Saint Joseph's University Saint Joseph's University

Facts & Figures

A Jesuit Catholic University located in the city of Philadelphia and its Main Line, Saint Joseph’s provides a demanding, yet supportive educational experience with a philosophy that has endured since 1851. Our mission is to prepare you, our student, for personal excellence, professional success and engaged citizenship.

Stats

100+

Undergraduate majors and minors to choose from.

11:1

Undergraduate student to faculty ratio; 7:1 graduate student to faculty ratio — making for small classes and personalized learning.

100

Percent of our tenure-track faculty who hold terminal degrees. They're not just experienced in their fields, they are leading them.

72k

Proud alumni across the world, who root for and give back to our community.

Aerial view of Saint Joseph's University campus with Philadelphia skyline in the background

SJU RankingS

 

For 2021, Saint Joseph’s University ranked No. 8 in the Regional Universities North category in U.S. News & World Report’s 2021 “Best Colleges” rankings, which includes 176 institutions. This is the second consecutive year the University has been ranked in the top 10 in its category by U.S. News, a recognized leader in college rankings.

Saint Joseph’s was also listed among the universities with top undergraduate business programs and appeared on a number of other U.S. News rankings including:

  • #3 in Best Colleges for Veterans
  • #11 in Best Undergraduate Teaching
  • #24 in Best Value Schools

Saint Joseph’s has been named to The Princeton Review’s annual list of the 386 best colleges for the fourth year in a row, placing it among the roughly 13% of four-year U.S. colleges to be profiled in the 2021 guide for prospective undergraduate students.

The University has also been recognized by Money magazine’s “Best College for Your Money” list and multiple “2021 Best Colleges” lists by college search site Niche.

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Traditions

Saint Joseph's University seal

The University Seal

The University crest is an emblem, which references the history and founding of the Jesuit order (the Society of Jesus) by Saint Ignatius of Loyola. It also contains iconography symbolic of Saint Joseph, the patron saint of the University. This crest is featured in the official University seal. It was originally designed in 1903 and was recently adjusted. The graphic icons in the image, rendered in shapes and lines, were simplified to give the seal a crisp appearance in small-scale reproductions.

Hawk mascot flaps across basketball court

The Hawk Mascot

Saint Joseph's mascot, the Hawk, has been flapping its wings since 1956 as one of the most decorated mascots in college sports. Recognized over the years by ESPN College Basketball Magazine, Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News as a top college mascot, the Hawk represents the University battle cry: "The Hawk Will Never Die" by flapping its wings non-stop (even during halftime) throughout every basketball game.

Crimson color and gray color

Crimson & Gray

According to tradition, Saint Joseph's University's colors, crimson and gray, were adopted in the 1890s when a young seminarian leading a pep rally saw the two colors on a book he was holding in his hand and, thinking they looked attractive together, announced that they would be the school colors. Today, crimson and gray signify our vibrancy, passion and steadfast tradition.

The Basics

Undergraduate stats:

Freshman acceptance rate75%
Freshman to sophomore retention rate88% (7% above national average)
Six-year undergraduate graduation rate81% (21% above national average)
Student representation50 states, 50 nations 

 

Endowment:

$305 million

Sources: 2019 SJU Census, SJU 2018-19 Fact Book, NCES