Welcome to Biola University

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Welcome to Biola

Tour stop audio transcript

Welcome to Biola University — one of the nation's leading Christian universities, located in the heart of Southern California. Here at Biola, you'll experience an education that challenges your thinking, deepens your faith, and prepares you for a life of impact. Throughout this virtual tour of our campus, we'll introduce you to some of the programs and features that make our campus community distinct — and we'll give you a taste of how Biola can equip you for a meaningful and successful future.

Nationally Ranked Academics

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Here we are at the home of Biola's Crowell School of Business. Business Administration is our most popular major, but with over 40 majors and 80 concentrations to choose from, we have a solid academic presence across the board. In fact, Biola is ranked as a first-tier national university by US News & World Report. We also have a 14-to-1 student to faculty ratio, with 75 percent of classes having fewer than 25 students. Something unique about Biola's academics is that all regular students take 30 credits of Bible and theology classes. As you grow in the knowledge of your major, you'll also grow in your knowledge of the Bible.

Leading STEM Programs

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Welcome to the Alton and Lydia Lim Center for Science, Technology and Health — the newest and largest classroom building on campus. This innovative facility serves as a home for the next generation of scientists, researchers, health professionals, engineers and technology developers. It houses 30 laboratories, three classrooms, research spaces, a rooftop observatory and all-new, cutting-edge technology. All that to say, it's an exciting time to be a science student at Biola!

Film and Media Studio

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The Production Center is considered home by many of our Journalism, Public Relations, and Cinema and Media Arts students. Open 24 hours a day, this facility contains sound stages, a screening room, editing bays, a newsroom and more than 3 million dollars worth of state-of-the-art equipment for students to use on school and personal projects. All these resources allow Biola to have some of the country's top programs in journalism, public relations, and film. In fact, Biola's School of Cinema and Media Arts was recently named one of the world's top 50 film schools by Variety, a leading industry publication.

Bell Tower & Torrey Honors College

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Here is the famous Biola Bell Tower, a campus fixture since 1987. These bells were first placed at Biola's original location in downtown Los Angeles in 1915 and used to ring out hymns through the city streets. Today, students can still hear the bells chime several times each day. Speaking of celebrating the past, have you heard of the Torrey Honors College? This is Biola's classical education program, based on the Oxford style of learning. It's open to students from any major. Instead of taking traditional core classes, Torrey students are placed in tight-knit cohorts where they read and discuss the great books that have shaped history.

Fluor Fountain & Visual Arts

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Welcome to Fluor Fountain, a Biola landmark that's right at the center of campus. On warm and beautiful days — which is most days here in Southern California — you'll find this area filled with students hanging out and soaking up the sun. Nearby is Bardwell Hall, the newly renovated home of the art department. With its brand new studio spaces, art gallery, rooftop patio, classrooms and computer labs, Bardwell is an amazing place for our community of creatives. On the side of Bardwell is Biola's most recognizable piece of art: "The Word," created by renowned L.A. artist Kent Twitchell in 1989.

Conservatory of Music

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Here we are at Crowell Hall, the building that houses Biola's Conservatory of Music. This is a great place to take in music performances from students and renowned visiting artists. The building has a main auditorium as well as multiple practice rooms, which are open to music students 24/7. Across the way is our Fireplace Pavilion, which offers shade during the day and a fireplace with additional heaters to keep you toasty at night. Next to the pavilion are the Mailboxes, where students can go to receive their letters and packages, or send some of their own.

Spiritual Life & Chapel

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As you know by now, Biola aims to grow students both academically and spiritually. In addition to Bible and theology classes, students also attend 20 chapels each semester. Calvary Chapel — one of the many locations where chapel services are held every week — was renovated in 2018 by world-renowned artists who transformed the space into a one-of-a-kind place to worship. Next to Calvary Chapel is Talbot East, home to our undergraduate biblical and theological studies program. Talbot East is one of our newest buildings, and offers several peaceful spots to study and find rest, including a rooftop garden, a prayer chapel, and a courtyard with a reflection pool.

Residence Life

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Here we are at Horton Hall. This is just one of Biola's eight dorms. Inside, Horton has a main atrium-style lobby, a lounge on every floor, community bathrooms, laundry facilities and more When it comes to Biola's dorms, the features vary, but one thing that's consistent is the community that's formed here. All the Resident Advisers, or RAs, work to plan awesome events and foster deep relationships among the students on their floors.

Student Life

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This is the Collegium — a home-away-from-home for Biola's commuter students, who make up more than a third of our community. This inviting space offers a full kitchen, food bar, computers, wifi and comfortable spots for Biola's off-campus community to work, rest and hang out between classes. Connected to the Collegium is the Student Union Building — otherwise known as the sub. There, you'll find the Student Government Association, Veterans' Center, Student Missionary Union and plenty of other extracurricular activities. It also houses the Campus Engagement office, which oversees clubs and provides students with events and activities such as Punk 'n Pie, Nationball, Mock Rock and intramural sports.

Athletics

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Welcome to Chase Gym, home of the Biola Eagles' athletic programs. Biola is a member of the NCAA Division II and competes against other universities across the region as part of the PacWest Conference.  For those who don't plan to play on a sports team in college, but still want to be active, Biola has intramural sports, an outdoor track and soccer field, a pool and a fitness center available for student use.

Dining

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Biola's Cafeteria, more commonly known as The Caf, is a staple of most undergraduates' experience. Meal plans for on-campus students range in size from 10 to 20 meals per week. The Caf has six stations inside, all catered by the award-winning Bon Appétit food service. In addition to The Caf, students can choose to dine at other on-campus restaurants and coffee shops: Heritage Cafe, Blackstone Cafe, Eagles' Nest, Common Grounds and The Talon.

Mosaic Cultural Center

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At Biola, we're passionate about diversity. The Mosaic Cultural Center offers opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds to engage with and learn from each other. Housed in this space is the Student Enrichment and Intercultural Development office, known as SEID. They offer all sorts of events and resources — including special support and programs for our first generation college students. One of the biggest annual events at Biola is SCORR, the Student Congress on Racial Reconciliation. This national conference brings together students, staff and faculty from various Christian institutions to celebrate and explore unity amidst diversity within the body of Christ.

Library

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Biola's Library is one of students' favorite spots to get down to business. It's a perfect place to study, and it's stocked with more than just books. Inside, you'll also find Mac and PC computer labs, group study rooms, media equipment and more. The Learning Center and Writing Center are located here as well, offering valuable services at low or no cost to students. The Library's newest addition, Heritage Cafe, is great place to grab a drink and a snack while you study or hang out with friends.

Take the Next Step

Tour stop audio transcript

We hope you've enjoyed your tour of Biola! While you've seen a lot today, you haven't seen everything. We encourage you to visit in person if you can and get a feel for our campus' excitement and passion for impacting the world for Christ. Thank you for joining us, and may God bless you in your college search process

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