Valparaiso University Admission
Valparaiso University Undergraduate Program
Valparaiso University Application

The Facts

Valparaiso University is a rather small, private institution located in the town of Valparaiso, Indiana, and was founded in 1859 by the Lutheran Church. The school is home to over 3,000 undergraduate students and approximately 1,000 graduate and part-time professional students. The university is actually divided up into several smaller graduate and undergraduate college including schools of arts and sciences, business administration, engineering, nursing, and law. The schools offer broader majorial programs in the areas of biological science, business (which includes renowned programs in international economics and sports management), communications and the arts, (which includes a wonderful and unique broadcasting program) computer and physical science (their meteorology program goes in tandem with the broadcasting major), education, engineering and environmental design, health professions, as well as social science (which encompasses a renowned Asian Studies program.) Valparaiso University offers its students a wide variety of majors in both the liberal arts and preprofessional studies, however, some of the most popular with students include majors in the areas of biology, engineering, business, and education.

Admission to Valparaiso University is quite competitive; not necessarily numerically, however, the students who do apply tend to be extremely academically accomplished and well rounded. (Hint: extracurricular activities are key for admission here!) Last year, over 3,600 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 3,000 of those students were accepted. Eventually however, only about 800 of the admitted students actually enrolled for the coming Fall semester. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1150 to 1210, and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 26 to 33. Additionally, more than 85% of the admitted students were ranked in the top 25% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of about 3.87.

Valparaiso University has an excellent student to faculty ratio of 14:1, and students say that the small class sizes and attention from professors are a few of the best facets of the university. The professors make a point to be involved in the well-being of their students, and provide them with plenty of opportunities to have their voices heard both in and out of the classroom.

The Social Scene

The town of Valparaiso, Indiana is a rather town that has a few college-town charms, but not much in the way of entertainment. This isn’t too much of a problem however, as the big and energetic city of Chicago is only about 45 miles away. Many students own cars, and often make the traffic-ridden trek into the city on the weekends to take advantage of Chicago’s culture and nightlife. Valparaiso is home to a whopping 16 national fraternities and sororities, and over half of the student body belongs to a Greek organization of some sort. The Greeks basically dictate on campus social life, and it’s impossible to stay on campus for more than 5 minutes without their presence being felt.

The dating scene is just as vibrant as Greek life; lots of activity, and lots of choices... most of them happen to be quite pleasing to the eye...

What’s Good

“If you are a Greek, which most of us are, you are treated like royalty. You get amazing digs, and have an amazing time.”

“The professors are like none else here; they are geniuses, and as a bonus, they actually care about their students.”

“The campus is really lovely, and there are plenty of quiet spots around to have a moment to yourself.”

What’s Bad

“If you aren’t a Greek, you are a nobody. Enough said.”

“People tend to be kind of snooty here. The tuition is kind of high, and it definitely shows.”

“Sure, Chicago is “close,” but who really wants to spend their entire weekend caught in traffic gridlock in the way there?”

Let the Penn Group help you apply to college.

• View our services
• Send a request now
• Read articles about applying to college