Roosevelt University was founded on principle.
Higher education should be available to all academically qualified students, regardless of class, racial or ethnic origin, gender or age. This 1945 “experiment” has been a success from the start. Today, Roosevelt—named for Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt—is the fourth most ethnically diverse university in the Midwest (U.S. News and World Report, 2014), a national leader in preparing students to assume meaningful, purposeful roles in the world community.
Roosevelt attracts students with diverse and solid academic backgrounds. Nearly 3,700 undergraduate and 2,500 graduate students come from approximately 40 states and 40 countries.
Who We Are
Our freshmen enter Roosevelt with ACT composite scores consistently above the national averages. While many hail from Illinois and elsewhere in the Midwest, a good number come from the western shores and plains, and from East Coast urban centers. Even those from sunny climates—Florida, California, and Arizona—opt to study here. And approximately half of our undergrads are transfer students. We have developed extensive articulation agreements and dual degree programs with two-year colleges in the region.
How We Live—and Succeed
Once students arrive at Roosevelt, they are home. Surrounded by faculty who, because of our faculty-to-student ratio, know them. Supported by services that enhance, and enriched by experiences that inspire. Our students become part of a community that cares about them.
Financial Aid
More than 90 percent of our students receive grants and scholarships to support their education.
Study Abroad
Students may take their education to a new hemisphere—including faculty-led classes on six continents. Destinations include China, South Africa, France, and Tanzania.
Honors Program
Rigorous one-on-one instruction and guided research for select students with high academic achievement.
Academic Success Center
Mentorship, tutoring, writing, and project assistance.
Career Development
Real-life professional experiences and guidance.
Student organizations
More than 60 groups, formed around interests, aspirations, service, and socializing.
Bringing real-world access to the classroom
- Accounting
- Actuarial Science
- Administrative Studies
- African‑American Studies
- Allied Health
- Biochemistry
- Biology
- Business
- Chemistry
- Commerce and Enterprise
- Communications
- Composition
- Computer Science
- Criminal Justice
- Finance
- Early Childhood Education
- Economics
- Elementary Education
- English
- History
- Hospitality and Tourism Management
- Human Resource Management
- Information Technology
- Integrated Marketing Communications
- International Studies
- Jazz and Contemporary Music Studies
- Journalism
- Marketing
- Mathematics
- Media Studies
- Music Education
- Musical Arts
- Musical Theatre
- Organizational Communication
- Organizational Leadership
- Paralegal Studies
- Performance
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Pre-Professional Options
- Professional Administration
- Psychology
- Social Entrepreneurship
- Social Justice Studies
- Sociology
- Special Education
- Sustainability Studies
- Theatre
- Illinois State Board of Education Endorsements:
- Bilingual/ESL
- Early Childhood Education
- Early Childhood Special Education
- Elementary Education
- Middle School Secondary Education
- Special Education
For a full list of undergraduate degree programs, click here.
Academic Communities of Practice
General Education Core Curriculum Centered on Social Justice
Students learn to excel and become integrated in the academic community (First Year Seminar); explore ethical questions, cultural conversations and analytical methods characteristic of liberal arts learning (Primary Texts), and take a social justice problem-solving course (Grounds for Change).
Chicago campus
Through the windows of Roosevelt’s buildings on picturesque Michigan Avenue, we can see Lake Michigan, Grant Park, and Millennium Park. From our doors we can stroll to the world’s most exquisite theatres (starting with our own magnificent Auditorium Theatre), museums, architectural landmarks, and shops. And we can proceed to an abundance of businesses, which supply jobs and internships to Roosevelt students. Roosevelt University has long anchored what has now become a robust college corridor in Chicago’s South Loop. In fact, Roosevelt shares the University Center residence hall with three neighboring colleges.
See more at roosevelt.edu/chicago.
Our downtown location is, quite simply, an international destination—for employers, travelers, and scholars.
Catalysts for social change
Roosevelt alumni
Harold Washington first African-American mayor of Chicago
Shel Silverstein poet and songwriter
Shin Thompson Michelin star–winning chef and restaurateur
Mike Quigley U.S. Representative Ramsey Lewis jazz musician Mitzi Meyerson harpsichordist and photographer Ira Berkow Pulitzer Prize–winning sports journalist and author Bobby Rush U.S. Representative Dushan Petrovich former president, Wm. Wrigley Company Woodrow “Woody” Clark part of Nobel Peace Prize–winning team that worked with Al Gore on U.N. Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change Walter Grady president and CEO, Seaway Bank and Trust Company Bob Wattel founding partner, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises Merle Dandridge Broadway and television actress Karen Gibbs business TV anchor and financial correspondent Timuel Black organizer of the 1963 March on Washington
Roosevelt Lakers:
Go green! Go white!
Intercollegiate athletics give the Roosevelt community more reasons to cheer. The Lakers compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference.
Men's sports
Baseball
Basketball
Cross-country
Golf
Soccer
Tennis
Track
Women's sports
Basketball
Cross-country
Soccer
Softball
Tennis
Track
Volleyball
The Lakers’ home is the Lillian and Larry Goodman Center, the only university athletic and recreation facility in the Loop.
See more at rooseveltlakers.com.
Roosevelt at a glance
Highlights and accolades
- One of the nation’s first universities to admit all qualified students regardless of background
- Midwest’s fourth most diverse university (U.S. News and World Report)
- On Military Friendly Schools® list (G. I. Jobs)
- Chicago area’s first bachelor’s in sustainability studies and in social justice studies
- Illinois’ only master’s in hospitality and tourism management
- Midwest’s only three-year, year-round Doctor of Pharmacy
- More than 25 active members of the Chicago Symphony and Lyric Opera orchestras on the CCPA faculty.
- More than 150 courses incorporating service learning
- Home of the second tallest academic building in the U.S.
Average class size:
20
Student-to-faculty ratio:12:1
“Ask yourself this: ‘How will I change the world?’ For we will prepare you to do just that—to change the world in some way—as you learn, create, and live here in this environment.”
PRESIDENT MIDDLETON’S CHARGE TO STUDENTS
Connect with us
425 S. Wabash Ave.
Chicago, IL 60605
(877) 277-5978
roosevelt.edu
roosevelt.edu/admission
