University of Scranton is a lovely Jesuit school with a strong Liberal Arts foundation. There are just under 4,000 undergraduate students, 60+ majors, and boasts that their students contribute over 170,000 hours of community service each year to their community. The campus is integrally connected to the city of Scranton and students are guaranteed housing for all four years and are required to live on campus for their first two. The student population is heavily concentrated on the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, evidenced by their Admissions Officer’s lack of assigned territories outside of PA, NJ, NY, MD, and DE. It’s not the most diverse student population with over 75% of their students identifying as White. On the other hand, they do have a healthy 1^st generation population, with around 25% of students identifying as such. Their Student Life and DEI teams have built up a great program in the last five years, called Str1ve, which seeks to teach the “hidden curriculum” of college where they receive support through the various stages of their academic career as well as mentorship from upper-level students, faculty, and administrators. A core aspect of the school, as described by current students, was a collaborative environment where students rejected competing against each other and instead preferred to build study groups, include others, and allow young adults to come out of their shell at their own pace. They have Division III sports and a decent amount of school spirit, particularly in supporting their basketball, baseball, and soccer teams. 

Scranton was relatively easy to get to from the West Coast, with daily flights to and from Newark, Chicago, and Charlotte on American and United Airlines. The town is a 15–20-minute drive from the airport in a valley surrounded by rolling hills with gorgeous deciduous trees that are a sight to see in the Fall. The town itself, nicknamed the Electric City for being the first city with electric lights in 1880, is most famous for being the fictional location of NBC’s iconic show “The Office” as well as being President Joe Biden’s hometown. The town has a strong blue-collar background where you can see the influence of coal and industrial manufacturing. It still has that personality and has seen higher levels of investment of late but kept its affordability. Rent for a 2/2 in town will run you around $1100-1600 a month. Local attractions include the New York Yankees AAA affiliate, the Pittsburgh Penguins minor league affiliate, and the Montage Mountain ski resort which is open 100+ days a year. The downtown area is very pedestrian friendly and felt safe even at the late hours of the night.

On the academics front, Scranton concentrates heavily on the fundamental tenets of a Liberal Arts education. They cap their classes at 35 students and boast a professor-to-student ratio of 12:1. They stand out by requiring two Religion and two Philosophy courses for all students. The Religion courses are “Introduction to the Bible” and “Introduction to Christianity” which their students described as accessible and inclusive for those who do not actively practice Christianity. The Jesuit value of giving back to their community is something that appears to be heavily emphasized. In addition, Scranton does offer a Special Jesuit Liberal Arts honors program that covers Theology, Ethics, Philosophy, and more for those who are interested. Their standout programs are in Nursing, Occupational Therapy (OT), and Physical Therapy (PT). Admissions into those majors are slightly harder than others and applying by their Early Application deadline is highly recommended as they have specialized facilities and tremendous access to clinicals with three hospitals within a mile of campus. For example, they receive around 1200 applicants for 80 spots in their Nursing program. All three offer graduate degrees (Nursing a 4+1 for a Masters, OT 4+1 for a Master & 4+2 for a Doctorate, and PT 4+3 for a Doctorate). Business, Biology, and Chemistry majors are the other most popular majors. Their engineering program is relatively new, but they are already placing students in major cities in the Northeast. The new programs (Business Analytics, Mechanical Engineering, Mathematical Sciences, Cybercrime & Homeland Security, and Communication Science Disorders) do have a $2,000-3,000 annual scholarship to entice students to enroll.

Scranton offers Early Action with a Deadline of November 15^th (with a guaranteed notification of decision by December 15^th), has no admissions fee, conducts an automatic financial aid/scholarship review, and is truly test-optional. They utilize rolling admissions for their Regular Decision pool, with reviews starting on January 2^nd. They do recommend that you participate in their interview process, and they consider demonstrated interest in their holistic review. Their admissions rate hovers around 80% and has a total cost (tuition, feeds, room, and board) of just under $70,000 per year. If you have a 1450 SAT or better, you may be a strong candidate for their Presidential Scholarship which offers a full ride. There appears to be a strong Career Services program with over 80% of students participating in an internship during their time at Scranton. They also boast a 99% “success rate” for their graduates finding either a job, continuing their education, or participating in service within their first year after graduation.

Overall, I think University of Scranton would be a wonderful option for someone who prioritizes a classic Liberal Arts education, small class sizes, maintains a service-orientation, and has strong Christian values while maintaining openness to different religions and ethos. It’s a great school for someone who wants a small city feel and would like to end up in the greater New York or Philadelphia areas after graduating. In addition, their Nursing, OT, and PT programs rival those of more prestigious universities.