Xavier Profile
Founded in 1831, Xavier University is a private coeducational university located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati is home to seven Fortune 500 companies and two professional sports teams. Xavier provides a liberal arts education in the Catholic, Jesuit tradition. The University is the third-largest independent institution in Ohio, the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation, and one of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities nationwide. Please see our History of Xavier web site for more information about the University.
President
Xavier’s 34th president is Michael J. Graham, S.J., who was inaugurated in fall 2001. He succeeded James E. Hoff, S.J., who, after nearly 10 years of service to the University, retired in December 2000. Graham has been with Xavier for nearly 20 years, beginning his work here as an adjunct professor of history. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1978 and was ordained as a priest in 1988.
Rankings
According to U.S. News & World Report 2007 edition of America’s Best Colleges, among 142 Midwest comprehensive colleges and universities, Xavier ranked:
- second overall, now rating 12 straight years in the top 10.
- first for the fourth straight year with a 90% freshmen retention rate.
- first with a 76% graduation rate.
- third with a 29% alumni giving rate.
Xavier is included as one of the nation's best institutions for undergraduate education according to The Princeton Review's 2007 annual guide, "The Best 361 Colleges." Only 15 percent of all four-year colleges in the United States are in the book.
Xavier is rated as the 11th best university in the nation for entrepreneurs according to The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine. More than 700 schools were surveyed for the 2007 list. Xavier has been among the top 15 schools in the list for the last three years.
Notables
- Medical school acceptance rate of 80 percent.
- Average rate of graduation for student-athletes (93 percent) ranks among the best in the nation.
- Nearly 200 companies recruit annually on campus.
- 500 companies request résumés from Xavier students annually.
- Men’s basketball team has participated in postseason play 14 of the last 16 years, including 11 NCAA appearances.
- International study opportunities in more than 17 countries; four service learning semesters offered (Nicaragua, India, Ghana and Urban Cincinnati).