Announcement

Bradley University Announces the 13th President

James E. Shadid has been named Bradley University’s 13th president, the university’s Board of Trustees announced today. Read More
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Quick Facts

founded 1897, colleges and schools: 8

General

  • Year founded: 1897
  • Founder: Lydia Moss Bradley
  • Location: Peoria, IL
  • Five Colleges
  • Alumni: 70,000+
  • Carnegie Classification: Doctoral/Professional universities
students

Bradley students

  • Approximately 3,600 undergraduate and 1,200 graduate students
  • Students come from 36 states across the U.S. and 55 countries
  • Students of color: 48% of the first-year class
  • Men: 49% of undergraduates; women: 51%
  • First-year Student enrollment: 811
  • Transfer enrollment: 120
  • Five year average for graduates who started a career, graduate school, or other postgraduate experience within six months of graduation: 91%
academics

Academics

  • Average class size: 17 students
  • Faculty:
    • More than 340 full-time faculty members
    • Full-time faculty with doctorate or terminal degrees: 82% - 281/341 have doctorate or terminal degrees
    • Student/faculty ratio: 11:1
  • More than 100 undergraduate programs in five colleges:
    • Foster College of Business
    • Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts
    • College of Education and Health Sciences
    • Caterpillar College of Engineering and Technology
    • College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
  • More than 30 graduate programs
  • Online degree programs
  • Study abroad
    • Short-term academic programs with Bradley faculty and students
    • Extended study abroad opportunities at a number of distinguished universities and programs
alumni

Alumni

  • More than 70,000 worldwide
  • Famous Alumni:
    • Hersey Hawkins ’88 is the 10th highest scoring basketball player in NCAA Division I basketball history and was a member of the last collegiate USA men's national basketball team at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Drafted 6th overall, he played 13 seasons in the NBA.
    • Laura Kelly ’71 is a four-term Kansas state senator and 48th governor of Kansas.
    • Ray LaHood ’71 served as U.S. Secretary of Transportation under President Barack Obama and represented Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives.
    • Major Robert Henry Lawrence, Jr. '56 earned a PhD in physical chemistry and became the first Black astronaut.
    • Tami Lane ’96 won an Academy Award for Best Makeup for her work on "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and won critical acclaim for the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit franchises.
    • Jeff Mauro ’00 co-hosts the Food Network’s The Kitchen and created the Emmy-nominated series Sandwich King.
    • Jed Shlanger ’96 was nominated for an Academy Award as the producer for Netflix's "The Sea Beast."
    • General John Shalikashvili '58, retired chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
    • Charley Steiner ’71 is the play-by-play voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers, was a member of the ESPN SportsCenter anchor team, and is a member of the National Radio Hall of Fame.
    • Mike Tauchman ’13, MLB outfielder for the Chicago Cubs
    • Congressman Robert H. Michel '48 served in Congress and was the longest serving Republican Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives.
    • Jerry Krause ‘61 was the General Manager of the Chicago Bulls when they won six championships with Michael Jordan.
campus

Campus

  • 87 buildings on a 97-acre campus
  • Located in the historic West Bluff residential neighborhood
  • One mile from downtown Peoria
  • Eight miles from the Peoria International Airport
  • Student organizations: 200+
piggy bank

Finances

Kaboom!

Athletics

  • A rich Division 1 athletic tradition within the Missouri Valley Conference, with numerous championships
  • Home to 15 varsity sports and an active intramural and recreational sports program
  • 130,000-square-foot Markin Family Student Recreation Center
  • 4,200-seat Renaissance Coliseum
red border

Accreditation

  • Bradley University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Additionally, many of our programs are accredited by national, programmatic, agencies. A complete list of accreditations is available on the accreditation section of our website.