Elmhurst College Admission
Elmhurst College Undergraduate Program
Elmhurst College Application

The Facts

Elmhurst College is a small, private liberal arts and sciences college affiliated with the United Church of Christ, and is located in the town of Elmhurst, Illinois. The school is home to over 2,000 undergraduate students and approximately 600 graduate and part-time professional students who are able to take courses both in the liberal arts and in preprofessional studies. The school offers a wide array of majors in the areas of biological science, business (a large program that encompasses everything from banking and finance to international business management), communications and the arts (home to a wonderful foreign language program that offers French, German, Spanish, and English), computer and physical science, education, engineering and environmental design, health professions, and social sciences. Some of the most popular majors include biology, English, education, business administration, and nursing.

Admission to Elmhurst College is not terribly competitive numerically; however, those who do apply tend to have been very academically successful in the past. Last year, over 1,515 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 1,100 of those students were accepted; of those, about 370 matriculated. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1100 to 1140, and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 23 to 31. Additionally, more than 70% of the admitted students were ranked in the top 10% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of about a 3.75.

Elmhurst College has a rather manageable student to faculty ratio of 19:1, and in fact, it is quite rare to find any class with more than 20 students, and there are usually less. Students love their professors, saying that they are not only interested in your grades but in how you are faring in general. Classes are usually held in seminar format, with plenty of opportunities for students to get their voices heard.

The Social Scene

The town of Elmhurst is actually a nearby suburb of the city of Chicago, which is only about fifteen miles away. In fact, many students head into the city on the weekends to take advantage of its social and cultural offerings including museums, restaurants, bars, clubs, theater, concerts; you name it, Chicago has got it. The traffic is notoriously awful, so most students take the efficient and affordable commuter trains to get into the city center. Elmhurst College is home to nine local and national fraternities and sororities, and many students join a Greek organization at some point in their college careers. The Greeks often throw parties that are very popular with Greeks and non-Greeks alike, where the beer flows and the bass is turned waaaay up.

The dating scene is quite intriguing, we’re told. Keep your eyes peeled for the fabled beauties of Elmhurst...

What’s Good

“The school is really like one big family, which is such a unique experience to have in college.”

“The party scene is incredible, which really surprised me at first because the school is religiously affiliated and all.”

“The classes are the perfect sizes, and you don’t feel like you’re lost in the shuffle.”

What’s Bad

“Everything is too touchy-feely, we love everyone here. Sometimes you just want to be left alone.”

“The administration is actually kind of difficult to deal with. They aren’t very consolidated.”

“I wish the campus was more diverse. You have to go into the city if you want to meet anyone remotely different.”

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