Type: Private, 4-year, Jesuit University

Located: Cincinnati, OH

Size: just a bit under 4000 undergraduates

Cost: $38,100 (including tuition, room/board)

Degree Offerings: Associate, Bachelor’s, Master’s, Doctoral

Xavier University's Student Çenter

Hello! Today, I would like to take you to Xavier University, a private, Jesuit (Catholic) University located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Xavier is a school that enrolls a bit over 6,500 students annually (close to 4,000 undergraduates) from across the nation and around the world. The distribution of in-state and out-of-state students is fairly balanced, with about 56% from Ohio and 44% from around the US. According to University released statistics, Xavier’s student population is made up of about 16% minority students from 36 states and 10+ countries.

Getting to the International Student Admission Website

Before we continue with the review, let’s make sure you know how to get to the International Student Admissions website. From the main page, click on the Admission link located at the top of the page; this link will take you to the general website for both Undergraduate and Graduate Admission. From this page, locate the “International Admission” section located under the Undergraduate Admission column, which will give you the following options: inquire, apply, undergraduate admission, graduate admission, English as a Second Language Program, and finally International Student Services. Simple enough, wouldn’t you agree?

The Campus

Located on a 160-acre campus, Xavier’s campus is small by most standards, but not necessarily confining. I’m trying to figure out how to describe the campus in one phrase, and the phrase that keeps popping up in my head is “well-kept.” I realize this is quite unhelpful, but I think if you tour Xavier for yourself, you will see what I mean. Xavier’s campus isn’t stunning, it isn’t ugly, but it is a little bland. All of the buildings have a tan coloring to it, and while this isn’t necessarily inspiring, it definitely unites the campus as a whole in terms of layout. I know the descriptions that I am currently providing do not look incredibly favorably toward Xavier; I assure you that it is not deliberate. I actually really enjoyed my visit quite a bit. The best thing about Xavier is the people who work there – no, the campus will not take your breath away (though it is still quite charming), but the people more than make up for it. I encountered some of the friendliest people while on my visit to Xavier, and as a person who has talked to many Admissions counselors and tour guides this summer, I can assure you that this is saying a lot.

Residence Hall

Residential Life
At Xavier, about 95% of freshmen and sophomores (first and second years) live in on-campus housing. The reason why I am defining the class years is because juniors and seniors (third and fourth years) are not guaranteed housing on-campus during their final years of school; most of them will choose to move off-campus to nearby housing during their final years of school.

As for the first year, here are a few of the options that are available: Brockman Hall (all freshmen, community styled rooms), Coleman Hall (freshmen and sophomores, suite-styled rooms), and Banger Hall (Honors and Athlete residence hall). Xavier does have themed housing available, but they change every year in accordance to the interest of their students.

Student Life and Activities

Xavier features about 100+ activities to choose from, ranging from academic clubs (Pre-Law Society, Entrepreneurial Club, Accounting Society) to social and service organizations. Because it is a Jesuit school, Xavier does put a lot of emphasis on having its students give back to the community.  Service is one of the highlights that Xavier claims to be apart of the “Xavier experience.” Aside from the typical clubs noted above, Xavier also has a lot of recreational sports for its students to participate in. I think you will find (anywhere that you should decide to go) that recreational sports are a great way to meet people from all backgrounds. Because of this social outlet, I highly recommend that you look into it. I guess the last feature of Xavier that is quite distinctive is its lack of Greek life; if you have been turned off on my mentioning of Greek life at various universities thus far, you might want to note Xavier’s lack of fraternities and sororities when considering your options.

And of course, I cannot mention Xavier-the-institution without mentioning Xavier-the-basketball-program. When you mention Xavier University in Ohio, most people will associate it with their well-loved basketball program. Xavier is definitely what you would call a “basketball school,” and I think you will find that a significant portion of your life at Xavier will involve going to basketball games in the Cintas Center. If you are a lover of basketball, you will love Xavier. If you are not, I think you will find that you will come to love it before you leave XU!

Basketball is huge at XU!

International Student @ Xavier University

I think the best thing about Xavier is the fact that it is a very welcoming environment for everyone. With that being said, Xavier truly does a lot to help its international students feel more welcomed at Xavier and in the general United States. It boasts quite a few services aimed at helping its international student population, including its English as a Second Language Program, whose purpose is to “provide intensive English language instruction and academic training for international students who intend to enter American universities or improve their ability to use English for professional purposes.”

Aside from their ESL Program, Xavier also has Interlink Peer Mentoring Program, which aims at bringing domestic and international students together in order to foster friendship and cross-cultural education. The International Student Services Center also coordinates various activities for international students throughout the year such as coffee hours, trips, and other social activities. I wish I could give further detail about the services at Xavier, but the links that were appropriate for such information were invalid, and at the present moment, I could not find further information. Don’t let this turn you off of Xavier, though! If you are truly interested in Xavier, I encourage you to contact them here.

In Conclusion …

I had a great time at Xavier. I met a lot of wonderful people while on my visit, and left with a very favorable impression of the University. Xavier is definitely a place where everyone knows your name; I think it would be very hard to get lost in the crowd at Xavier, and those who are looking for a faith-oriented, welcoming environment should look into Xavier as a possible option. I think you will like what you will find.

For more information about my visit, please click here. And as always, I invite you to take a peek at the campus photos and captions in order to see what I saw! Thanks for reading!

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