Seton Hall University (SHU) Academics and Admissions

Academics

Seton Hall University is a four-year private, Catholic university on a 58-acre campus in South Orange, N.J., just 15 miles from New York City. Founded in 1856 by Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the U.S. It is home to an undergraduate population of 5,200 students, and the student to faculty ratio is 14 to 1.

Seton Hall offers students more than 60 programs of study in five undergraduate colleges: the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Education and Human Services, the College of Nursing, the Paul W. Stillman School of Business, and the School of Diplomacy and International Relations. The most popular majors at Seton Hall are biology/biological sciences, criminal justice/safety studies, finance, international relations and affairs, and nursing/registered nurse training. Class sizes vary at Seton Hall, but the average class size is 23 students. The average freshman retention rate is 83.2 percent.

Students at Seton Hall are required to complete a 16-credit Core Curriculum that includes Journey of Transformation in freshman year, Christianity and Culture in Dialogue in sophomore years, Engaging the World in junior year, University Life, and two core English courses that focus on academic reading, research skills and writing.

Academic support is provided to students looking for remedial instruction, a reduced course load, and study skills assistance. Seton Hall also offers tutoring, a writing center, an honors program, a teacher certification program, distance learning, and an accelerated learning program. More than 70 percent of Seton Hall’s students are placed in internship programs while at the university.

One of the university’s best-known perks is its computer program. At orientation, Seton Hall provides every incoming freshman with his own laptop, already loaded with wireless connectivity and professional software. After two years on the campus, students get new laptops that reflect changing technology. That laptop is the one that all students get to take with them when they graduate from Seton Hall. In addition, wireless is available everywhere on the Seton Hall campus. The university has a walk-in service desk for laptop technical assistance, debugging and repairs, all completed free of charge. Because every student has a laptop, the computer labs on campus are less crowded.

Other services provided by the university include disability services alcohol/substance abuse counseling, campus ministries, career counseling, employment assistance, financial aid counseling, health services, and minority student services.

Most Popular Fields of Study

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Information Summary

Ranks 8th in New Jersey and 384th overall. See the entire top 2,000 colleges and universities list
Overall Score (about)	88.6
Total Cost On-Campus Attendance	$59,670
Admission Success rate	N/A
ACT / SAT 75%ile scores	28 / 1310
Student Ratio Students-to-Faculty	16 : 1
Retention (full-time / part-time)	83% / N/A
Enrollment Total (all students)	10,162

Admissions

Seton Hall accepts the common application for undergraduates, along with a supplement to the common app. The good news is that the university has a high acceptance rate, with more than 84 percent of all applicants accepted in recent years. Transfer students also have a high measure of success in being admitted to Seton Hall.

Students can apply to Seton Hall “with priority status” if they do so before March 1 each year. The university requires students to submit their SAT or ACT scores. Of the most recent freshman class, 25 percent were in top 10th of their high school graduating class and 51 percent were in the top quarter. About 20 percent of incoming freshmen had a high school grade point average of 3.75 and higher.

If you’d like to visit Seton Hall, the school holds regular two-hour tours and information sessions, once a day except on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays, when tours take place twice a day. During the summer, tours take place once a day, Monday through Friday only. Tours in Spanish are also available if you contact the university in advance.

You might also opt for Seton Hall’s comprehensive video tour, which can be accessed online and features 45 students discussing academics, majors, residence life, dining and food, and the laptop program.

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Financial Aid

Seton Hall offers a number of full-tuition scholarships. The Chancellor’s Scholarship is awarded to incoming freshman from Catholic high schools with minimum 3.5 GPAs, SAT scores greater than 2010 or ACT scores of 31, with recommendations and stellar extracurriculars. The Clare Boothe Luce Scholarship is awarde to incoming female freshmen who intend to major in biology, biochemistry, chemistry, computer science, engineering, mathematics or physics. The Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship is awarded to incoming freshmen of color with outstanding academic and community service records.

The Provost’s Scholarship is awarded to icoming freshmen from non-Catholic high schools who obtained a minimum GPA of 3.5 and SAT scores of more than 2010, or ACT scores of at least 31. And the Regent’s Scholarship goes to incoming freshmen with a 3.5 GPA and SAT scores greater than 2010 or ACT scores higher than 31.

In addition to federal and state aid, Seton Hall has its own need-based grants for students who submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. Eligibility and awards are reviewed each academic year, and students must be enrolled and taking at least 12 credits.

Seton Hall also provides a sibling tuition grant for incoming siblings of a family with two or more students enrolled at the university. An incoming sibling can apply for a grant for 10 percent of the university’s annual tuition The application must be completed each year.

Student Financial Aid Details

Ranks 325th for the average student loan amount.
Secrets to getting the best scholarships and financial aid in New Jersey.

Students

A large majority of Seton Hall University students — 70 percent — hail from the home state of New Jersey. So there are commuters at this school. At the same time, another 2,350 students live on the campus, so there is a thriving overnight population.

Seton Hall has six dormitories on campus for undergraduates, and two apartment complexes in the community of South Orange for sophomore, juniors and seniors who prefer to live off campus. Aquinas Hall houses about 330 freshmen, and its two-bedroom suites accommodate four students who share a private bathroom. Boland Hall houses approximately 710 freshmen and floors are arranged in living learning communities based on the Core Curriculum. One section of Boland is co-ed by floor, and two rooms accommodating four students share a bathroom. The other section of Boland is single gender by wing and individual rooms share a community bathroom. Boland also has a basement study and TV room called The Pirate’s Cellar.

The Complex, which is made up of three residence halls, houses 550 upper-class students. Each of the residence halls is arranged in two- and three-bedroom suites, each sharing a bathroom. Two lounges are available for students on each floor, and the Complex houses laundry facilities and study lounges. Off-campus apartment-style living is available at Ora Manor, which houses 105 upper-class students and it offers two- and three-bedroom apartments that each share a bathroom, kitchen and living room. A basement community room is available, and the SHUFLY shuttle takes students to and from campus. The Turrell Manor apartment complex houses 83 upper-class students who are part of the Turrell Manor Servant Leadership and Academic Excellence Program. Students complete a separate application to be part of the Turrell living learning community. This complex provides one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments.

Sophomores can live in Xavier Hall, which houses 518 students and is the home of the university’s Sophomore Discovery program. Xavier is arranged in two-bedroom suites that each share a bathroom. Xavier has a study lounge and game lounge.

Room rates at Seton Hall include heat, electricity, water, sewer, air conditioning, a 24-hour security desk, high-speed data connections, unlimited use of the campus shuttle service, escort can services, and basic cable TV service. All residence halls offer wireless networks and pay laundry rooms.

There are seven fraternities and six sororities on campus, although you’ll find that Greek life at Seton Hall is not as large a presence as you might find on other campuses. Only 5 percent of male students join Seton Hall’s fraternities, and 3 percent of female students join the sororities. Alcohol for students of legal age is permitted on the Seton Hall campus.

The Bishop Dougherty University Center is where the Galleon Food Court is located, with food stations that include a pizzeria, sandwich shop or Nathan’s. There also is the Pirate Dining Room for seated dining, and the Cove coffee house and Internet café. Students on campus with a meal plan can choose between a lump sum of meals for the semester or a weekly stipend, both of which include Pirate Dollars for use at any food vendor on campus.

Other campus facilities include a three-story library with desks, study rooms, bean bag chairs and a quiet room for serious studying. The library also has computers, printer, scanners and copy machines. Each student who attend Seton Hall has a copy machine allotment of 400 pages per year.

The 100 student organizations offer just about anything a student might be interested in, from Amnesty International to a Chinese Club. Dances are held frequently in the University Center’s main lounge, and resident assistants hold programs daily in the dorms to give students something to do at night. Seton Hall students also tend to hang out at the University Center, play pool in the Duffy Game Room, play video games in the Commuter Lounge, or watch a match on the beach volleyball court outside Boland Hall on warm afternoons. The Student Activities Board also offers Seton Hall students a number of trips in Manhattan, with discounted tickets to movies, baseball games, Broadway musicals and museums.

Seton Hall’s close proximity to the urban city of Newark, N.J., has resulted in top-notch security at the campus to protect students. A large fence encloses the campus, and anyone entering must swipe an ID card through a magnetic lock system. Residence halls are also protected by guards who check student ID cards. Emergency phone booths are also located throughout the campus, and students can ask for an escort to accompany them through the campus at night.

Student Enrollment Demographics

Student Graduation Demographics

Athletics

Seton Hall is probably best known for its basketball team, which plays countless televised games throughout the country and at its home base at the Prudential Center in Newark. The Pirate have diehard fans among current students, and an extremely active and spirited alumni association. Almost every home game during the 2010-2011 season was a nail-biter, which adds to the excitement. To boost attendance, Seton Hall refunds student season ticket holders who attend all 15 home games. And Seton Hall transports students by bus to the Prudential Center and back for every home game.

Other arsity sports that all compete in the NCAA Big East conference include baseball, softball, track, swimming, volleyball, golf, soccer, and tennis. The track and field team is led by John Moon, who has coached the U.S. Olympic Team to a few gold medals.

Intramural sports are also a big draw at Seton Hall, which offers about eight different intramural sports throughout the year. Even though Seton Hall doesn’t have a varsity football program, intramural flag football is popular on campus, with three divisions, two male leagues and a coed league. In the spring, campus intramural basketball and soccer are popular, with soccer sometimes fielding up to 60 different teams.

Athletic facilities on the campus are the Richard and Shelia Regan Fieldhouse and the Richie Regan Recreation and Athletic Center, where health-conscious students can work out on eight basket ball courts, an indoor track, a lap pool, a weight room, treadmills and other equipment, and a studio for yoga and other classes.

Seton Hall also encourages students to participate in the Pirate Fit Club, an incentive program in which participants can accumulate points for workouts and win items like water bottles, workout towels, T-shirts, and tanks. Students who accumulate 400 points are entered into the Pirate Fit Club Hall of Fame.

Bibliography

Seton Hall University, New Jersey. Seton Hall University. Web. 17 Apr. 2011.

College Admissions – SAT – University & College Search Tool. The College Board. Web. 16 Apr. 2011.

“Best Colleges | Find the Best College for You | US News Education.” US News & World Report | News & Rankings | Best Colleges, Best Hospitals, and More. US News & World Report. Web. 16 Apr. 2011.

Seton Hall University