Quickfacts
General
- Year founded: 1897
- Founder: Lydia Moss Bradley
- Location: Peoria, IL
- Five Colleges
- Alumni: 70,000+
- Carnegie Classification: Doctoral/Professional universities
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
- 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
- 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
- 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+
Finances
- Financial strengths:
- Endowment as of May 31, 2024: $380 million
- FY 2024 budget: $153 million
- Tuition and expenses:
- Financial assistance awards:
- More than 90% of Bradley students receive financial assistance awards.
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
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.