Distributions | Advisor Shares
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Past 1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	21.06%
Past 5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	4.71%
Past 10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	10.75%
Advisor | Small Cap Equity Portfolio | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Advisor Shares
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Past 1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	12.54%
Past 5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	4.70%
Past 10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	9.72%
Advisor | Small Cap Equity Portfolio | Russell 2000® Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Past 1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	25.52%
Past 5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	8.23%
Past 10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	11.83%
Advisor | Small Cap Equity Portfolio | Russell 2000® Value Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Past 1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	22.39%	[2]
Past 5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	6.99%	[2]
Past 10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	10.56%	[2]
Advisor | Small Cap Equity Portfolio | S&P 500® Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Past 1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	31.49%	[3]
Past 5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	11.70%	[3]
Past 10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	13.56%	[3]
Advisor | Small Cap Equity Portfolio | Morningstar Small Blend Average
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Past 1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	23.75%	[4]
Past 5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	6.70%	[4]
Past 10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	10.60%	[4]

[1] (includes 0.25% shareholder servicing fees payable to Glenmede Trust)

[2] The Russell 2000® Value Index is provided so that investors may compare the performance of the Portfolio to another well-known index for small cap stocks.

[3] The S&P 500® Index is provided so that investors may compare the performance of the Portfolio with the performance of a well-known index of leading U.S. companies.

[4] The Morningstar Small Blend Average is provided so that investors may compare the performance of the Portfolio with the performance of a peer group of funds that Morningstar, Inc. considers similar to the Portfolio.