The University was founded in 1863, a legacy of St. John Baptist de La Salle and the Christian Brothers teaching order he founded 300 years ago. La Salle is an educational community shaped by traditional Catholic and Lasallian values: a deep respect for each individual, a belief that intellectual and spiritual development go hand in hand, a passion for creative teaching and learning, and a conviction that education should be useful—for personal growth, professional advancement, and service to others.
La Salle Today
- The total University student body of 6,221 students comprises 3,358 full-time undergraduates, 983 part-time undergraduates, and 1,880 graduate students. Enrollment has grown more than 20 percent in recent years.
- Students come from 37 states and 42 countries.
- Women constitute 60 percent of the student body.
- La Salle offers 47 undergraduate majors, 13 minors, 14 graduate programs, including a doctoral program in Clinical Psychology, and 33 certificate programs. Majors and certificates are organized into three schools: Arts and Sciences, Business, and Nursing.
- The largest majors by enrollment in the University are Nursing, Psychology, Education, and Communication.
- Cutting-edge programs include Integrated Science, Business, and Technology (ISBT), Digital Arts, Speech-Language-Hearing Science, and Information Technology.
- La Salle’s average class size is 20 students. No classes are taught by graduate assistants.
- La Salle offers a Master of Arts in Communication in Prague, Czech Republic and a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) program in Basel, Switzerland.
La Salle’s main campus in Philadelphia, one of the nation’s largest, most historic, and culturally rich cities, is an ideal place for students to pursue an education. The 100-acre, park-like setting includes 54 buildings and is located approximately six miles from Center City Philadelphia. The University can house 2,250 resident students in its 11 dormitories, two apartment complexes and 75 townhouses. An additional residence hall and a third dining facility opened in 2005. There are 1,000 computer workstations for students on campus, as well as Bloomberg terminals. Recreational facilities include a fitness center, a 4,000-seat basketball arena, a 6,000-seat football/soccer stadium, a swimming pool, tennis and squash courts, and an all-weather track.
In addition to the main campus, the University offers degree programs on campuses in Bucks and Montgomery counties.
Points of Distinction
- The University has established a reputation for excellent pre-professional programs in the sciences, business, communication, and teacher preparation.
- La Salle has graduated 58 students who have been named Fulbright Scholars.
- A nearly perfect 98 percent of La Salle’s applicants to medical school who have been recommended by the pre-medical committee have been admitted to medical school.
- La Salle ranks 7th out of 253 schools of its type as the undergraduate point of origin of doctoral degree recipients over a 75-year period.
- La Salle is named as one of the nation’s best regional universities by US News, Barron’s and Money Magazine.
- La Salle is one of only 19 colleges and universities in the nation to have been invited to participate in the Kemper Scholars Program.
- La Salle graduates have won nine EMMY® Awards.
- More than 1,700 La Salle students annually donate more than 100,000 hours of community service in activities including neighborhood cleanups, rebuilding homes, and tutoring.
- A team of La Salle students earned first place in the 2004 regional Students in Free Enterprise competition.
- La Salle’s chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma, the international business honor society, was named the outstanding chapter in the world in 2004.
- A 2004 Communication graduate wrote, directed, and starred in a film that was named “Best Thriller” at the New York Independent Film and Video Festival.
- A 2005 graduate was the only student in the nation to win the extremely competitive Davies-Jackson Scholarship. This award pays all costs for two years of study at Cambridge University in England. Other Distinctive Features •The de La Salle Chapel is integral to the spiritual life of students. Mass and prayer services are held throughout the school year. •The University’s Art Museum serves as a rich cultural resource for students as well as the surrounding community. It represents the only permanent display of paintings, drawings, and sculpture of the Western tradition offered by a university museum in the Philadelphia area.
- The Nonprofit Center offers year-round programs and workshops for the region’s nonprofit organizations.
- The Lasallian Volunteers is a long-term service opportunity for graduating and post-graduate students.
- The campus includes the restored home and gardens of 18th-century American portrait painter Charles Willson Peale.
- Channel 56, a cable-access television station available to 300,000 subscribers, is wholly supported and operated by the University and its students.
- The opportunity for study abroad is available at partner schools: the National University of Ireland at Galway and the American University of Rome. La Salle also participates in a student exchange program with Lasallian Universities in Mexico and Australia.
- La Salle offers numerous courses with travel components. Most recently, courses have visited Spain, Germany, France, Italy, England, Greece, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Austria, Hungry, Chile, and the Holy Land.
- The University’s Honors Program is designed for gifted students who are capable of a more challenging course of study. The program has been recognized by the National Collegiate Honors Council. Its graduates have continued their studies at Harvard, Dartmouth, Duke, Emory, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Princeton, and Johns Hopkins, among others.
- La Salle specializes in helping the undecided major. The Academic and Career Exploration program for freshmen is a special program that blends mentoring, workshops, and special academic advising for students uncertain of their major.
The vitality of the faculty is central in the La Salle experience. From major research in disciplinary specialties to presentations at national conferences to the writing of textbooks and other scholarly work, La Salle faculty has proven itself in the academic arena. It is in the classroom, however, where the faculty shines most brightly. Some 90 percent of La Salle’s 210 full-time faculty have earned the highest degree in their field. The student-faculty ratio is 14 to 1.
Athletics
- Competing at the Division I level in more than 20 sports, La Salle University’s student-athletes boast an outstanding 10-year graduation rate of 82 percent, which annually ranks among the nation’s leaders. •Since 1996, La Salle has produced 19 Academic All-Americans.
- The men’s basketball program has been cited as 53rd on a list of the top 100 college programs of all time. One of only 17 schools to win both NCAA and NIT post-season basketball tournaments, La Salle has also produced three national Players of the Year. ‘ •The 1980 women’s field hockey team won the national championship.
- La Salle has had 17 Olympians, including four gold medalists.
- The Athletic Department’s “Project Teamwork” has been nationally recognized for three consecutive years for Excellence in Community Service and Youth Outreach.
Cost
Undergraduate Tuition full-time (2007-2008) $29,200, Room and Board
(average) $9,450.
Financial Aid
More than 90 percent of La Salle undergraduates receive some form of
financial aid.
