Many Catholic families feel the allure of a Jesuit education. Non-Catholics also are drawn to these schools, which include highly ranked institutions like Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and Boston College in Massachusetts.
Here’s what sets a Jesuit education apart from other programs.
What Is a Jesuit Education?
A Jesuit education is grounded in the liberal arts, with “a focus on quality teaching, critical thinking, and rigorous academic standards and scholarship,” according to the website of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The Society of Jesus, a Catholic order committed to advancing education and service, developed the Jesuit tradition. Members of this 500-year-old society, called Jesuits, went on to found multiple colleges in the U.S.
“This education is used in a way of creating a better world. It’s about sharing that knowledge, and sharing the skills, in a way that creates, as it says in our mission statement, a more just and humane world,” says Salvador Aceves, president of Regis University in Colorado.
At first glance, these schools have all the familiar attributes of ordinary colleges and universities with their student unions, robust sports teams and overwhelming school spirit. Students at Jesuit schools study sciences, humanities and all sorts of subjects taught at non-Jesuit schools, but with a commitment to education that betters the world.
At Regis, that means immersion trips, community outreach and an emphasis on building strong relationships, says Kevin Burke, vice president of university mission at Regis.
How Is a Jesuit Education a Different Type of Catholic Education?
A Jesuit education is a Catholic education, but not all Catholic education is Jesuit. There are plenty of colleges in the U.S., like the University of Notre Dame in Indiana and the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., that are Catholic but not Jesuit.
“What makes a Jesuit university distinctive, even among other Catholic universities, is the spirituality that is the spirit of the Jesuit order,” Burke says.
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Jesuit colleges like Regis are guided by explicit principles developed by the Jesuit order, including a spiritual commitment to community service through education, Burke explains.
At Spring Hill College in Alabama, students engage in “deep discussions and time to make connections between disparate concepts, while connecting those ideas to the students’ own lives” Rebecca Cantor, provost and chief academic officer, wrote in an email. This practice stems from the Jesuit traits of discernment and reflection, she says.
Jesuit Colleges and Universities in America
There are 27 Jesuit universities and colleges across the U.S., according to the ACJU. They vary in size, cost and prestige but share a unique religious commitment to education.
The schools “definitely support each other,” Cantor says. “We have groups for every kind of leadership role. For instance, I am part of the Chief Academic Officers Council that typically meets twice a year and communicates about questions and concerns we have in common very regularly.”
Aceves describes a similar relationship with other presidents of Jesuit colleges.
“Presidents meet on a regular basis, whether it be virtually or in-person, but the reality is that we are in conversation in an effort to further and address some of the challenges in our industry and higher education as a whole,” he says.
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Aceves notes that a shared curriculum can bolster the relationship between Jesuit schools. For instance, Creighton University in Nebraska has a partnership with Regis in their hybrid occupational therapy program, which pools resources from each campus.
“The Jesuit colleges and universities have a friendly and transparent relationship with one another. We learn from each other and benefit from sharing common ideals and values,” Stephen P. Keller, senior director of undergraduate admission at Gonzaga University in Washington, wrote in an email.
Student Life at a Jesuit College
Students applying to Jesuit schools should expect a typical campus life. However, the coursework and educational opportunities are steeped in Jesuit beliefs.
“Jesuit education is so fundamental to Gonzaga’s teaching philosophy that it can be found in every class on campus. For example, the Jesuit emphasis on ‘learning by doing’ results in practical application of classroom material and extensive internship/externship opportunities for students,” Keller says.
Other schools, like Spring Hill College, incorporate Jesuit principles in programs like their first-year experience.
At Boston College, all students are required to take six credits, or two courses, of theology as part of the school’s core curriculum, according to David Quigley, provost and dean of faculties.
This part of the curriculum “sets up integrating different ways of knowing, in hopes of attaining a deeper knowledge, a sense of wisdom, which is what Jesuits are after. [It] also sets up the ethical dimensions of what one is learning,” Quigley says.
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Jesuit priests are a fixture on campus, as much a symbol of Boston College’s Catholic identity as its Gothic architecture and statue of St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order. Members of the Society of Jesus continue to play a role on Jesuit college campuses across the nation, holding administrative positions and professorships and even enrolling as students.
While a Jesuit school makes the promise of a unique Catholic education, it does not exclude other faith groups or people who are not religious. An integral part of campus life at many of these schools is the variety of cultural backgrounds among students, faculty and community members.
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Boston College, for example, has several non-Catholic and non-Christian faith-based groups, including BC Hillel and the Muslim Student Association. “I think students find BC to be a receptive and welcoming place because we place an emphasis on individual faith and living out their faiths, whatever that faith might be,” Quigley says.
How to Apply to a Jesuit College
Jesuit school officials say they look for motivated, curious students regardless of background. Jesuit schools are not limited to just Catholic, or Christian, students.
However, with 62 Jesuit high schools in the U.S., some potential students may be more familiar with the Jesuit education than others. Jesuit schools like Boston College engage in this network to find students who wish to continue the Jesuit tradition in higher education, according to Quigley.
“But it might surprise people that the vast majority (94%) of our students did not attend a Jesuit high school,” Debra Mooney, vice president for mission and ministry at the Center for Mission and Identity at Xavier University in Ohio, wrote in an email.
Students from all backgrounds and educations are encouraged to apply.
Jesuit schools look for students who are motivated, ready to be challenged and display a hunger for knowledge, experts say. These attributes are not unusual in today’s college applicants, but fit in with the centuries-old tradition Jesuit schools look to uphold.
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A Guide to Jesuit Colleges originally appeared on usnews.com
Correction 01/24/24: The original version of this article incorrectly identified Salvador Aceves as a Jesuit.
