Iona College

Enrollment: 3460
Average SAT: 553
Most Popular Majors: Finance, General,Mass Communication/Media Studies,Psychology, General,
Regular Application Deadline: 02/15
Student Faculty Ratio: 13:1

Undergraduate Receiving Need-Based Financial Aid: 36
Average Freshman Total Need-Based Gift Aid: $4,391.00

School Says - General Information
Founded by the Christian Brothers in 1940, Iona is one of the only colleges in the region to hold several prestigious national accreditations in business (AACSB), social work (CSWE), teacher education (NCATE), computer science (ABET) and journalism and mass communication (ACEJMC). IonaÂ's marriage and family therapy program is a candidate for COAMFTE accreditation. A medium-sized college with a student-teacher ratio of 13:1, Iona has approximately 3,500 undergraduate students and 4,500 total students. There are five residence halls on the CollegeÂ's picturesque 35-acre campus in New Rochelle, NY; an additional non-residential campus houses the Rockland Graduate Center in Pearl River, NY, which offers masterÂ's degrees to students in Rockland and neighboring Westchester, Bergen, and Orange and Westchester counties. Students are encouraged to integrate the spiritual, intellectual, emotional and physical dimensions of their lives, immersed in a community where ethical decisions and service to others are primary considerations.

School Says - Student Body
The Office of Student Development hosts hundreds of on and off-campus events throughout the year, and students can participate in more than 60 student-run organizations. Iona College encourages students to broaden their educational experience through study abroad; it sponsors summer, semester, and intersession programs in Australia, England, France, Ireland, Italy and Spain. Campus Ministries provides multiple opportunities for students to engage in service and ministry projects, while Iona in Mission offers students the chance to travel to aid the disadvantaged in the US and abroad. The College has a vibrant athletics program with more than 400 student-athletes in IonaÂ's 22 NCAA Division I teams in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Recently both the menÂ's and womenÂ's cross country teams won MAAC Championships: the 16th consecutive championship for the menÂ's team, and the 3rd straight for the womenÂ's team. The menÂ's team placed second at the NCAA championship.

School Says - Academics
The College offers BA, BS, BPS, and BBA degrees to undergraduate students. The BA, BS, and BPS degrees require a total of 120 credits for completion; for BBA degrees, a total of 126 credits are required. An honors program, with special courses, seminars, mentoring, advising, and off-campus opportunities, is available to top students. Iona also offers masterÂ's degrees, certificates, and post-masterÂ's certificates in a variety of programs: communication, computer technology, counseling (substance abuse, mental health, marriage and family therapy, and pastoral), criminal justice, education, educational technology, English, finance, health services administration, history, Italian, journalism, psychology, public relations, Spanish, and telecommunications. IonaÂ's Hagan School of Business offers an AACSB-accredited MBA programand certificates. Part-time and adult students returning to college can pursue a bachelorÂ's degree through the Professional Studies Program.

School Says - Admissions
Admission decisions at Iona are based on a wide range of criteria. Most important is an applicant's academic record, including the level of curriculum and grades earned. Also considered are SAT I or ACT scores, grade trends, writing sample, activities and recommendations. For the class entering in September of 2007, the average grade point average was an 89% or 3.4; the middle 50% on the SAT ranged from 1080 to 1300. About 6,017 applications were and about 3,500 (59%) of the applications were accepted and offered admission. Campus visits are available on most weekdays that school is in session and on selected Saturdays; appointments are recommended. To schedule a visit, please contact our Campus Visit Center at (914) 633-2622 or email eenglish@iona.edu.

School Says - Campus Life
Iona is located just 20 minutes north of Manhattan, and its proximity to New York City provides students with exceptional cultural, educational, internship and career opportunities. Recruiters from top Fortune 500 companies participate in IonaÂ's Internship/Career Expo every year, and students have held internships at some of the best-known corporations in New York City and the surrounding area.

School Says - Cost Aid
Undergraduate tuition for the 2008-09 academic year is $26,206. Room and board is an additional $11,100.Iona uses a system of academic scholarships in combination with need-based financial aid to help students enroll. For 2007-08 academic year, 89% of undergraduates received some financial aid, with the average aid award near $18,946. To apply for financial aid, students should file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the Iona College Financial Aid Application forms.

Students Say - Academics
"Students looking for a liberal arts or business education at a school that provides "an easy adjustment from high school" may find Iona College to be a good fit. Students here report that professors are "extremely accessible, friendly, and eager to help." "I had a teacher once who noticed my grades dropped a little, and e-mailed me asking if I was okay and if she [could] help," one satisfied student writes. Iona's "amazing" Honors Degree Program offers students special classes "with just honors students" and "special professors" who "seem to be a step above." Be warned, however: "Teachers take attendance like in high school," and "Attendance counts [toward] your grade." This irks students who feel that sometimes "you can learn [the material] on your own." The administration, while well meaning, is not easy to deal with. "Financial aid is where most people have the most trouble," a senior reports. On the upside, Iona is "located conveniently close to New York City," which makes it "ideal for interning.""

Students Say - Campus Life
"Situated just 20 minutes north of Manhattan in Westchester County, Iona offers great proximity to a world-class metropolis. "The train station is super close" and getting to "the city" is less than "a 30-minute event," students tell us. Manhattan "is very expensive" for a student budget, however, so the majority of the time "students stay nearby." Within Iona's New Rochelle environs, students frequent New Roc City, a complex that features "restaurants, shopping, a movie theater," "bowling, ice skating," "pool," and "mini golf." Other than that, students report, "There is not that much to do in New Rochelle for fun" as "Most of the bars around town have been shut down because of underage drinking." Off-campus house parties hosted by Greek organizations and sports teams help fill the void, as do trips to "bars in the Bronx." Back on campus, "Football, basketball, and soccer games are popular," and "Many students just hang out with their friends in the dorm rooms." "On-campus clubs," on the other hand, "are not particularly popular, nor are the campus-organized activities, except among students who don't drink." Because of the large commuter population "It gets really quiet" on weekends when "a lot of people go home.""

Students Say - Student Body
"Students at Iona report that their peers are "mostly Caucasian" and of "Irish or Italian background," though they point out that, "in recent years, the Hispanic and Black populations [have] been increasing." While "Most students are from the Tristate Area," a sanguine undergrad informs us that "the athletic students come from all over the globe! We have athletes from Kenya, Uganda, England, Ireland, Central and South America, and all across the United States." Regardless of background, "Everyone seems to have at least one tight-knit group of friends that they socialize with." In fact, "cliques are formed even before school starts through Facebook.com and orientation," and "living in the dorms is definitely a must in order to make good friends and keep them," a sophomore advises. Physical descriptions of the typical Iona student involve measures of urbanity, materialism, and locomotion: "A large percentage of the students walk around with their cell phone in one hand," a freshman writes, and "The girls seem to walk around looking very rich." "Balance" is a catchphrase on campus. As one accounting major explains, "The typical student at Iona College is well rounded," someone who "strives to do well academically and also has a good social life and good friends.""

Marist College
Fordham University

More at PrincetonReview.com