BUENA VISTA UNIVERSITY D-4

610 West Fourth St.
Storm Lake, IA 50588
Tel: (712)749-2351
Free: 800-383-9600
Admissions: (712)749-2235
Fax: (712)749-2037
Web Site: http://www.bvu.edu/

Description:

Independent, comprehensive, coed, affiliated with Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Awards bachelor's and master's degrees. Founded 1891. Setting: 60-acre small town campus. Endowment: $110.5 million. Educational spending 2003-04: $6000 per student. Total enrollment: 1,316. Faculty: 121 (81 full-time, 40 part-time). Student-undergrad faculty ratio is 15:1. 1,259 applied, 81% were admitted. 19% from top 10% of their high school class, 47% from top quarter, 77% from top half. 20 valedictorians. Full-time: 1,242 students, 53% women, 47% men. Part-time: 34 students, 59% women, 41% men. Students come from 17 states and territories, 4 other countries, 19% from out-of-state, 0.2% Native American, 2% Hispanic, 2% black, 2% Asian American or Pacific Islander, 0.1% international, 3% 25 or older, 89% live on campus, 3% transferred in. Retention: 75% of full-time freshmen returned the following year. Academic areas with the most degrees conferred: business/marketing; education; interdisciplinary studies. Core. Calendar: 4-1-4. Academic remediation for entering students, ESL program, services for LD students, advanced placement, self-designed majors, freshman honors college, honors program, independent study, distance learning, double major, summer session for credit, part-time degree program, adult/continuing education programs, internships, graduate courses open to undergrads. Off campus study at Washington University in St. Louis. Study abroad program.

Entrance Requirements:

Options: Peterson's Universal Application, Common Application, electronic application, deferred admission, international baccalaureate accepted. Required: high school transcript, recommendations, SAT or ACT. Recommended: minimum 3.0 high school GPA. Required for some: essay, interview. Entrance: moderately difficult. Notification: continuous.

Costs Per Year:

Application fee: $0. Comprehensive fee: $26,676 includes full-time tuition ($20,854) and college room and board ($5822). Part-time tuition: $701 per semester hour.

Collegiate Environment:

Orientation program. Drama-theater group, choral group, student-run newspaper, radio station. Social organizations: 50 open to all. Most popular organizations: Student Activities Board, student orientation staff, Esprit De Corps, Student Senate, Marketing Association. Major annual events: homecoming, Academic and Cultural Events Series (ACES), Buenafication Day. Student services: health clinic, personal-psychological counseling. Campus security: 24-hour emergency response devices, late night transport-escort service, controlled dormitory access, night security patrols. 1,137 college housing spaces available; 1,119 were occupied in 2003-04. Freshmen guaranteed college housing. On-campus residence required through senior year. Options: coed, men-only, women-only housing available. BVU Library with 145,085 books, 41,377 microform titles, 642 serials, 4,994 audiovisual materials, an OPAC, and a Web page. Operations spending 2003-04: $820,733. 400 computers available on campus for general student use. Computer purchase/lease plans available. A campuswide network can be accessed from student residence rooms and from off campus. Staffed computer lab on campus.

Community Environment:

Storm Lake (population 10,000) is the county seat of Buena Vista County, and is located 75 miles east of Sioux City and 160 miles northwest of Des Moines. Bus lines and nearby airport facilities provide adequate transportation. Several churches of various Christian denominations are represented in the community.