Welcome to University of St. Francis

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Welcome to the University of St. Francis

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Welcome to the University of St. Francis—a Catholic, Franciscan university serving nearly 4,000 diverse students from 20 U.S. states and more than 20 foreign countries. The Welcome Center is the main greeting point for campus guests. After checking in, visitors learn about how USF delivers competitive undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs—both on campus and online—in disciplines including the arts, the sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. They discover why USF is consistently ranked as a top-tier university by prestigious organizations like U.S. News and the Princeton Review. Nearly 80% of USF's classes contain 20 students or less—ensuring increased attention for each student.

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Main Campus

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USF's Main Campus was built over 100 years ago by the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate. It is where students live and learn, and where most campus activities take place. The campus is nestled into the Cathedral Area Preservation District, among some of the city's most historic homes and just a few blocks from the beautiful Cathedral of St. Raymond. Main Campus is also just an hour away from Chicago and all the excitement that the Windy City has to offer. It is common for students to obtain internships there and commute using Joliet's Metra station, which takes travelers right into the heart of the downtown Chicago.

The College of Arts & Sciences

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The College of Arts & Sciences offers over 50 majors in liberal arts disciplines including English, History, Math, Political Science, Radiation Therapy, Social Work and Theology, among many, many others. The south wing of Tower Hall includes facilities for biology students studying pre-professional programs like athletic training, dentistry and veterinary medicine. The 4th floor of Tower Hall is the long-time home of Communication & Media Arts and Digial Audio Recording Arts majors. Their space features Mac labs for design students, a state-of-the-art radio station for WCSF 88.7FM, a TV station and professional-grade digital audio recording studios and equipment.

A Spotlight on Creativity

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Home to USF's "Music at Moser" performance series, the Moser Performing Arts Center includes practice rooms, the Turk Studio Theatre and the Sexton Auditorium. These spaces serve as practice and performance venues for the university's choirs and instrumental ensembles including the "Band of Saints" pep band, jazz ensemble, and the Joliet Symphony Orchestra. They also serve as all-purpose rooms for campus meetings, lectures, receptions and events. The St. Bonaventure Campus in downtown Joliet includes the 14,000-square-foot Center for Art & Design, which includes facilities and student studios for painting, printmaking, ceramics, woodshop, photography, design, and more. The nearby USF Art Gallery hosts exhibitions by students, faculty and professional artists.

For Our Science Minded Saints

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The LaVerne & Dorothy Brown Science Hall is a state-of-the-art learning and research facility, designed for science majors in all disciplines. Complete with an outdoor patio and rooftop garden, it houses biology, chemistry and physics classrooms and labs; the Bellah-Banks lecture auditorium; and a cadaver lab—a unique opportunity for pre-med and nursing majors to study anatomy. Students also enjoy the beautiful Charlotte Codo Prairie in Frankfort, Illinois, which was generously gifted to USF for science research. Students also regularly conduct research and intern at sites like Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, Forest Preserve District of Will County, Morton Arboretum, Brookfield Zoo, Argonne National Labs, Fermi Lab and the Illinois Crime Lab.

The College of Education in Donovan Hall

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Donovan Hall is home to USF's College of Education, which offers a variety of nationally-ranked education programs dedicated to teacher certification and teaching career advancement. USF has one of the oldest private college teacher education programs in the state of Illinois, and has been accredited continually since 1938. As early as freshman year, students begin working with local schools to get real-world classroom experience. As they advance in the program, they are placed in local classrooms for field experience through student teaching. Donovan Hall also houses classrooms, a counseling and wellness center, and San Damiano Hall, an auditorium which seats up to 200 people for events or performances.

Libraries are for Learning

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The Laverne & Dorothy Brown Library is named after longtime USF donors. The library is part of the "CARLI Consortia," an interlibrary loan system that gives students access to academic collections throughout Illinois. It is a GREAT place to study, offering high-tech capabilities to research and access information through extensive online collections, searchable from campus or anywhere in the world. Special on-site collections include a teacher education curriculum library, the Raymond Collection of rare books, a musical collection of Broadway theatre and the university archives. The Wadsworth Commons is a new study space in the library that's accessible 24/7, providing computers, printers and study space for students around the clock.

Help When You Need It

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Smaller class sizes will ensure that you get lots of attention in the classroom. If you need extra help, the Academic Center for Excellence in Tower Hall can assist you with homework, paper writing, test taking and more through Academic Advising, the Academic Resource Center and Disability Services. You can get non-academic guidance, too, through USF's Health & Wellness office in Tower Hall and Counseling Office in Donovan Hall, which help keep students happy and healthy. For students who live on campus, trained Resident Assistants, Multicultural Assistants and Peer Ministers reside in all of the residence halls to provide students with advice and support as they gain new independence.

The Leach College of Nursing at St. Clare Campus

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Just a mile west of main campus is St. Clare Campus, home to USF's Leach College of Nursing. Easily accessible by USF's shuttle service, Guardian Angel Hall, Assembly Hall and the Franciscan Learning Center provide junior and senior nursing students with classrooms, clinical skills labs, testing rooms, a presentation space, an auditorium, and an alumni lounge that contains artifacts and photos from the program's over 100-year-old history. There are also four simulation labs that hold several life-like mannequins with pulses that can breathe and talk—perfect for students to practice real-life medical scenarios. In addition, there's a room set up like a patient's home, allowing students to gain home health skills.

Our Franciscan Faith & Values

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Our Catholic, Franciscan university embraces the values of respect, integrity, service and compassion. There are two chapels at USF where Mass is held regularly—St. Joseph Chapel in the Motherhouse on Main Campus, and the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate Chapel at Guardian Angel Hall on the St. Clare Campus. Through University Ministry, students can participate in service opportunities, mission trips and retreats, or join the prestigious Peer Ministry team to share their faith and guide fellow students. University Ministry also welcomes and serves members of the USF community with different faith backgrounds, providing several interfaith prayer rooms across campus where all are welcome to pray, reflect and meditate.

Our Campus in Downtown Joliet

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USF's St. Bonaventure Campus is located approximately one mile southeast of the main campus in the heart of downtown Joliet—accessible all day through USF's convenient campus shuttle service. It consists of the Center for Art & Design, the USF Art Gallery, and the Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center. The Plaster Center is a three-floor, 27,000-square-foot structure, offering multimedia classrooms, a mock trial courtroom and a business incubator and accelerator for regional entrepreneurs. The downtown location is perfect for students studying business, logistics and political science... and even recreation and sport management, with the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce just around the corner.

The College of Business & Health Administration

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The north wing of Tower Hall is the academic hub of this sprawling landmark building, housing classrooms for a variety of academic programs including the College of Business & Health Administration. Offering courses in accounting, finance, logistics, management and more, the college takes a values-based approach in delivering business courses and encourages its "Servant Leaders"—a group of business students and faculty—to make service and compassion a key part of their business practice. The college also offers a popular "Three-to-Degree" program for students who want to make the most of their college experience, time and money by continuing for a master's degree immediately after obtaining the bachelor's.

A Day in the Life of a Saint

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The ground-floor Student Center in the Motherhouse includes the Student Life Center and staff offices as well as the Office of Institutional Diversity and multicultural room, where diversity initiatives are embraced and international students receive support and assistance. The nearby game room and cozy Fireside Lounge offers comfy couches, a 24-hour computer lab, and tables to study or enjoy meals. The USF bookstore in Tower Hall is operated by Barnes & Noble, offering required textbooks for rent or to buy, non-academic books and bestsellers, and USF spirit wear and merchandise. Students can order their textbooks online 24/7 through the USF portal or the bookstore's mobile app!

USF Athletics Go Fighting Saints!

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The Pat Sullivan Center is home to USF's 22 NAIA sports programs, which have earned over 100 conference titles and four national championships. Inside, you'll find the Pat Quigley Court, weight and cardio rooms, a racquetball court and golf studio. Students also enjoy free membership to Joliet's Inwood Athletic Club, which contains state-of-the-art equipment, fitness classes, and an indoor pool, track and ice rink. Inwood maintains not only lighted fields for USF softball games and an 18-hole course for USF golf, but also Joliet Memorial Stadium—a 10,000-seat stadium serving USF football, soccer and track & field. Baseball's home turf is DuPage Medical Group Field—a 6,000-seat stadium in downtown Joliet.

Living On Campus

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Marian Hall, the largest of three residence halls on campus, is home to nearly 250 first-year students. Each floor in Marian Hall features single, double and triple rooms with air conditioning, a study lounge with computers and a printer, a social lounge, Wi-fi and free laundry. The first-floor Abbey is a multipurpose space where residents and commuters spend time socializing. It contains a full kitchen, a TV and game room, and is accessible to students 24 hours a day. The third and fourth floors of Tower Hall and the Motherhouse are home to student residences for junior and senior students, including singles, doubles, suites and apartments.

Multiple Options for Food & Dining

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There are several dining facilities on campus with an array of menu items. The Terrace Cafe in Tower Hall is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with fresh foods served in an all-you-can-eat format. The nearby Saints Snack Shop opens after lunchtime for quick pick-ups by students on the run. The Three Oaks Bistro in the Motherhouse offers soup, sandwiches and more throughout the day, and around the corner, the popular Bernie's Pub offers evening dining in a pub-themed environment. At St. Clare Campus, Clare's Garden cafe feeds studious nursing students. While there is no dining facility at St. Bonaventure Campus, there are fantastic restaurants within walking distance.

One of the Safest Campuses Around

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USF takes safety seriously! USF's efforts have been recognized nationally, which is something to be proud of. Safety & Security officers patrol the campus 24 hours a day while a central dispatch team coordinates all calls and requests. Safety & Security also safeguards the university community by producing student and employee identification cards, and monitoring cameras and "blue light" boxes that have been strategically placed around all campuses. At the press of a button, blue light boxes will put you in immediate contact with members of USF's Safety & Security team. Safety & Security also offers escort services for students needing transportation to or from their vehicles or between campuses.

The Quad and Outdoor Spaces

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The campus Quad is a great place to relax. It includes a sand volleyball court, half-mile track, picnic pavilion, barbeque grills and a fire pit. It is home to colorful butterfly gardens and bee hives that produce honey. Nearby, you'll find USF's peace pole, walkable stations of the cross and the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, and beyond the grotto is a lighted path leading to the Benoit Commons, featuring a patio and soothing water features. USF also maintains a challenge course for team-building activities behind the library. Down the road at St. Clare Campus, you'll find a second grotto and a walkable labyrinth for outdoor contemplation.

Becoming an Alum and Career Success

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All USF students are here for one common reason… to get the degree! The USF Career Success Center is located in Tower Hall and works closely with the Alumni Office in the Motherhouse to facilitate mentoring programs between current students and alumni. To date, they have prepared over 1,200 students with skills necessary to succeed in the working world. The Career Success Center also helps students to secure meaningful internships and get on-campus employment to finance their education. Once they graduate, students become part of a vast network of more than 54,000 alumni in 50 states and 27 countries.

The City of Champions Things to Do Near Joliet

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The history of Joliet, one of Illinois' fastest-growing cities, dates back to 1673. Today, it is called the "Crossroads of Mid-America" due to its location at the intersection of I-80 and I-55—the nation's longest stretching interstate highways. It's also known as the "City of Champions," giving a nod to its award-winning high school and legion bands. In Joliet, you can visit museums, catch concerts, watch semi-pro baseball, attend festivals and parades, enjoy great restaurants and embrace autumn in the Midwest at nearby pumpkin patches and apple orchards. For outdoor enthusiasts, the region boasts stunning nature preserves, four state parks and the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, where buffalo literally roam.

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