Overview
A Private, Caring University
Alvernia University, a small, private Catholic Franciscan school in Pennsylvania, with a total enrollment of more than 2,800 men and women, is a rigorous, caring, and inclusive learning community committed to academic excellence rooted in the Catholic and liberal arts traditions. With a student-faculty ratio of 13:1, Alvernia offers a personalized environment where the faculty members know and care about each student.
Majors and Degrees
Alvernia University offers the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Bachelor of Social Work, and Associate in Science degrees.
Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science candidates can major in the following areas: accounting, addiction studies, athletic training, biochemistry, biology, biology/medical technology, chemistry, chemistry/medical technology, communication, computer information systems, criminal justice administration, education (early childhood, middle school, special, and secondary, with major areas in biology, business computers and information technology, chemistry, English, mathematics, and social studies), English, forensic science, general science, history, human resource management, liberal studies, management, marketing, mathematics, nursing, occupational therapy, philosophy, political science, psychology, social work, sport management, and theology.
Alvernia University also offers five-year programs leading to the Master of Education, the Master of Business Administration, the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies, and the Master of Occupational Therapy.
A Dedicated Faculty
The faculty consists of 83 full-time and 190 part-time members, each dedicated to teaching and serving the needs of every student. The faculty is as diversified as the many fields of interest that its members represent.
Alvernia faculty members publish widely in professional journals and other media; they present papers and moderate conferences in the local region and as far away as India, Italy, Mexico, and South Africa. They also serve on boards and committees of professional associations and corporate and community boards.
The presence of such faculty members at Alvernia is intended to enhance the theoretical portions of professional training with practical professional knowledge.
Financial Aid at Alvernia
Alvernia University is affordable; more than 99 percent of the students attending Alvernia receive some type of financial aid. The types of aid most commonly received are Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency grants for Pennsylvania residents, Federal Pell Grants, and numerous scholarships from private sources, as well as grants and scholarships from the university itself. This aid is awarded on the basis of academic performance and financial need. In addition, Alvernia participates in the federally funded Federal Work-Study Program.
The Alvernia University Campus
Located on a beautiful 121-acre campus on the outskirts of Reading, Pennsylvania, Alvernia offers a supportive, friendly setting conducive to learning and is conveniently accessible. Many first-time visitors are surprised to find Alvernia's peaceful, tree-lined grounds and modern campus buildings in Reading, a city of 81,000. Downtown Reading, about 3 miles from the campus, offers a mix of cultural and entertainment destinations.
Beyond Reading lies Pennsylvania's famous Amish country. The university also has easy access to the metropolitan areas of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., where students can take advantage of the cultural, historical, and educational attractions these cities have to offer.
Alvernia Student Life
Alvernia's growing roster of student events, activities, and organizations offers something for everyone. At Alvernia, if students can dream it, they can do it. From ballroom dancing to a new sport, from philosophical debates to three-on-three basketball, from improvisational theatre to community service, there's a club for every interest - and if there isn't, students can start one.
The Student Government Association and the Campus Activities Board plan plenty of on-campus entertainment and social events, including comedians, bands, film series, and other club-sponsored events, as well as discounted trips - transportation included - in and around the region.
Students log 40 hours of volunteer service as a graduation requirement, and Alvernia helps students find opportunities to fit their interests, schedule, and talents. They can tutor schoolchildren, shovel sidewalks for elderly neighbors, stock groceries at a food bank, or practice their Spanish on alternative spring break mission trips to Ecuador or Santo Domingo.
Giving back, pitching in, helping out, getting involved, making a difference, living their values: it doesn't matter what students call it; at Alvernia it just matters that students do it. Service to others is simply part of who Alvernia is and what it believes.
Alvernia also offers a full range of intercollegiate sports, including baseball, basketball, cross-country, field hockey, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. The university is a member of the NCAA Division III, the ECAC, and the Commonwealth Conference of the Middle Atlantic States Collegiate Athletic Corporation (MAC), a highly competitive Division III intercollegiate conference. A state-of-the-art turf field and track is the latest addition to campus facilities.
Resident students have many attractive housing options, including traditional and suite-style residence halls, townhouses, and apartments. The newest residence halls were opened in 2003, 2005, and 2009.
