Benedictine College

BENEDICTINE COLLEGE IS A CATHOLIC, BENEDICTINE, LIBERAL ARTS, RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE WITH A MISSION TO EDUCATE MEN AND WOMEN WITHIN A COMMUNITY OF FAITH AND SCHOLARSHIP. WE HAVE A VISION TO BUILD ONE OF THE GREAT CATHOLIC COLLEGES IN AMERICA, AND ATTAINING THAT VISION REQUIRES A COMMUNITY-WIDE COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE. WE DEDICATE OURSELVES TO EDUCATING STUDENTS TO BECOME LEADERS IN THE BENEDICTINE TRADITION, WHO WILL TRANSFORM THE WORLD THROUGH THEIR COMMITMENT TO INTELLECTUAL, PERSONAL AND SPIRITUAL GREATNESS. BENEDICTINE COLLEGE IS LOCATED IN ATCHISON, KANSAS, ON A 120-ACRE CAMPUS OVERLOOKING THE MISSOURI RIVER, ABOUT 50 MILES NORTH OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI. THE COLLEGE ALSO MAINTAINS A CAMPUS IN FLORENCE, ITALY. BENEDICTINE COLLEGE HAS ENJOYED ENROLLMENT GROWTH FOR THE PAST TWO DECADES AND IN THE FALL OF 2025 HAD A FULL-TIME UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT BODY OF 2,247 STUDENTS, MORE THAN DOUBLING BENEDICTINE COLLEGE'S ENROLLMENT FROM 20 YEARS AGO. FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW, AVERAGE GPA HAS BEEN THE HIGHEST OF ANY FRESHMAN CLASS AT ANY COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY IN KANSAS. IT IS OBVIOUS THAT BENEDICTINE COLLEGE IS ATTRACTING BOTH MORE STUDENTS AS WELL AS THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST. OVER 80% OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS LIVE ON CAMPUS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE COLLEGE'S STRONG RESIDENTIAL TRADITION. TO KEEP UP WITH ITS GROWTH, BENEDICTINE COLLEGE HAS OPENED 14 NEW RESIDENCE HALLS SINCE THE YEAR 2000. THE COLLEGE'S MURPHY RECREATION CENTER, A HEALTH AND FITNESS FACILITY WITH EXERCISE MACHINES, AN ELEVATED TRACK, ROOMS FOR FITNESS AND SPINNING CLASSES, TWO BASKETBALL COURTS, AND AN INDOOR TURFED FIELD, IS A TOP-RATED FACILITY THAT HAS ADDED TO THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE ON CAMPUS. THE RENOVATION AND EXPANSION OF WESTERMAN HALL OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ADDED 40,000 SQUARE FEET OF LABORATORY AND TEACHING SPACE TO THE EXISTING 60,000 SQUARE-FOOT BUILDING. THE WESTERMAN UPGRADE HAS PROVIDED ONE OF THE BEST S.T.E.M. FACILITIES OF ANY SMALL COLLEGE IN AMERICA. THE COLLEGE ALSO RECENTLY ANNOUNCED PLANS FOR A CATHOLIC SCHOOL OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE ON THE COLLEGE'S ATCHISON CAMPUS. THE PROPOSED SCHOOL OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE AT BENEDICTINE COLLEGE WILL BRING ADDITIONAL FACULTY, STAFF AND HIGH-LEVEL MEDICAL STUDENTS TO THE CITY OF ATCHISON. THE NEW COLLEGE LIBRARY, BASED ON INDEPENDENCE HALL IN PHILADELPHIA, IS SCHEDULED TO OPEN ON JULY 4, 2026, THE 250TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF THE UNITED STATES. THE 58,000 SQUARE FOOT FACILITY WILL INCLUDE MORE SPACE FOR THE COLLEGE'S COLLECTION, A RARE BOOKS ROOM, COFFEE SHOP, AND THREE TIMES THE STUDY SPACE OF THE PREVIOUS LIBRARY. IN ADDITION, IT WILL INCLUDE A REPLICA OF THE LIBERTY BELL AND REPLICA OF THE ASSEMBLY ROOM WHERE THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE AND U.S. CONSTITUTION WERE SIGNED. OUR ATHLETES HAVE EXCELLED ON THE FIELD AS WELL AS OFF, WITH BOTH STUDENTS AND TEAMS RECEIVING HEART OF AMERICA ATHLETIC CONFERENCE SCHOLAR ATHLETE RECOGNITION AND BENEDICTINE COLLEGE BEING NAMED A CHAMPIONS OF CHARACTER FIVE STAR INSTITUTION BY THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS. THE WOMEN'S LACROSSE TEAM WON THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP AND WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY TEAM WON THE HEART OF AMERICA ATHLETIC CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP AND COMPETED IN THE NATIONAL RACE. FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW, THE FOOTBALL TEAM WON THE HEART SOUTH CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP AND MADE IT TO THE SEMIFINAL ROUND OF THE NAIA FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES. IN THE AREA OF ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE, BENEDICTINE IS NOW ONE OF THE FEW CATHOLIC COLLEGES IN THE NATION OFFERING ABET-ACCREDITED PROGRAMS IN CHEMICAL, CIVIL, ELECTRICAL, AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERING. OF MORE THAN 250 CATHOLIC COLLEGES IN AMERICA, BENEDICTINE IS ONE OF ONLY FOUR TO OFFER AN ARCHITECTURE PROGRAM. ON TOP OF THAT, BENEDICTINE COLLEGE IS THE ONLY INSTITUTION IN THE NAIA TO OFFER BOTH ARCHITECTURE AND ENGINEERING. SEVERAL OTHER NEW MAJORS HAVE BEEN ADDED IN RECENT YEARS, INCLUDING ART, GRAPHIC DESIGN, CRIMINOLOGY, ENGINEERING PHYSICS, FINANCE, INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS, INTERNATIONAL STUDIES, EVANGELIZATION AND CATECHESIS, AND NURSING. THE NURSING STUDENTS REGULARLY HAVE HIGH PASS RATE ON THEIR CERTIFICATION EXAM AND ALL HOLD JOBS IN THE MEDICAL FIELD. THIS YEAR, BENEDICTINE COLLEGE APPEARED IN THE TOP 10 COLLEGES IN THE MIDWEST IN THE ANNUAL U.S. NEWS AND WORLD REPORT RANKINGS OF AMERICA'S BEST COLLEGES. IN ADDITION, THE CARDINAL NEWMAN SOCIETY NAMED BENEDICTINE COLLEGE ONE OF THE TOP CATHOLIC COLLEGES IN THE UNITED STATES IN ITS PUBLICATION, THE NEWMAN GUIDE TO CHOOSING A CATHOLIC COLLEGE, AND BENEDICTINE WAS NAMED THE BEST PRIVATE COLLEGE IN KANSAS BY THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. AFTER AN EXTENSIVE NATIONAL STUDY IN 2008, FIRST THINGS MAGAZINE NAMED BENEDICTINE COLLEGE TO ITS TOP 20 OVERALL AND ONE OF THE TOP 5 CATHOLIC COLLEGES IN AMERICA. THE SCHOOL IS RANKED NUMBER 18 IN THE NATION BY THEIR RESEARCH, WHICH INCLUDED MORE THAN 2,000 COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, FROM AMERICAN UNIVERSITY TO YALE. BENEDICTINE COLLEGE HAS LAUNCHED AN HONORS PROGRAM, A GREGORIAN LEADERSHIPS PROGRAM, A CONSTITUTIONAL LIBERTY FELLOWS PROGRAM, THE WANGARI MAATHAI S.T.E.M. FELLOWS PROGRAM (NAMED FOR THE 1964 GRADUATE WHO WON THE 2004 NOBEL PEACE PRIZE), AND A FREEDOM FELLOWS PROGRAM WHICH PROVIDES SCHOLARSHIPS AND GUIDANCE TO FIRST-GENERATION STUDENTS. THE ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM FOR TRANSFORMING CULTURE IN AMERICA HAS BECOME A MAINSTAY IN THE CHURCH'S MISSION TO REACH OUT TO CATHOLICS AND NON-CATHOLICS. THE CAMPUS MINISTRY PROGRAM IS NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED AND THE STUDENT LIFE PROGRAM HAS BECOME A MODEL FOR OTHER COLLEGES. EACH YEAR, THE RAVENS RESPECT LIFE STUDENT ORGANIZATION TAKES HUNDREDS OF STUDENTS TO THE ANNUAL MARCH FOR LIFE IN WASHINGTON, D.C., AND THE COLLEGE HAS NOW STARTED A RAVENS FOR LIFE PROGRAM THAT ENGAGES ALUMNI WITH REGIONAL PRO-LIFE MARCHES AND RALLIES. BENEDICTINE COLLEGE IS CONSISTENTLY GAINING IN IMAGE AND AWARENESS. THE CAMPUS HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED, WITH NEW RESIDENCE FACILITIES, A NEW RECREATION CENTER AND NEW ACADEMIC BUILDINGS. THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS STATUE NOW WELCOMES VISITORS IN RAVEN MEMORIAL PARK IN THE CENTER OF CAMPUS. THE 2004 NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER, WANGARI MAATHAI, WAS ALSO REMEMBERED WITH A STATUE IN ST. SCHOLASTICA PLAZA, AND STATUES OF ST. BENEDICT AND ST. SCHOLASTICA REMIND EVERYONE OF THE COLLEGE'S PATRONS. IN ADDITION, A STATUE OF MOTHER TERESA, NOW ST. TERESA OF CALCUTTA, WAS INSTALLED OUTSIDE THE NURSING BUILDING THAT BEARS HER NAME. THE BENEDICTINE MONKS AND SISTERS WHO BRAVED THE AMERICAN FRONTIER OF THE MIDDLE 1800'S WOULD BE PROUD OF THE INSTITUTION THAT STILL REPRESENTS THEIR VISION OF COMMUNITY, FAITH AND SCHOLARSHIP TODAY.