Jesuit Rankings

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I doubt that I am telling any tales out of school ... Historically, Jesuit institutions are usually seen as the most prestigeous and competative among Catholic schools, colleges and universities.</p>

<p>Georgetown is usually ranked first or second, depending on which ranking as the top Catholic university in the US (usually in a dead heat with some non-Jesuit school in Indiana). Boston College is usually ranked third. Santa Clara St. Louis and Fordham usually fall in the second tier.</p>

<p>Among LACs, College of the Holy Cross is considered to be the best Catholic liberal arts college in the US.</p>

<p>Since I never received a Jesuit education, I am curious ... how do the other 22 Jesuit colleges and universities rank. </p>

<p>University of Scranton appears in those "'hidden gems' in higher education" stories that get published in newspapers and magazines.</p>

<p>In my neck of the woods, John Carroll is becoming increasingly popular among families who send their children to Catholic colleges.</p>

<p>Like I said, I am kinda curious. Any comments would be appreciated.</p>

2

<p>What exactly does second tier mean?</p>

3

<p>Here are the 28 Jesuit schools courtesy of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The top 3 -- just an opinion with a northeastern bias -- are Georgetown, Boston College and Holy Cross. </p>

<p>Boston College (MA), Canisius College (NY), College of the Holy Cross (MA), Creighton University (NB), Fairfield University (CT), Fordham University (NY), Georgetown University (DC), Gonzaga University (WA), John Carroll University (OH), Loyola College in Maryland (MD), Loyola Marymount University (CA), Loyola University Chicago(IL), Loyola University New Orleans (LA), Marquette University (WI), Regis University (CO), Rockhurst University (MO), St. Joseph’s University (PA), St. Louis University (MO), Saint Peter’s College (NJ), Santa Clara University (CA), Seattle University (WA), Spring Hill College (AL), University of Detroit Mercy (MI), University of San Francisco (CA), University of Scranton (PA), Wheeling Jesuit University (WV), Xavier University (OH),</p>

4

<p>My daughter enrolled at the University of Scranton this fall and is doing well. The school is extremely well run and pays good attention to the freshman. She is very happy she chose UoS. She tells me the workload is fairly heavy but still finds time to have fun 3 nights a week. Campus is very well kept and pretty. The buildings are clean and a new student center is set to open for the Spring semester. The Jesuit feel is all around and is not hidden. Class size is about 25-30 for her frehman classes. So far UoS has been a perfect fit and seems to be a place where she will lean and grow.</p>

5

<p>which is the best Jesuit in California?</p>

6

<p>Santa Clara University.</p>

7

<p>Sweet! What makes a Jesuit school better than a normal school? Any opinions?</p>

8

<p>The just released Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College recommends the following colleges: </p>

<p>Joyfully Catholic</p>

<p>Christendom College
Front Royal, Virginia</p>

<p>The College of Saint Thomas More
Fort Worth, Texas</p>

<p>Franciscan University of Steubenville
Steubenville, Ohio</p>

<p>Magdalen College
Warner, New Hampshire</p>

<p>Thomas Aquinas College
Santa Paula, California</p>

<p>The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts
Merrimack, New Hampshire</p>

<p>University of Dallas
Irving, Texas</p>

<p>University of St. Thomas
Houston, Texas</p>

<p>Born from the Crisis</p>

<p>Ave Maria University
Ave Maria, Florida</p>

<p>Holy Apostles College & Seminary
Cromwell, Connecticut</p>

<p>John Paul the Great Catholic University
San Diego, California</p>

<p>Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy
Barry's Bay, Ontario, Canada</p>

<p>Southern Catholic College
Dawsonville, Georgia</p>

<p>Wyoming Catholic College
Lander, Wyoming</p>

<p>Fighting the Tide</p>

<p>Aquinas College
Nashville, Tennessee</p>

<p>Belmont Abbey College
Belmont, North Carolina</p>

<p>Benedictine College
Atchison, Kansas</p>

<p>The Catholic University of America
Washington, D.C.</p>

<p>DeSales University
Center Valley, Pennsylvania</p>

<p>Mount St. Mary's University
Emmitsburg, Maryland</p>

<p>St. Gregory's University
Shawnee, Oklahoma</p>

9

<p>Well...put up your dukes! I will challenge that Holy Cross is better than Fordham! LOL! Just kidding. Holy Cross is a small LAC and Fordham is a nationally ranked school in the National University lists. Fordham's President, Rev. Joseph McShane, has openly stated that his goal is to restore Fordham as the number one Catholic University in the United States and he is off to a roaring start! Fordham is a college on the move. But that is my bias.</p>

<p>I would frankly put the Jesuits in groups, or tiers if you will. Typically, they come in the Top 5 or 6, with some dispute about who gets in and who doesnt. Some of that is size, size of endowment, regional strength, sports, and law or graduate schools etc. Some Jesuit colleges are more Jesuit than others...with more Jesuits teaching and in the administration than others. Fr. McShane is the former President of UScranton and did a marvelous job there as well. </p>

<p>My general groupings would go something like this:</p>

<p>Georgetown, BC, Holy Cross, Fordham, St. Louis U, Marquette, Loyola-Md.</p>

<p>then:</p>

<p>Loyola Chicago, Xavier, Santa Clara, Seattle U, Fairfield, Scranton, St. Josephs, Gonzaga, Loyola Marymount (LA) and John Carroll.</p>

<p>followed by:</p>

<p>St. Peters, Canisius, Loyola New Orleans, Wheeling Jesuit, Regis, Rockhurst, Detroit, USF, Spring Hill. </p>

<p>Did I leave anyone out?</p>

<p>You cant really go wrong at any Jesuit School. Some of their benefits involve their location: Boston, New York, Seattle, Santa Clara, St. Louis, Cleveland, Chicago, Baltimore, Washington DC etc...oh yes...and Worcester! (just kidding Crusaders!)</p>

<p>The Jesuit ethos and ethics are amazing. You will work your behind off. You will earn your grades...no grade inflation. Many of them are very regional in focus and therefore have a superb reputation in that community for jobs and grad schools. Some are more nationally known and ranked. Some have storied sports histories in basketball, football, soccer, and others. Some were historically all male schoolsv(Fordham and Holy Cross) and others were early admits for women (Seattle U was the first ..in fact I think the first Catholic school to admit women).</p>

<p>Most of them are roughly 60% Catholic and 40% Protestant/Other/agnostic.</p>

<p>Theology is taught and often requires two courses before graduation but you have MANY choices including Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Comparative Religion and its NEVER dogmatic. That would be contrary to Jesuit ethos. They THRIVE on the Socratic method and engaging students actively in debate. </p>

<p>I had the pleasure and supreme honor of meeting His Holiness the Dalai Lama, 30 years ago, thanks to a very special Jesuit priest who is the Dalai Lama's friend. Many Jesuits teach and live in remote areas, but they no longer evangelize as they did in the 15th, 16th, 17th 18th and 19th Centuries, notably in South America and the Orient. Many of them have lived in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and have amazing stories to share. I know one who lived in China.</p>

<p>Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J. is a RARE Roman Catholic Cardinal. Jesuit Cardinals are rare because historically they have been at odds politically with the Vatican because of their unique structure. Their head is a Secretary General of the Society of Jesus. Cardinal Dulles lives and still lectures often at Fordham University in New York. He is the surviving brother of John Foster Dulles (former Secretary of State) and Allen Dulles (former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency). Cardinal Dulles is a convert to the Catholic faith and a staunch supporter of Catholic Doctrine.</p>

<p>Asking us to "rank" a Jesuit school is a tough nut to crack. Your education at ANY Jesuit school will be rigorous and superb and will prepare you well for the professional world or graduate studies.</p>

<p>I know people who graduated from many of the Jesuit colleges: Fordham, BC, Georgetown, St. Louis, Marquette, Holy Cross, John Carroll, Gonzaga, Santa Clara, Loyola etc.</p>

<p>Many people incorrectly assume Notre Dame University is a Jesuit School. It is not. It is run by the Fathers of the Holy Cross. That is confusing because Holy Cross College is in fact a Jesuit college. </p>

<p>I would match a Jesuit education up against anyone, anywhere, anytime.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

10

<p>Second tier schools: Very good schools, very competitive in terms of admissions, but still falling short of the most competitive rankings.</p>

<p>Looking at the schools that made the Newman Guide, those schools for Catholics who aren't pre-Vatican II, but pre-Council of Trent</p>

11

<p>Marquette attempted to admit woman just after the turn of the 20th century. The archbishop of Milwaukee and the Jesuits demanded that the university not admit women.</p>

<p>A number of Catholic schools admitted women, usually nuns, as special students before World War I. A Vincentian school, DePaul in Chicago, is usually considered as the first Catholic school to admit on a regular basis in 1914.</p>

<p>St. Francis Xavier in Nova Scotia was the first Catholic institution to admit woman on a regular basis in 1899.</p>

12

<p>Until the mid-1950, Fordham was considered to be the foremost Catholic university in the United. States. Fordham had first dibs on the "best and brightest" Catholic men in the New York City metropolitan area. </p>

<p>As time passed, Catholics didn't limit themselves to attending Catholic institutions. At the same time, Notre Dame used its football money to attract faculty and upgrade its facilities to surpass Fordham in reputation. Georgetown promoted its Washington location and political ties to attract top notch students, becoming the foremost Catholic institution of higher education in the nation.</p>

<p>BTW, in terms of New England politics, a double eagle (degrees from Boston College and Boston College School of Law) beats a double crimson (Harvard/Harvard Law)</p>

13

<p>Yep....but if you are "kinda curious" and also a source of information.....makes me wonder what you are curious about? </p>

<p>But as for the second tier Jesuits not being up to snuff on national rankings...you likely know as well as I do that all that ranking stuff is really just a beauty pageant in disguise and has no bearing whatsoever on the quality of education a person receives at institutions. Snobs snear at lower ranking schools and condescend to talk about it. </p>

<p>People pick colleges for all sorts of reasons. And they decline offers of admission at schools for all sorts of reasons. I am just glad people have a choice and that almost anybody who wants to go to college can go. There is really no excuse for not attending some college at some level.</p>

14

<p>The Association of Jesuit Colleges & Universities webpage has a Jesuit College Search tool of it's 28 member institutions under Resources: <a href="http://www.ajcunet.edu/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.ajcunet.edu/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

15

<p>And yes, I forgot about the Vincentians and Depaul. Another great school with great traditions.</p>

16

<p>Don't forget the Dominican Friars at Providence!!</p>

17

<p>Like it or not, many of the posters at colllegeconfidential.com are obsessed with attending or having their children attend high status universities. Many of these obsessed are quite dismissive of lower status institutions.</p>

<p>Hey, I am a librarian and am naturally curious about a lot of stuff. If I offended anybody by my inquiries, I sincerely apologize.</p>

18

<p>Holy Cross has one of the highest alumni giving rates at 53% and its endowment per student is 2nd only to Notre Dame.</p>

19

<p>I know this is rather late, but I competely agree that if one really wants to find an outstanding education then a Jesuit school is the way to go.</p>

<p>Also, Wolfman, I fell in love with Santa Clara University on my visit!</p>

20

<p>Don't forget Marquette, excellent school with broad range of majors including engineering, journalism, etc. A great feel too. Friendly, lots of spirit, etc. Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles is also a really sweet school. So is Creighton in Omaha and Xavier in Cincy, if the midwest floats your boat.</p>