Xavier University
College Visit by Lisa Bleich
Xavier University, a medium size Jesuit College in Cincinnati, with an excellent DI basketball team, has gone through tremendous growth over the past five years increasing its undergraduate enrollment from 3,700 students to 4,500 students. Approximately 30% of the students come from Cincinnati (where Xavier is located) and the remaining 70% hail from the surrounding area with Chicago, St. Louis, and the Northeast representing a large draw. Overall, Xavier has been trying to increase its presence nationally.
To accompany the growth in students, Xavier is investing heavily in renovating and constructing new buildings included a Learning Commons (a gorgeous multi-purpose student center), a new college of business complete with a Bloomberg trading floor, a new suite style dorm and dining hall, a renovated academic building, and a surrounding commercial space with shops, restaurants, apartments and a large health organization. These changes have added a lot to the overall look and feel of the campus while still maintaining a large open green space in the center of campus.
The Jesuit education, which fosters a holistic approach to learning, informs the strong sense of community and 
emphasis on helping students identify, “what and why they believe in things.” Faculty and students have a tight-knit relationship and Xavier also has a strong learning support system in place. The core curriculum is changing starting the fall of 2014, but will remain fairly structured requiring 45-48 credit hours of classes including a capstone experience in each major, two classes in theology, philosophy, math, social science, foreign language, three classes in science, an experiential learning component, and a non-credit freshman seminar. The strongest majors are the Health Sciences (Nursing and a 5-year Occupational Therapy masters program), Business (offer a 5-year MBA), Communication Arts, Education, and Psychology.
Students are highly involved on campus participating in activities such as Xavier Fest (a big music festival), going out for sushi, attending comedy shows, and taking advantage of Cincinnati. Many students are also athletic and sports minded; during basketball season, they paint their faces and cheer for their team providing an added layer of school spirit since students receive free tickets for all the games. Students also have access to numerous internship opportunities with the many Cincinnati based companies such as Procter and Gamble. Students feel very comfortable on campus and like the close interaction with their faculty and strong sense of community with other students. The campus is fairly diverse: 60% of the students are Catholic, 20% are first generation college students, 23% are students of color and 3% are international primarily from Saudi Arabia, China and South America. (They are trying to grow that number.)
Admission
Xavier takes a holistic approach to admissions. For nursing and OT, accepted students have a 3.0 GPA and an 1100 SAT in the math and critical reading (require at least a 490 in math) and a 24 ACT (require a 21 Math score).
Xavier offers numerous merit scholarships ranging from $9,000 to $18,000 per year as well as some full tuition scholarships. Scholarships are also available for service, multi-cultural students, performing arts, ROTC, and by major. Most are automatic, but some require a separate application. Xavier only looks at the FAFSA for determining needs based aid. For international students, the minimum average TOEFL score for accepted students was 85.
Summary
Xavier is an excellent college for students who want a small, nurturing Jesuit education with excellent sports and a strong sense of community and school spirit.
Xavier University
3800 Victory Parkway
Cincinnati, Ohio 45207
513 745-3000
www.xavier.edu/
Photo gallery of Xavier University
