College Profile:
Loyola University Chicago

Loyola University Chicago was founded in 1870 by the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and carries the namesake of the Society's founder, St. Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556), who devoted his life to God through his quest for knowledge and the rigors of scholarship. Loyola nurtures the Jesuit tradition with a mission that is academically challenging and strives to develop the whole student by promoting compassion for others and a consciousness of justice and ethics.

Loyola is the largest of 28 Jesuit universities nationwide, and is consistently ranked a top national university in U.S. News & World Report's annual rankings. Loyola was again named a "best value" for education in the publication's 2008 rankings. As of fall semester 2007, Loyola enrolled 15,545 students (9,950 undergraduate) from all 50 states and territories and 82 foreign countries.

Loyola offers 71 undergraduate majors and 71 minors, 85 master's and 31 doctoral degrees, as well as 26 graduate-level certificate programs. The University takes advantage of its Chicago setting, with the Lake Shore and Water Tower Campuses in Chicago, as well as the Medical Center Campus in west suburban Maywood, Illinois, and the John Felice Rome Center in Rome, Italy. These campuses throughout greater Chicago provide Loyola students access to hundreds of cultural institutions, as well as thousands of internships and networking opportunities with the city's Fortune 500 companies.

Located on the shores of Lake Michigan on Chicago's far north side, the Lake Shore Campus is a tranquil, residential campus that is home to the College of Arts and Sciences, the Graduate School, and the Niehoff School of Nursing. The Lake Shore Campus has undergone a number of changes in recent years, most notably with the January 2008 opening of the $33 million, 72,000 sq.-ft. Richard J. Klarchek Information Commons, located just steps from Lake Michigan. This eco-friendly building includes more than 200 computer workstations, six electronic classrooms, digital media lab and a large flexible meeting space and patio. The campus also is home to the main Cudahy Library, Quinlan Life Sciences and Education Center, Madonna della Strada Chapel, Joseph J. Gentile Center, Halas Sport Center, and traditional and apartment-style residence halls.

The Water Tower Campus, located just a few blocks from Chicago's Magnificent Mile, is home to the Schools of Business Administration, Education, Law, Continuing and Professional Studies, and Social Work, as well as the Graduate School of Business and a new School of Communication, opening in Summer 2008. The recently renovated Lewis Towers houses the new Loyola University Museum of Art. The Raymond C. Baumhart, S.J., Residence Hall and Terry Student Center, opened in 2006, is home to more than 600 upper-class and graduate students, and features a food court, café, and a branch of the University bookstore.

The John Felice Rome Center in Rome, Italy, was established in 1962 and provides more than 400 students annually with the cultural advantages of studying abroad, making it one of the largest centers in Western Europe for international education in the arts and sciences. The John Felice Rome Center is Loyola's most popular study abroad program with more than 13,000 alumni.

In addition to the John Felice Rome Center, Loyola University Chicago serves as the U.S. host university for the Beijing Center for Chinese Studies in Beijing, China. With the assistance of Loyola's Office for International Programs, students may also choose from 60 other programs in 29 countries.

With a student/faculty ratio of 13 to 1, well below the national average of 19 to 1, students at Loyola enjoy a personal relationship with a decidedly professional faculty. 98% of Loyola's full-time faculty members hold a Ph.D. or the highest available academic degree in their fields, and they are routinely called upon as experts on current events by the nation's most prestigious media, including The Wall Street Journal, Time, and NBC Nightly News. The same professors who teach advanced graduate courses also teach introductory, undergraduate courses.

In the freshman class of 2007, 91% of students received financial aid at an average of $16,685 per student. Additionally, 88% were awarded grants and/or scholarships.

Students can choose from more than 175 social, cultural, ethnic, professional, and academic organizations and activities. In the Ignatian spirit of celebrating diverse faiths, Loyola sponsors an active Hillel program for Jewish students, provides a mosque for Muslim students, and offers chaplains for students of Orthodox and Protestant traditions. The new Center for Experiential Learning offers a one-stop resource for academic internship opportunities, service-learning courses and undergraduate research programs.

Loyola University Chicago
Schools, Colleges and Institutes

• College of Arts and Sciences
• School of Business Administration
• School of Communication (Opening Summer 2008)
• Graduate School of Business
• School of Continuing and Professional Studies
• School of Education
• The Graduate School
• School of Law
• Stritch School of Medicine
• Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing
• Institute of Pastoral Studies
• School of Social Work

Fast Facts

• Total enrollment: 15,545
• 71 undergraduate majors and 71 minors
• 85 master's, 31 doctoral degrees, and 26 graduate-level certificate programs
• 13:1 student/faculty ratio
• 120,000 alumni; 80,000 in Chicago
• One of only 8 percent of all American colleges and universities to have a Phi Beta Kappa honor society chapter
• Undergraduate tuition (full-time entering 2007): $27,200