Founded in 1853 in Beaver, Pennsylvania as the Beaver Female Seminary, Arcadia University has been on its current campus in Glenside, a suburb that is 10 miles north of Philadelphia, since 1925. At that time, the school, then called Beaver College, was all- female and would remain so until 1972. In that same year the college also became a more comprehensive institution, offering graduate degrees for the first time. In 2001, Beaver College was granted university status by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and was renamed Arcadia University.
Today Arcadia has approximately 4,000 students, including approximately 2,500 undergraduates. It is the smallest secular private university in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Arcadia is also nearly 70 percent female, according to data supplied by the university to US News.
Arcadia is a moderately selective school, perhaps because of several unique degree programs, especially in education, the sciences and the health professions. Nearly 60 percent of the students who applied to join the freshman class that entered in 2014 were offered admission. The entering class had just under 1,200 students. The middle 50 percent of the class that submitted SAT scores scored between 1000 and 1200 (out of 1600) on the Critical Reading and Math sections of the test. The middle 50 percent for the ACT was between 22 and 27. Just over 60 percent of the undergraduate student body comes from Pennsylvania. Neighboring states including Maryland, New Jersey and New York are also well represented.
Given Arcadia’s location and academic offerings—the university’s attractions are in business, communications, international studies and the health sciences—it is likely to be cross-shopped against other Philadelphia-area colleges as well as any state university in Pennsylvania. It will also be cross-shopped versus other Pennsylvania schools that offer an accelerated degree pathway in a physical therapy or physician’s assistant program. The smaller schools closest to Arcadia that offer the program in physical therapy are Neumann University (in Aston close to Arcadia’s campus) , the University of the Sciences (in downtown Philadelphia) and Widener University (in Chester, near Wilmington, Delaware). Philadelphia University is the closest small college that offers the accelerated physician’s assistant program. The most similar school to Arcadia within Pennsylvania, in terms of academic offerings and undergraduate student body size, is probably Misericordia University located outside of Scranton.
Arcadia’s most recently reported freshman retention rate was 85 percent for the class that entered in 2013. Approximately half of the class that entered in 2009 graduated within four years (75 percent returned for their sophomore year according to College Results Online), although the university also offers accelerated and assured admissions programs into their graduate degrees. The most recently reported five-year graduation ! rate was 57 percent; the most recent six-year rate was just under 60 percent. These numbers do show that the transfer-out rate is significant.
Costs
Arcadia will charge approximately $41,000 in tuition and fees in 2016-17 as well as an additional $13,500 for an average room and board plan. Additional fees may be assessed, but they are fairly low. The parking fee, for example, for students who are permitted to park cars on campus, is only $80 for a year.
Arcadia offers some very generous scholarships, including a limited number of full-tuition awards as well awards for high-achieving transfer students. The second-largest award, the Distinguished Scholarship, makes Arcadia price-competitive with Pennsylvania public universities. An applicant who would fall in the middle of the admit pool at either Penn State or Pitt could qualify for this award. The university reports on its Web site that 80 percent of an entering class receives scholarship assistance.
While Arcadia did not report student loan indebtedness information to either the College Board or the Project on Student Debt, it did report (to the Project on Student Debt) that 88 percent of the graduates in the Class of 2014 needed to take out student loans to help them to cover the cost of their degree. The university also reported that nearly one- third of the class had qualified for Federal Pell Grants to help reduce their college costs. These graduates might have also qualified for grants through the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Authority to further reduce their costs. However, given the difference between the freshman retention rate (which is improving) and the four-year graduation rate (which is not) it is fair to ask if cost increases are a reason why students have left before they completed a degree. Tuition and fees at most colleges rise by more than increases in merit-based and need-based scholarship aid.
Arcadia reported an endowment of approximately $67 million in FY 2015, according to the National Association of College and University Business Officers. It was significantly larger than the endowment of Misericordia University ($44 million), the most comparable institution.
Curriculum
Arcadia allows entering freshmen to begin their education either on the Glenside campus or abroad in London, England or Sterling, Scotland. The university also offers an optional Preview study abroad between the first and second semesters of the freshman year in several locations around the world. More than half of a freshman class participates in Preview; students in the honors program even receive a discount that encourages their participation. ! Arcadia’s general education requirements are much like other small private colleges. The university stands out for not only encouraging study abroad, but also study away with partner schools in the US as well as through experiential learning. Everyone must complete a two-semester capstone experience in their senior year; the requirements are set by the academic departments. The university’s location is a major plus for students seeking internships, even if they do not have access to a car. Glenside is served by SEPTA rail service directly into Philadelphia; the station is within easy walking distance of campus. The campus is also close to the Pennsylvania Turnpike for those who have cars.
Arcadia requires all students to complete a year of foreign language at college level, though it is possible to place out of it. There are, however, 11 languages offered by the university, including several that are less likely to be part of a high school curriculum: Arabic, Chinese, American Sign Language, Hebrew, Japanese and Russian. It is worthwhile for students who are interested in International Affairs or International Business to learn a new language if they believe that they have mastered their high school language.
Arcadia is uniquely organized with a College of Global Studies separated from its College of Arts and Sciences as well as a School of Global Business instead of a traditional “college of business.” The Health Science programs are all graduate degrees though there is an opportunity to pursue a degree in Healthcare Administration through the business school as well as pre-health advising that helps undergraduates to qualify for admission to the graduate health science programs. Arcadia also has an assured admission to its master’s program for physicians assistants for students who qualify based on their grades in the science, their overall grade point average and recommendations. Applicants must also meet or exceed a minimum score on the GRE and have at least 200 hours of medically related experience, either paid or volunteer. Unlike most undergraduate-to-graduate transitions to a physician’s assistant program, Arcadia admits freshmen to the university and they earn their way into the graduate degree with their academic performance and experience. They are not assured admission to the graduate degree before they begin their freshman year as they might be at other schools. The same applies to the Physical Therapy program.
The College of Global Studies runs Arcadia’s study abroad programs; this is the only university in the US that has elevated study abroad to co-equal stature with degree- granting schools. According to the university, this college serves over 3,000 students from more than 300 colleges around the world. The 2015 Open Doors report published by the Institute of International Education ranked Arcadia University first in the nation in undergraduate students participating in study abroad. As one example, the Global Media program, which offers several concentrations in communications, requires a year of study abroad, a unique program for any college that offers these degrees. ! The School of Global Business offers, among other programs, a blended major called International Business and Culture than combines business, liberal arts and foreign language and international study. This degree can be completed in three or four years and is an attractive option for students who are divided between business and international relations as courses of study. Also unique is an option to pursue a BA or BS in Accounting. However, while Arcadia’s business school is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), it is not accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). The latter is more recognized by corporate recruiters who seek entry-level talent.
Arcadia also offers attractive options for students who are interested in education. The university’s School of Education grants a Bachelor of Arts in Early Elementary Education (PreK-4th grade); Dual Certification for PreK-4th grade and Special Education, PreK-8th grade; Dual Certification for Secondary Education and Special Education, and several 3+2 options for students to earn the Bachelors and Masters degrees within five years. The school also offers an Education Studies minor than can be combined with most other majors offered by the university.
Arcadia awarded about a quarter of its degrees for the Class of 2014 in the Social Sciences according to College Results Online. Just over a fifth of degrees granted were in mathematics and the sciences. Less than ten percent were awarded in business, education and the health-related fields.
You are not likely to see large classes at Arcadia. Only four percent of all of the university’s undergraduate courses offered in 2014 had more than 50 students, while 70 percent had less than 20 students enrolled, according to data that the university submitted to US News.
Arcadia students gave their faculty a rating of 3.73 (out of a possible 5) on RateMyProfessors.com, about the same rating that West Chester University students (who attend the state university closest to Arcadia) gave their faculty. They also held their faculty in similar regard as students at Misericordia University (3.76), the most comparable school. Arcadia students held their faculty in higher regard than students at Drexel (3.59) and the University of the Sciences (3.55) and in slightly higher regard than students at Temple (3.70).
Community
Glenside is not really a college town, though it is close to Philadelphia, which truly is one. Unless you travel into the city, entertainment is more likely to be found on campus than off. ! Arcadia’s 76-acre campus was built on the grounds of a former estate. The campus includes the original residence on the estate grounds (Grey Towers Castle) that hosts university offices as well as student residences along with the former horse stable (Murphy Hall) that hosts the visual and performing arts programs. Aside from these two buildings the most impressive facilities for students are the most modern including Brubaker Hall, home to the Health Sciences and Business schools and the Commons, the university’s student center. Academic buildings as well as Grey Towers Castle, the Commons and the undergraduate residence halls circle the center of campus, Haber Green. There’s no dominant architectural theme to the campus though it is attractive (excluding Boyer Hall, the main science building which is a concrete modular design) and well landscaped. Most of the parking is to the edge of campus, facing Easton Road, the main entrance and near Murphy Hall and the Castle. Resident students would cross a street only if they lived in the university-owned Oak Summit apartments across campus off Easton Road.
Arcadia has had relatively few reported incidents of drug or alcohol-related crimes although more than 1,000 students live in university housing on a fairly small campus. There were no alcohol-related arrests from 2012 to 2014, according to the university’s Clery Report and no more than 88 disciplinary referrals in any of those three years. There were only four drug-related arrests though drug-related disciplinary referrals spiked from 26 in 2012 to 60 in 2014. There were, however, 13 reported incidents of forcible rape in 2014 while larceny/theft also remains a problem.
Arcadia competes in 17 sports in the Middle Athletic Conferences which has 18 member schools in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and New York. The university has attained recognition for its commitment to community service within its athletic program for the past three years. Seventy-four student-athletes were named to the conference’s academic honor roll in 2015, including many members of the women’s field hockey and soccer teams.
Comforts
Arcadia houses just over half of the student body in university-owned housing, including apartments for upper-class students. Eighty-five percent of a freshman class lives on campus. The university guarantees housing for four years.
Three first-year residence halls Dilworth, Kistler and Thomas are closely connected to the dining center and offer mainly double and triple rooms. Air conditioning in the rooms, consoled by the occupants, and laundry are included in room charges for these halls. Knight and Heinz are mainly upper-class halls. Up to six students may also share living spaces in turrets within Grey Towers Castle, a living experience that practically no other college can offer. ! While there are large apartment complexes within easy driving distance of campus, as well as houses for rent, the better bet is to live across the street (Easton Road) in the university-owned Oak Summit Apartments. These apartments not only are a short walk from campus; they also have their own parking on site.
First-year students are required to purchase a 14 meal per week plan though they may reduce the number of meals, as well as the costs of meals after their first semester.
Connections
Among the nearly 14,000 Arcadia alumni registered in LinkedIn.com, over 8,500 work and live around the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area and nearly 1,200 are based around New York City. The numbers drop off considerably after that; the Washington DC metro area ranks third as home base to just over 350 alumni. More than 2,400 alumni work in education-related fields while over 1,700 work in health-related professions. This is interesting given that the majority of recently-awarded undergraduate degrees are in neither of these areas. There are also more than 1,200 employed in Marketing, Media and Communications and over 600 who work in the arts. The university reported an average alumni giving rate of just under 13 percent to US News, low for a school of this size and location.
Arcadia does an excellent job at blending experiential learning into all of the majors, even those that are not in pre-professional subjects. A relatively high (42 percent) of the Class of 2015 was enrolled in graduate or professional schools, at least on a part-time basis, including study in six of Arcadia’s advanced degree programs: Medical Science (Physician’s Assistant), Physical Therapy, Forensic Science, Counseling, Early Childhood Education, Fine Arts and Genetic Counseling. The university has other advanced degree programs as well with 3+2 options for undergraduates. It also has 3+2 agreements with Columbia, the University of Pittsburgh and Washington University in St. Louis for engineering that allow students to choose a Computer Science/Mathematics, Chemistry or Physics major in conjunction with a Bachelor’s degree in an engineering program at the other school. Most other 3+2 programs offer this option only to Physics majors.
As previously mentioned, Arcadia’s location makes it easy for students to connect with alumni and employers and for alumni to return to campus to network or pursue an advanced degree. Outside of the academic programs, the location and the international studies options are the best reasons to consider the school.
Conclusions
Arcadia has several advantages: a great location, numerous opportunities for international study and regionally respected academic programs in business, ! communications, education, forensic science and the health professions. The university does a very good job at integrating career development into the academic programs as well as blending undergraduate and graduate programs. The campus is compact, attractive and well maintained. The university can house virtually everyone who asks for housing. Arcadia is also a very cost-friendly school for high-achieving transfer students who have begun their education at a community college.
Arcadia also has some downsides. It is a regional school that has, and still attracts many students from the Greater Philadelphia Metropolitan Area. While the university has attracted an ethnically diverse student body, it is not a geographically diverse one. The costs are also high for students who do not qualify for one of the three larger scholarships. This might explain why graduation rates are not what they could be. Misericodia, the most comparable school, as one example, attracts a statistically-similar student. However, that school also graduated 63 percent of the students who entered in 2010 versus Arcadia’s 50 percent.
Arcadia is an attractive alternative to the larger schools in Pennsylvania’s public university systems, especially for students who can qualify for the more generous scholarships. A B or better student can be happy and succeed at this school if they find an academic fit and the finances are in their favor.
Report Card for Arcadia University
• Four-Year/Six Year Graduation Rate: C+/C+
• Freshman Retention: B
• Costs: C+
• Curriculum: A
• Community: B+
• Comforts: B
• Connections: B+