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Former names | St. Ignatius College (1886–1923) |
|---|---|
| Motto | Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (Latin) |
Motto in English | For the greater glory of God |
| Type | Private university |
| Established | 1886; 139 years ago (1886) |
Religious affiliation | Roman Catholic (Jesuit) |
Academic affiliations | AJCU ACCU CIC |
| Endowment | $286.48 million (2024)[1] |
| President | Alan R. Miciak[2] |
Academic staff | 519 (2023)[3] |
| Students | 3,040 (fall 2024)[4] |
| Undergraduates | 2,615 (fall 2024)[4] |
| Postgraduates | 425 (fall 2024)[4] |
| Location | , U.S. |
| Campus | Suburban, 63 acres (25.5 ha) |
| Colors | Blue & gold |
| Nickname | Blue Streaks |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division III –NCAC |
| Mascot | Lobo |
| Website | jcu.edu |
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John Carroll University (JCU) is aprivateJesuit university inUniversity Heights, Ohio, United States. Located in a suburb ofCleveland, it is primarily anundergraduate,liberal arts institution composed of a College of Arts and Sciences, College of Health,Boler College of Business, and Graduate School. It was founded in 1886 as St. Ignatius College and renamed in 1923 afterJohn Carroll, the firstCatholic bishop in the United States and founder ofGeorgetown University. The university enrolls approximately 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students as of fall 2024.[4]
John Carroll University was founded in 1886 by theSociety of Jesus under the title of St. Ignatius College, afterIgnatius of Loyola, as a college for men. It has been in continuous operation as a degree-granting institution since then. Founded as the 19th of 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States, it is a member of theAssociation of Jesuit Colleges and Universities.[5]
In 1923, the college was renamed John Carroll University, honoring the firstarchbishop of theCatholic Church in the United States. Carroll foundedGeorgetown University.
In 1935, it was moved from its original location on the west side ofCleveland,Ohio, to its present site inUniversity Heights, Ohio, asuburb 10 miles (16 km) east of downtown Cleveland. However, the high school section retained its name as Saint Ignatius High School and continues to operate at the original site. What is now known as University Heights was previously named Idlewood; the city's name was changed during the construction of the university campus.[6]
DuringWorld War II, John Carroll University was one of 131 colleges and universities that nationally that were part of theV-12 Navy College Training Program which offered students a path to a Navy commission.[7]
In September 1968, the university transitioned from full-time male enrollment to a fullycoeducational institution, admitting women to the College of Arts and Sciences for the first time. The university has undergone extensive reconstruction and expansion. In 2003, the university opened the $66 million, 265,000 sq ft (24,600 m2) Dolan Center for Science and Technology, named after alumnusCharles Dolan (founder ofCablevision andHBO) and his wife Helen Dolan. The couple met while attending John Carroll. In 2011, the university completed the removal of the Bohannon Science building and celebrated the Hamlin Quad enhancement project.
The university announced in December 2017 that its board of directors had named the school's first non-Jesuit president, Michael D. Johnson. Johnson had been the provost atBabson College inWellesley, Massachusetts. He began his tenure on July 1, 2018, and was officially inaugurated on September 6, 2018.[8]
More than 25 major buildings — predominantlyCollegiate Gothic in architecture — on 65 landscaped acres make up the John Carroll campus. Saint Ignatius Hall, located in the center of campus and surmounted by the university's landmark Grasselli Tower, bears clear resemblance to the English royal palaceHampton Court.
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John Carroll University is organized into three colleges: the College of Arts and Sciences, the Boler College of Business, and the College of Health. The university requires a comprehensive core curriculum for all undergraduate students.[9] John Carroll University's College of Arts and Sciences offers more than 80 distinct programs for undergraduate and graduate students. Some of the most popular undergraduate majors are communications, biology, psychology, education, exercise science, political science, sociology, criminology, chemistry, and English.
In 2025, John Carroll University accepted 81.1% of undergraduate applicants, with admission standards considered difficult, applicant competition considered very low, and with those enrolled having an average 3.66 high schoolGPA. The college does not require submission of standardized test scores. If submitted, scores are considered. Those enrolled that submitted test scores had an average 1240SAT score (18% submitting) or an average 27ACT score (24% submitting).[10]
John Carroll has severalinternational programs in which eligible students are able to participate. The university operates several of their own programs and cooperates with other Jesuit universities in operating other programs. John Carroll University's Exchange Programs include the International Student Exchange Program, and programs atKansai Gaidai University,Nanzan University andSophia University, all in Japan as well as theTechnical University of Dortmund, Germany andUniversity of Hull, England.[11] These programs include theBelfast Institute in Peace Building and Conflict Transformation,[12] the Boler School of Business Semester inLondon,[13] Italian Studies at Vatican City, the London Liberal Arts Semester, the Jesuit Beijing Center, as well as Casa de la Solidaridad in El Salvador.
All international programs, including those for international students who study at John Carroll, are managed by the university's Center for Global Education.[14]
| Academic rankings | |
|---|---|
| Master's | |
| Washington Monthly[15] | 66 |
| Regional | |
| U.S. News & World Report[16] | 3 |
| National | |
| Forbes[17] | 424 |
John Carroll University is included among the Princeton Review’s Best 390 Colleges in America and was listed by Princeton Review as one of the 209 Best Value Colleges in the country.
In the Wall Street Journal's 'The 2025 Best Colleges in the U.S.,' John Carroll University was ranked 206th out of 500 top institutions of higher learning nationwide, placing it in the top 7% of all colleges and universities in the United States.
In the 2025U.S. News & World Report college rankings, John Carroll University was ranked third out of 165 regional universities in the Midwest. The university has been ranked within the top ten of this category since 1988.[18] The university was also ranked third (tied) for undergraduate teaching, third for "most innovative" schools, and 23rd as a "best value" school.[18]
The John M. and Mary Jo Boler School of Business was ranked first nationwide inBloomberg Businessweek's 2016 “Best Undergraduate Business Schools” employer survey for the graduates best prepared for work in their fields. It was ranked 30th among all business schools.[19]
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John Carroll is a primarily residential campus, with over 60% of all students living on campus in one of seven residence halls; 90% of freshmen and sophomores live on campus.[20] There are over 100 student-led organizations at John Carroll, many of which have the underlying goal of providing service to the community – be it the community of the local Cleveland area or the global community at large.
Fraternities and sororities are approved by the John Carroll University Office of Student Activities and governed by the rules of the Interfraternity and Panhellenic Councils.[21]
Many John Carroll University students take advantage of service opportunities during their undergraduate studies.[22]
John Carroll offers 24 men's and women's varsity sports teams. The university's official colors are blue and gold and teams compete under the nickname Blue Streaks. In 2025, John Carroll joined the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAA) Division III. The university was previously a member institution of theOhio Athletic Conference since 1989.
The university plays football, lacrosse and soccer inDon Shula Stadium, named after the winningest coach in NFL history, who had studied at John Carroll between 1947 and 1951. Shula contributed to the stadium's construction, as did formerWashington Redskins star and JCU alumnusLondon Fletcher '98.
In 1974–75, the wrestling team won the NCAA Division III national championship. In addition, three teams have qualified for the national semifinals in team sporting events: the 2002 football team, the 2003–04 men's basketball team, and the 2016 football team. On November 12, 2016, John Carroll defeated theUniversity of Mount Union 31–28, snapping the program's college football record of 112 straight regular season wins.
There have been 22 individual national champions: 16 in wrestling, two in men's outdoor track & field, one in men's indoor track & field, one in women's outdoor track & field, one in women's diving, and one in men's swimming.
The Carroll News is the student-run, weekly newspaper at John Carroll University.The Carroll News was first published in 1925 covering both John Carroll University and St. Ignatius High School. When the high school founded its own newspaper in 1927,The Carroll News limited coverage to the university.[23]
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41°29′28″N81°31′48″W / 41.491°N 81.530°W /41.491; -81.530
