Fordham University, USA

Promoted by the Rome-based Society of Jesus (aka Jesuits), Fordham is routinely ranked among America’s top higher ed institutions 

Sited in the heart of New York, arguably the world’s premier business and financial epicentre, Fordham University (estb.1841), promoted by the Rome-based Society of Jesus (aka Jesuits) — a famous religious order in India — is routinely ranked among America’s top institutions of higher education. In its league table of America’s best universities (2017), the US News & World Report (USNWR) ranks Fordham #60 while Times Higher Education ranks it among the Top 200 universities worldwide.

Currently, Fordham University’s nine schools (see box) offer over 60 undergraduate and 130 postgraduate degree programmes to 15,286 students mentored by 737 faculty. Despite its theological parentage, USNWR ranks Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business #8 in its Undergraduate International Business Rankings, while the School of Law is ranked #36 in America’s Best Law Schools Rankings (2017).

Established as St. John’s College by John Hughes, the first Archbishop of New York, Fordham requires all undergrad students signed up for its four-year bachelor’s degrees to complete its Core Curriculum designed “to nurture curiosity, inspire love of learning and provide you with the foundation needed to engage in lifelong learning”. The Core comprises 17 courses in nine subjects: English, mathematical/computational reasoning, social science, philosophy and ethics, history, fine arts, religious studies, natural science, and modern or classical language. 

Fordham’s list of alumni and faculty is impressive and includes numerous US senators, three governors of New York State, several ambassadors, a sprinkling of billionaires, two directors of the CIA, Academy Award and Emmy-winning actors. It’s also the alma mater of President Donald Trump who attended classes at Fordham for two years but dropped out without completing his degree programme.

New York. Widely acknowledged as the nerve centre of international business, New York hosts some of the world’s premier business and finance corporates. The Big Apple also boasts more globally famous landmarks than any other city of the world — the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, and Ground Zero. 

Campus facilities. The university’s two campuses are sited in Manhattan and the Bronx — in the heart of New York — with a third campus in the suburb of Westchester. The Lincoln Center campus with its distinctive landscaped plaza, spans eight acres and two city blocks in Manhattan. It hosts over 7,000 undergrad and graduate students as well as Fordham College, the Gabelli School of Business, graduate schools of arts and sciences, education, social service, and law. 

The Gothic Rose Hill campus sprawls across 85 acres in the Bronx and is distinguished by tree-lined walkways. It hosts 6,000 undergrad and graduate students as well as Fordham College, Gabelli School of Business, graduate schools of arts and sciences, and the school of religion and religious studies. The Westchester campus houses the Fordham School of Professional and Continuing Studies, Gabelli School of Business and the graduate schools of education and social service.

The university’s three libraries — the Walsh at Rose Hill, Quinn at Lincoln Center and Fordham Westchester — offer access to 3.3 million volumes, 57,000 journals, 439,000 textbooks and 109,000 online government documents.

Despite Fordham being sited in the heart of the metropolis, sports facilities are extensive and include the Rose Hill Gym (basketball, volleyball); Jack Coffey Field (football, soccer); Houlihan Park (baseball); Bahoshy Softball Complex/Murphy Field; Col. Francis B. Messmore Aquatic Center (swimming, water polo); Hawthorn/Rooney tennis courts; and Vincent T. Lombardi Center (a 220-yard running track, indoor tennis courts, a 38-meter, eight-lane swimming pool, weight rooms, five squash courts, a static bicycle and treadmill room and locker rooms and sauna). 

Moreover, students are eligible for membership of over 175 student organisations at Fordham Rose Hill and the Fordham Lincoln Center.

Admission. Admission into Fordham is selective and competitive. In 2016, the university received undergrad admission applications from 44,768 school-leavers, of whom a mere 2,160 were admitted (4.8 percent). The minimum eligibility requirements for admission into the university’s undergraduate programmes are successful completion of Plus Two, English language proficiency (TOEFL score of 90 or IELTS score of 7) and SAT or ACT (with writing) scores. A Common Application Form needs to be submitted online together with a fee of $70, essay, transcripts, mark sheets/certificates from all secondary schools attended, and a recommendation letter from school guidance counselor or secondary school teacher. The application deadline is January 1 for admission into term beginning September.

For further information contact Fordham University, Rose Hill, Office of Undergraduate Admission, 441 E. Fordham Road, Bronx, NY, 10458. Ph: 001 718 817 4000; Fax: 001 718-367-9404; e-mail: [email protected]; website: www.fordham.edu.

Accommodation. Housing is guaranteed for four years to undergrad students at the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses. Options include single, double, and triple rooms, as well as apartments and suites. There are 14 residential halls at Rose Hill while students of Lincoln Center are accommodated in the McKeon and McMahon halls of residence. Students also have the option of living in Integrated Learning Communities — residence halls designed to help develop conscience, character, and intellect. 

Degree programmes. The university’s nine schools offer over 190 undergraduate and postgrad degrees and advanced certificate programmes (see box).

SUMMIYA YASMEEN