About Loyola

Founded in 1852, Loyola University Maryland is a Jesuit Catholic university whose mission is to inspire students to learn, lead and serve in a diverse and changing world. Loyola is committed to the educational and spiritual traditions of the Society of Jesus and to the ideals of liberal education and the development of the whole person.

The University was named for St. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order of Catholic priests, and was the first among four colleges in the United States to bear the name "Loyola." There are a total of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States.

The University offers more than 35 undergraduate and 9 graduate programs through its three schools: Loyola College (Arts and Sciences), the Sellinger School of Business and Management, and the newly launched School of Education. Loyola also operates Clinical Centers at Belvedere Square in Baltimore and in Columbia, Maryland, and has graduate centers in Timonium, Maryland and Columbia, Maryland.

Facts About Loyola:

• Loyola enrolls 3,700 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students
• Students represent 34 states and 20 countries
• Loyola's main campus (Evergreen) consists of 80 acres in a beautiful neighborhood in northern Baltimore
• 84% of its undergraduates reside on campus
• There are 305 full-time faculty members, 85% of which hold terminal degrees
• The average class size is 25
• The student-to-faculty ratio is 12:1
• Loyola meets 100% of demonstrated need for financial aid applicants, and approximately 65% of the student body receives some form of financial aid
• Retention rates average 90% annually, and nearly 80% of undergraduates graduate in 4 years
• Loyola Greyhounds compete at the NCAA Division I level
• More than 60% of Loyola undergraduates study abroad, choosing from 12 Loyola-sponsored programs in countries such as Spain, New Zealand, China, and Ireland
• The Center for Community Service and Justice (CCSJ) facilitates a variety of service programs, in which more than 60% of Loyola's students participate
• Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) is available for the Army
• Loyola features a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest academic honor society

Loyola also has a strong athletic program. Today, Loyola competes in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference of the NCAA Division I, fielding teams in eight men's and eight women's sports. Athletic facilities include the 3,000-seat Reitz Arena, the 3,000-seat Diane Geppi-Aikens Field, and the Fitness and Aquatic Center, where the Swimming and Diving Teams compete before a 500-seat spectator area in the Mangione Aquatic Center.