Members of the St. Bonaventure community—admissions counselors, faculty members, alumni and others—spend a lot of time meeting with prospective students and their families. Through our conversations at college fairs, during high school visits and in our offices during interviews, we have developed a list of the most commonly asked questions about the admissions process:
1. Where is St. Bonaventure?
Our 500-acre campus is located in southwestern New York State, near the city of Olean New York. Toronto, Cleveland and Pittsburgh are less than four hours away; you can be in Buffalo, Niagara Falls or Rochester in about two hours and we are about six hours from Washington, DC, and the George Washington Bridge (New York City).
Routes to campus are available for many metropolitan areas, or you may call us at 716-375-2434 or toll-free at 1-800-462-5050 for directions.
2. What do I need to be accepted? When the
admissions committee reviews your application, we will consider everything it contains. Your grade point average (GPA), quality of your curriculum, standardized test scores (SAT or ACT), recommendations and optional personal essay all tell us about your potential to succeed at St. Bonaventure. Frequently, students want to know our average SAT and GPA, but it is important to remember that each student is evaluated individually.
3. What division are you in athletics?
We compete at the Division I level in the highly respected Atlantic 10 Conference. Our intercollegiate sports teams attract some of the best athletes in the U.S. and from abroad, but they are not the only competitors at St. Bonaventure. A high percentage of our students participate in a very well organized, student-run intramural program. Also, our club teams provide students the opportunity to compete against other colleges in both New York and Pennsylvania.
4. How much does it cost, and is there any financial aid?
St. Bonaventure is consistently rated as one of the northeast U.S.’s best college values. Go to the
Tuition, Fees and Estimated Costs page for more details about current costs. As for financial aid, last year more than 90 percent of our students received grants, loans or scholarships. We award both need-based and merit-based aid to eligible and deserving students. In order to be considered, students should apply for admission and file the FAFSA before February 1 of the year in which they seek to enroll at St. Bonaventure. See the
Scholarships & Financial Aid page for more information.
5. What is there to do at SBU? Because most St. Bonaventure students call our campus their home for nine months of the year, there is always a lot happening on campus. Our students enjoy active lifestyles, and many regularly bike, walk, run or blade on The Allegheny River Valley Trail, a six-mile paved fitness trail accessible from many points on campus. For off-campus fun, visit our
Area Attractions page. All students have membership in the
Richter Center, with a full complement of weights, aerobic conditioning opportunities, indoor track and basketball courts, climbing wall and racquet sports facilities.
The
Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts provides state of the art facilities for drama (Garret Theatre Players), music, and visual art.
University Ministries sponsors several popular activities, including Bona Buddies and the Warming House. There are many opportunities to get involved in campus media and the
Campus Activities Board (CAB) hosts dozens of events each year, ranging from bus trips to Buffalo Bills and Sabres games to concerts on campus to comedians and dance parties in the Rathskeller—the on-campus student club.
See
the list of activities for more ways to have the time of your life while you prepare for the rest of your life. At Bona’s, it’s not a question of what IS there to do, it’s a question of what ISN’T there to do!
6. How big is St. Bonaventure, and what is the average class size?
About 2,000 undergraduate students attend St. Bonaventure. Because our average class size is about 21 students, you will have plenty of exposure to our faculty members, who meet with students during office hours, discuss classes, careers and goals each semester at registration and even play a game of pickup basketball or participate in a music group with their students.
7. Will my AP courses transfer? If you take
Advanced Placement courses and achieve certain scores on the AP exams, you may receive credit for your achievement. Also, we recognize official transcripts from most accredited institutions, if you take college courses at your local college or university.
8. Are internships available?
9. Can I study abroad? Our students participate in study abroad programs in more than 20 foreign countries. Most majors allow you to spend at least one semester
studying abroad, but early coordination with your advisor is the key to integrating a productive experience in a foreign country with your program of study. Some types of financial aid may not be available while you are abroad.
10. What are your alumni doing? We have more than 20,000 alumni around the world. Professionally, they are engaged in careers as diverse as teaching, playing professional sports, banking and business, writing, editing and producing news and a host of other vocations. The BonaConnection is a database of alumni who are ready to help our students with everything from reviewing resumes to securing internships and jobs. For more information, visit our
Graduation Outcomes page for information about our active graduates—chances are at least one of them lives near you!
Our alumni are active supporters of their alma mater, and many contribute significant amounts of time and other resources to maintain the highly respected status of St. Bonaventure. This quote from a recent graduate sums it up:
“I was pretty confident I had made the right choice when I chose St. Bonaventure, but I had no idea it would become a second home to me and have such a remarkable and lasting impact on my life.”
-Charlie Specht
SBU Class of 2010
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