The Philosophy

Medium sized (5,800) private university in a large city
Moto: strong truths well lived
Founded 1852 Jesuit priests. Original jesuit college
To inspire students to learn, lead, and serve in a diverse and challenging world
Tend to attract students that want to be involved
Care for the whole person
Graduate with experience, see the world, graduate on time, have value added to your career, graduate with a promising future. 96% job or graduate school
Brookings institute put them in the top 2% of value added to mid life 
4000 undergrad

The Classes

No TAs or grad students teaching
All classes around quad
2 theology classes: intro to Catholicism then an upper level
Average class size 25
11:1 Student to faculty ratio

The Path

EA Nov 15, notified Jan 15
RD Priority Nov 15
RD Jan 15, notified April 1
Financial Aid Priority Jan 15, notified March 15

Super score ACT and SAT
Test optional institution, but need additional teacher rec or essay. 25% current students test optional
3.3-3.8 average entering GPA
Accepted to all three schools : arts and science, education, business
Universal 1st year experience: MESSINA, 15 students, designed prof and older student. Live near these people. 1 class in fall, 1 class in spring. Joint events. 4 themes. Your class choices determine your group
Core:15-17 classes through 4 years
2/3 juniors study abroad, financial aid transfers, all majors can study abroad in the English language
30 majors, 40 minors

The People

98%, 80% on campus all 4 years
40% undecided
80% of students do community service
70% of students identify as catholic
23% students of color
30% faculty of color
53% female faculty

The Aid

Financial Aid transfers to study abroad
Merit scholarship given at the time of admission need
Need based scholarship given 2-3 weeks later
Career salary

Vintage Jesuit school with a rigorous liberal arts curriculum, caring faculty, and a strong sense of community. Baltimore location a plus for those with “I don’t want to miss anything” attitude. Same size as Providence, smaller than BC, Fordham, and other Roman Catholic schools in urban settings. No varsity football, but top-ranked men’s lacrosse team evokes plenty of school spirit.

Four U.S. universities bear the name of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), but this one is the granddaddy of them all. Founded in 1852 (and the one that laid claim to www.loyola.edu), Loyola University Maryland combines the virtues of a residential campus with ready access to a major city on the Amtrak corridor. Loyola jumped up from “college” to “university” status in 2009, and, with a “big enough but not too big” feel, manages to strike a balance between real-world experience and the traditional Jesuit ideals of academic excellence, a liberal arts curriculum, and cura personalis (a.k.a. education of the whole person).

Loyola’s Evergreen campus, the home to undergraduates, sits on 80 green and wooded acres in a mixed residential area in northern Baltimore, about 15 minutes from the heart of the city. (Graduate students are shunted off to their own campuses in Columbia and Timonium, Maryland.) The academic Quad features the largest collection of collegiate Gothic buildings in Baltimore, including the Alumni Memorial Chapel with its lovely stained-glass windows. Architectural variety is provided by the Tudor-style Humanities Center, built in 1895, and the Sellinger School of Business and Management, a contemporary 50,000-square-foot facility notable for its atrium and five-story glass facade.

Undergraduate academics at Loyola are organized around the triumvirate of the School of Education, the Sellinger School of Business and Management, and Loyola College of Arts and Sciences. Consistent with Jesuit academic tradition, Loyola students pursue a core curriculum that encourages critical thinking across the liberal arts and sciences. Among the requirements are classes in theology and ethics, and the choice of one diversity-designated course-with a focus on global or domestic diversity or justice awareness. Messina is the university’s first-year living/learning program, in which students enroll in two small seminar classes, one in the fall and one in the spring, focused on one of four themes: The Visionary, Self and Other, Stories We Tell, and The Good Life. The courses are guided by a professor and an older student (called an “Evergreen”) who also lives with the same students, and Messina groups participate in special events and excursions together. “It makes new students feel like they are a part of the Loyola community and realize how many people care about them here,” says a biology major.

The business program is said to be strong, as are most of the humanities. Business administration, communication, accounting, psychology, and biology are the most popular majors. Other strong areas, students say, include education, speech-language-hearing sciences, and engineering. New majors have been added in biochemistry and sustainability management. Students describe the academic program at Loyola as challenging but supportive. “Students are generally not competing against each other for the best grades, but rather tend to work together on projects or while studying,” says a senior. Teaching assistants are an unknown species, and 49 percent of classes have fewer than 20 students. Students praise their professors’ emphasis on teaching and getting to know students. “I cannot imagine what it would be like not to have a professor know my name,” says a senior.

Each summer, 10 to 12 undergraduates are selected to work side by side with faculty from the six natural science departments to conduct research in the students’ area of interest and participate in seminars, journal clubs, and social activities. For top students, the Honors Program provides an interdisciplinary route through a more ambitious core curriculum. A whopping 64 percent of students study abroad in more than 27 countries, usually for a semester during the junior year. Venues range from Bangkok, Dubai, and Singapore to Cape Town, Glasgow, and, of course, Rome. Loyola students are encouraged to do community service while abroad and to submit an Immersion Research Project upon return. “I studied in Cork, Ireland, and it was one of the highlights of my college experience!” cheers a senior.

Students at Loyola tend to be, in the words of one senior, “fairly preppy.” Twenty percent of undergraduates hail from Maryland, and 1 percent come from other countries. African Americans represent 5 percent, Hispanics 12 percent, Asian Americans 3 percent, and multiracial students 3 percent. Sixty-eight percent of undergrads describe themselves as Catholics; there are fewer than 10 Jesuits on the faculty. “Religion has a huge impact on campus,” says one non-Catholic, who adds, “As a Christian, I love the fact that I can openly talk about my religion and that others accept my beliefs.” A political science major says that “social justice is a huge initiative at Loyola, with abortion, immigration reform, gay marriage, homelessness, hunger, and gender equality just some of the issues that students at Loyola are fighting for/against.” Merit awards average $19,800, and Loyola offers 138 athletic scholarships.

Loyola students enjoy the spacious, modern residence halls, which are located west of the main campus and are connected by a pedestrian bridge spanning Charles Street. “One of the perks of Loyola’s housing is that there are only a few traditional dorms,” explains a psychology major. “Loyola has mostly apartment-style living”-and it’s possible to live in an apartment or suite with a kitchen and bathroom as early as freshman year. Not surprisingly, 80 percent of students live on campus. The main dining facility is Boulder Garden Café, but other options range from the Reading Room to Starbucks. Loyola offers a “meal swipe” or “declining balance” dining plan. Campus security is not an issue. “We are in a relatively dangerous part of the city,” says an accounting major, “but the Loyola police do a good job to make us all feel safe on campus.”

Loyola has no fraternities or sororities, but given the proximity to Baltimore, this arrangement is just fine with students. “Most of Loyola’s social life takes place off campus,” says a student. “Bars and clubs are very close to campus, and the penalties for throwing a party in your room are pretty steep.” That’s not to say that on-campus life is monastic. “The campus is always buzzing with things like concerts and festivals,” says an English major. The undisputed high point of the social calendar is Loyolapalooza, the spring festival held on the last weekend before final exams to celebrate the academic year. Students gather on the Quad for a concert, games, and food. A close second is Luck O’Loyola, the annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration that features traditional Irish bagpipes, dancing, and music.

Baltimore is a city where urban problems have been well documented. For students at Loyola, this means that community service plays a prominent role in campus life. “The passion for service runs very strong through the veins of Loyola,” says a senior. The Center for Community Service and Justice helps students find opportunities ranging from one-time volunteer activities to semester-long service-learning courses. The city of Baltimore also offers an abundance of sights, including the famed Inner Harbor, with its many restaurants and museums, as well as major league sports. Loyola’s neighbors include numerous other colleges and universities, including Johns Hopkins and Towson University. “Loyola students do not regard Baltimore as a ‘college town’ per se, but it has plenty of young-adult neighborhoods and pockets of entertainment,” reports an accounting major. Washington, D.C., an hour away by train, is a frequent weekend destination.

Loyola eschews varsity football, but the Greyhounds compete in the Division I Patriot League in eight men’s and nine women’s sports. Befitting the school’s Maryland location, both the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams are consistently strong. For those with more modest athletic ambitions, Loyola sponsors 24 club sports teams and 20 intramural events, as well as 40 outdoor adventure trips each year. Flag football, volleyball, and soccer are especially popular. The state-of-the-art Fitness and Aquatic Center features a well-equipped fitness center, a rock-climbing wall, a 12-lane pool, and other amenities.

Some Loyola denizens lament the absence of football and the dearth of on-campus parties, but such complaints seem a small price to pay for four years as part of a close-knit community that takes its humanistic, academic, and social values seriously. “We care for each other, and our Jesuit mission rings true in our day-to-day lives,” says a senior. A classmate adds, “The good food, residence halls, and location don’t hurt either.”

-Fiske Guide