St. Francis University is a Roman Catholic university that was established in 1920. The school is a nonprofit-private university snuggled near the downtown area of historic Joliet. St. Francis believes that as a Catholic University rooted in liberal arts, they are engaged in a continuous pursuit of knowledge, faith, wisdom, and justice. An ever mindful of a tradition that emphasizes reverence for creation, compassion, and peacemaking. This motto not only describes the mission for the students, but also the teachers and staff as well.

There is currently 3,762 undergraduate students that attended USF, which includes 1,668 of these students living on campus. The other 2,094 commute or live off campus at apartments nearby in the Joliet area. There is several doors which each feature one floor all males, one all female, and one co-ed. They are all community style which is surprising because most colleges are phasing out of that. Although the college features less students than we even do here at Lockport, it offers a very impressive 11:1 faculty to student ratio. This is very key because at a small campus like USF, communication with the professors is vital. Professors can help with tough subjects and can help get an internship when it’s time to look for one. Although the student life may be lacking that big campus feel that many prospective high schoolers seek, the 3rd largest city in the country is only 35 miles from the campus. 34% of the students are male and the other 64% of the students are female. As is it is a religious campus, 53% of the students are Catholic. Religion may or not be important in your life, but do not let it scare you off if it is not your way of life because the college does a good job not shoving religion down your throat.

Whether the small body mass attracts you or not, the variety of majors available is eye widening. USF has majors ranging from Nuclear Medicine Technology to the basic business of accounting. Although the majors spread from one extreme to another, there are not that many available as a whole. The college’s focus is on a few major areas of studying such as sciences, business, etc. So if your major is here, great!, but if not, which is quite possible, then St. Francis is not the school for you. Even if you find the major for you, the tuition cost is a high $28,790. Their new science building is one of a kind, state of the art, and is an instant response to the growing success of their nursing program.

One of the cool internships available is in the Sports Management. Due to the direct connection with the Joliet Slammers, students are able to work directly with the team and eventually get jobs after graduation. While a close relationship to the city of Joliet is very key to USF’s success as an university, it also lacks truly bringing in Chicago job offers for students. After discussion with one professor, he stated that after, “years of the program of Sports Management, we have only had one or two internships with Chicago sports teams.” While this is just one specific of a major, it is presumed that the other majors most likely follow the same predicament. If staying local for your future after college, then USF would still suit you then.

The sports at USF is played in the NAIA(National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics). This is separate from D1, D2, and D3. Their cross country teams are nationally ranked and recognized as a historic program. The football team is currently 1-4, but play in one of the largest stadiums in their division, with the 10,000 seat Joliet Memorial Stadium. Sports are a main emphasis of school spirit, but it is not the main focus at this historic university.

Whether a local and close relationship with your school is important to you or not, that is what you will find at USF. With a lower conference in sports, the fan base may not be the strongest, but this does not mean you won’t enjoy the football games! A small selective choice, but wide range of majors is available should you attend and pay the whopping $28,790 average tuition cost.