Benedictine University

Benedictine University

Benedictine University (BU) is a private Catholic educational institution in Chicago, Illinois. As its name suggests, it has close relations to the Benedictine Order.

Formerly the St. Procopius College, this institution was founded in 1887 and was originally located in Chicago’s Pilsen community until 1901 when it moved to its current site. It was later named Illinois Benedictine College in 1971 until 1996. The monks of Saint Procopius Abbey are credited for establishing the university.

Beliefs

Benedictine University is committed to providing undergraduate and graduate programs to its students regardless of their racial, religious and cultural backgrounds. Following the Roman Catholic tradition and the Benedictine heritage, it prepares its students to become active, informed and responsible in the community they live in as well as to become leaders of the future.

Location

The BU Lisle campus in DuPage county was established in 1901. The first building to be set up there was the Benedictine Hall which was completed in 1921. Five years after, new buildings had been constructed around the place and the former college accommodated both male and female students in 1968. The current campus now features a learning center with a full media library as well as a state of the art science facility complete with digital classrooms, laboratory and research equipment.

BU has another branch campus in Springfield, Illinois.

Tuition

As of May 2011, the total annual cost of pursuing a traditional undergraduate degree at Benedictine University is $23,650. This is for tuition only and does not include the other fees as well as the room and board. The average cost for room and board is $7,410 per year.

Benedictine University Financial Aid

Undergraduate students may avail of financial aid offered by Benedictine University. Majority or 96 percent of freshmen normally receive some form of financial assistance. The average financial package available to freshmen amounts to $15,842 while the yearly budget for grants and scholarships is more than $12.4 million.

Student Population

Benedictine University accommodates around 3,000 undergraduate students each year. Of these, 57 percent are females and 43 percent are males. Students come from 41 states and 14 countries.

Academic Areas of Study

This Catholic university offers 50 majors for its traditional undergraduate programs. For the adult accelerated undergraduate program, 7 majors are available.

BU also offers graduate and doctorate programs. It has a student to faculty ratio of 18:1 with an average undergraduate class size of 19.

Primary Accreditation

BU is an accredited university with its accreditation granted by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association. It is also a member of the Illinois State Board of Education, Teacher Certification Section as well as the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education of the American Dietetic Association.

Benedictine University Athletic Team

BU’s athletic teams are called the Eagles. They belong to the NCCAA Division III and take part in various sports to include baseball, basketball, cheerleading, cross country, dance, golf, football, soccer, lacrosse, tennis, track and field as well as volleyball. The DuPage Dragons, a summer collegiate baseball team, is also part of the Benedictine campus.

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