UNIVERSITY OF RIO GRANDE

218 North College Ave.
Rio Grande, OH 45674
Tel: (740)245-5353
Admissions: (740)245-7208
Fax: (740)245-9220
Web Site: http://www.rio.edu/

Description:

Independent, comprehensive, coed. Awards associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees. Founded 1876. Setting: 170-acre rural campus. Endowment: $22.6 million. Educational spending 2003-04: $6646 per student. Total enrollment: 2,522. Faculty: 147 (84 full-time, 63 part-time). Student-undergrad faculty ratio is 18:1. 523 applied, 100% were admitted. 12% from top 10% of their high school class, 31% from top quarter, 65% from top half. Full-time: 1,728 students, 58% women, 42% men. Part-time: 531 students, 70% women, 30% men. Students come from 13 states and territories, 7 other countries, 5% from out-of-state, 0.2% Native American, 74% Hispanic, 0.2% black, 0.2% Asian American or Pacific Islander, 3% international, 34% 25 or older, 25% live on campus, 3% transferred in. Retention: 60% of full-time freshmen returned the following year. Academic areas with the most degrees conferred: education; business/marketing; communications/communication technologies. Core. Calendar: semesters. Academic remediation for entering students, ESL program, services for LD students, advanced placement, accelerated degree program, self-designed majors, freshman honors college, honors program, independent study, distance learning, summer session for credit, part-time degree program, adult/continuing education programs, co-op programs and internships. Study abroad program. ROTC: Army (c).

Entrance Requirements:

Open admission except for nursing, red tech, education, social work. Options: Peterson's Universal Application, Common Application, electronic application. Required: high school transcript, medical history. Placement: ACT required. Entrance: noncompetitive. Application deadline: Rolling. Notification: continuous.

Costs Per Year:

Application fee: $25. Area resident tuition: $11,820 full-time. State resident tuition: $12,030 full-time, $488 per credit hour part-time. Nonresident tuition: $13,050 full-time, $539 per credit hour part-time. Mandatory fees: $525 full-time. College room and board: $6024. Room and board charges vary according to board plan.

Collegiate Environment:

Orientation program. Drama-theater group, choral group, student-run newspaper, radio station. Social organizations: 41 open to all; national fraternities, local fraternities, local sororities; 5% of eligible men and 4% of eligible women are members. Most popular organizations: student government, Honoraries, Bible studies, Students in Free Enterprise. Major annual events: Community Service Day, Homecoming, Muscular Dystrophy Dance-a-thon. Student services: health clinic, personal-psychological counseling. Campus security: 24-hour emergency response devices and patrols, late night transport-escort service, controlled dormitory access. 630 college housing spaces available; 392 were occupied in 2003-04. No special consideration for freshman housing applicants. Options: coed, men-only, women-only housing available. Jeanette Albiez Davis Library plus 2 others with 96,731 books, 850 serials, an OPAC, and a Web page. Operations spending 2003-04: $353,505. 300 computers available on campus for general student use. A campuswide network can be accessed from student residence rooms and from off campus. Staffed computer lab on campus.

Community Environment:

Less than one mile from campus, the Bob Evans Farm offers canoe and horse rentals, trail rides, hiking, and fishing. A radio-controlled aircraft club meets monthly in good weather. The second weekend of October marks the annual Bob Evans Farm Festival, which brings visitors from surrounding states. Rio Grande students participate heavily in the Farm Festival as part of "Community Service Day" when most college classes are canceled. Annual campus-hosted events include World-Fest, Native American Pow Wow, and Celtic/Welsh festivals. Other recreational facilities within a reasonable driving distance include golf, boating, skiing, rock climbing, white-water rafting, camping, and fishing. A rural community, Rio Grande is located 90 miles southeast of Columbus, 130 miles east of Cincinnati, and 60 miles north of Charleston, WV. Local shopping is found in Jackson and Gallipolis, both within 20 miles. Lare malls are found in Charleston and Huntington, WV, both about 60 miles away. Gallipolis is a picturesque river town, settled on the banks of the Ohio River, one of the annual stops for the historic Delta Queen steamboat. The surrounding area includes active civic and service organizations, church groups, shopping facilities, the Holzer Medical Center, and Holzer Clinic. The Ohio Valley Symphony, the Valley Artist Series, and the French Art Colony provide music, theater, and fine arts cultural events and exhibits. Performances are held either on campus at the Merlyn Ross Fine Arts Center or in Gallipolis at the refurbished Victorian playhouse, the Ariel Theater. Students get special reduced rates to performances. Opportunities for part-time employment are good, primarily in retailing.