Villanova was founded in 1842 by the friars of the Order of St. Augustine and offers a wide variety of degree programs through four colleges: the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the College of Commerce and Finance, the College of Engineering, and the College of Nursing.

St. Augustine combined the Greeks' passionate pursuit of wisdom with Jesus' commitment to charity, and the Augustinians who follow him dedicate their lives to setting hearts and minds on fire. Even after he became a priest and a bishop, Augustine's desire was to live with his friends and study.

Today, Villanova University draws from that tradition the importance and development of the mind in a community of scholars. It is the impetus behind Villanova's Learning Communities, an opportunity for freshmen to live and learn with other students in order to enhance the students' college experience. Students in a learning community form close friendships with one another as they live together in a specially designated residence hall and learn together in courses and co-curricular programs.

The Augustinian tradition is also the impetus behind Villanova's commitment to Campus Ministry, which grows naturally in a community of friends. It even shapes student-faculty relationships by creating an atmosphere in which students and faculty work together and the emphasis is less on teaching than on learning.

The Campus

Located in a suburban community 12 miles (or 20 kilometers) west of Philadelphia, the picturesque 254-acre campus features more than 60 buildings, including a library with more than 800,000 volumes, an 11,800 seat stadium, state of the art academic facilities, and 26 residence halls.

Villanova is a community of diverse scholars that are unified by the goal of educational excellence. As a multicultural student, you will receive an education enriched by a supportive faculty that teaches from a global perspective.

At Villanova, we believe that a well-rounded education enables students to develop an appreciation of other cultures. For example, each first-year student at Villanova participates in the Core Humanities Seminar which includes course work on cultural diversity. Additionally, our College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers concentrations in areas such as Africana Studies, Latin American Studies, and Arab and Islamic Studies.


The Students

Villanova's more than 6,000 undergraduates come from 49 states plus Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 29 foreign countries. Ninety-six percent of our first-year students ranked in the top 30 percent of their high school classes.

The Faculty

Villanova's 511 full-time faculty members, 90 percent of whom hold the highest degree in their field, teach classes that average 22 students. The student:faculty ratio is 13:1.

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES

COLLEGE OF COMMERCE AND FINANCE

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

COLLEGE OF NURSING

For more than a decade, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Villanova University the top university in the northern region.