Fordham University

Fordham University (also known as Fordham) is a private research university in New York City. It is the oldest Catholic and Jesuit institution in the northeastern United States and the third-oldest university in New York State.  Fordham was founded as St. John’s College by John Hughes in 1841. It was eventually given its current name after the Fordham area in the borough of the Bronx, where its original campus is situated (officially became Fordham University in 1907).

The university is spread across three campuses in southern New York State: the Rose Hill campus in the Bronx; the Lincoln Centre campus in Manhattan’s Upper West Side; and the Westchester campus in West Harrison, New York. Additionally,  Fordham also has a campus in London that offers study-abroad exchange programs.

A large-scale programme, the Higher Educational Opportunity Program (HEOP), has been an integral part of Fordham University.  The initiative–a partnership between the State of New York and its independent colleges–was established in 1969 to provide economically disadvantaged students in the state with access to higher education. Partially funded by the State Education Department of New York, this program makes it possible for numerous students from the Fordham neighbourhood to finish college.

Fordham was ranked 1001-1200 by QS World University Rankings 2022 and was placed 72 among ‘National Universities’ by US News & World Report 2022. Some of the university’s notable alumni include Donald Trump, former US president; Hage Geingob, current President of Namibia; Denzel Washington, Academy Award-winning actor; Lana Del Rey, Satellite Award-winning singer and songwriter; and Alan Alda, Emmy and Gloden Globe-winning actor, among others.

Academics and Research at Fordham University

The university comprises 10 colleges– four of which are undergraduate colleges and six of which are graduate colleges. Through these constituent schools, the university offers degrees in over 60 areas of study. Some of the prominent fields in which programmes are offered are:

• Arts and Humanities
• Business
• Pre-Health and Pre-Law
• Social Sciences
• Communication and Media Studies
• Computer and Information Sciences 
• Maths and Economics
• Theology and Religious Studies

The university is categorised among ‘R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity’ by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, a classification granted only to colleges and universities engaging in extensive research and allocating significant resources towards it. Fordham’s research expenditure in the year 2020 was over $21 million, and in the year 2021, the university received external grants of over $31 million.

Utilising such grants, the institution helps support undergraduate research at Fordham Colleges at Rose Hill and Lincoln Centre and also sponsors undergraduate research symposiums. Students are also encouraged to participate in competitive internships and research programmes, co-author articles in peer-reviewed journals, and present their work at trade shows, among others.  In addition, the National Science Foundation-funded Louis Calder Centre at Fordham University provides summer research opportunities to students through its various initiatives.

Admission for International Students

Nearly 15,300 students from over 65 countries enrol at Fordham university–which has an acceptance rate of 53 per cent–each year for undergraduate and graduate courses. Also, the student-to-faculty ratio at Fordham is 13 to 1, which ensures ample interactions between the faculty and students.

Application Deadline:

Fall Admission 2021-2022

Early Action, and Early Decision	November 1
Decision Date	January 1

Enrollment for Spring Term in January

The enrollment begins on 1 November.

Application Requirements

The following application requirements are important for admission to the university:

• Applicants must register to and apply through ‘The Common Application’–a common online application accepted by over 1000 colleges and universities in the US and certain select countries. Students can apply to several universities using the ‘Common App’ platform.
• Two Essays
• Letter of Recommendation
• Academic Transcripts 
• English Language Proficiency Test Results

International students, whose first language is not English, must demonstrate their competency through English Language Proficiency test scores.

• TOEFL iBT: 90+ 
• TOEFL ITP Level 1 Test with Vericant Interview option (China only): 575+
• IELTS & IELTS Indicator: 7.0+
• Duolingo English Test: 120+

• Fordham University Statement of Funding or CSS Profile. 

The Fordham University Statement of Funding must be filled out by applicants who intend to cover all costs associated with their university education. After submitting their application, eligible applicants will have access to this form.

In order to qualify for need-based financial aid, aspirants who seek to partially fund their studies at Fordham, must complete the CSS Profile and demonstrate that they have the means to contribute at least $30,000 annually (Expected Family Contribution). Students can apply for student grants and college financial aid using one application form from the CSS profile application.

Applicants to graduate courses must apply directly through the departments’ page on the university’s official website. Requirements such as test scores, essays, and LORs that are sought for UG courses, are also needed for graduate applications. The application fee for international students is $70. 

Financial Aid and Scholarships

Fordham University provides need-based financial aid to a limited number of international students. Recipients will be chosen based on their academic and extracurricular accomplishments as well as a thorough consideration of their proven needs. These need-based aid awards of up to four years are provided to students who meet minimum GPA and satisfactory academic progress requirements.

The university also offers partial merit scholarships to international applicants who qualify for competitive academic awards. These include scholarships such as Cunniffe Presidential Scholarship, Semifinalist and National Recognition Program Scholarships, Dean’s Scholarship, and Rev. George McMahon, S.J. Scholarship, among others. The institution also has a collaboration with The Lavelle Fund for the Blind Inc., which offers the Brother James Kearney Scholarship for the Blind to legally blind students seeking financial needs. 

So, if you wish to attend a historic institution in one of the world’s most lively and dynamic cities, New York, then you must consider enrolling at Fordham university. We hope this article has provided you with all the information you require to apply to this university. All the best!