The Premier Independent Catholic University in the South
Bellarmine University is a vibrant community of educational excellence and ethical awareness that consistently ranks among the nation's best colleges and universities. Our students pursue an education based in the liberal arts – and in the distinguished, inclusive Catholic tradition of educational excellence, the oldest and most rewarding in the western world. It is a lifelong education, worthy of the university's namesake, Saint Robert Bellarmine, and of his invitation to each of us to learn and live in veritatis amore – in the love of all that is beautiful, true and good in life.

Our Louisville Home
On the edge of downtown Louisville Bellarmine is set on three beautiful hills in the artful and eclectic Highlands neighborhood. We are within walking distance of the Bardstown Road corridor, where coffee houses, restaurants, and one-of-a-kind shops add to the overall Bellarmine experience. Downtown Louisville is just minutes away and offers world-class theatre, arts, sports, museums and gorgeous riverfront parks. Louisville is situated on the mile-wide Ohio River, at the gateway to the South and the crossroads of the Midwest. Two hundred million people – two-thirds of the nation's population – live within a 500-mile radius of the city.

BELL-er-mun
Bellarmine is growing rapidly, not only with great new campus amenities and academic programs, but also in regional and national prominence. As we grow, more and more people are adding “Bellarmine” to their lists of top schools. Around here, we say "BELL-er-mun" in "LOU-a-vuhl." This is one of the friendliest campuses and places in the world, so we'll still love you no matter how you pronounce these names. BU is named after Roberto Bellarmino (1542-1621), the brilliant Jesuit, who was a Cardinal and who was canonized in 1930.

A Campus on the Move
Our lush, 175-acre campus comprises more than 50 buildings, including the beautiful Siena residential complex, the W.L. Lyons Brown Library, the Norton Health Science Center and Our Lady of the Woods Chapel. Centro, one of the most significant construction projects in Bellarmine’s history, is a three-story structure connected by a glass atrium to one of Bellarmine’s foundational buildings and is home to the Admissions Welcome Center, the Career Development Center and state-of-the-art classrooms, as well as spaces for students to study and relax. Our recreational facilities include indoor and outdoor tennis courts; a fitness center; and athletic fields including the Owsley B. Frazier Stadium, home to lacrosse, soccer, field hockey, and track & field. Our campus on three hills and our award-winning architecture evoke the beautiful Italian hill towns of Tuscany, birthplace of our patron, Roberto Bellarmino.

Teaching You'll Never Forget
Bellarmine faculty scholars are passionate about teaching. 180 full-time faculty, with 82 percent holding a Ph.D. or the highest degree in their field, teach at Bellarmine.

Student Excellence
A diverse student body from 43 states and 26 foreign countries attend Bellarmine. Our total enrollment is 3,759 of which 2,546 are undergraduate students. The ACT composite scores range from 22 to 27 for the middle 50 percent of students.

A Human Scale Learning Environment
Our student-faculty ratio is 12 to 1. Our average class size at Bellarmine is 20. There are 29 students or fewer in 84 percent of our classes. Teaching and learning like this just doesn’t take place at the megaversities, and it shows in our high four-year graduation rates and in the successful careers of our 23,905 graduates (as of fall 2017) throughout the world.

Price, cost and value
2019-2020 tuition & fees: $42,430; room and board: $9,030.
Don’t overreact to the price of an education, but focus on its much lower actual cost to you, and its enormously high value as an investment in your future. We provide more than $19 million in scholarships and financial aid to entering students each year. Award amounts are determined on an individual basis and celebrate the strength and achievement of each admitted student. A person, not a computer, processes your application. Just as with everything at Bellarmine, your financial situation gets individual attention.

We understand that the cost of an excellent private higher education like the one you’ll get at Bellarmine University is a major consideration for you and your family. We also know that, when it comes to investing in a secure, successful future, families don’t want to cut corners, or sell themselves short, or settle for mediocrity. A Bellarmine education is an investment that will pay exceptionally high returns for a lifetime. It is Bellarmine University’s goal and commitment to ensure that every student receives our best comprehensive offer of financial assistance and that your affordable investment in a Bellarmine education becomes a reality. 
Find out how affordable Bellarmine can be for you here.

The World is Also Our Campus
Bellarmine offers semester, yearlong and summer study-abroad programs in 60 countries on six continents. There are more than 150 programs of study. Approximately a quarter of our students engage in an international experience abroad, compared to the national average of just over 1%.

What's Your Major?
We offer more than 60 majors in the arts and sciences, business, education, communication, environmental studies, nursing and health sciences. We encourage double majors. Graduate degrees include Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Education and Social Change, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Leadership in Higher Education, Doctor of Education in K-12 District Leadership (Ed.D.), Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Arts in Communication (MAC), Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), Master of Health Science in Medical Lab Science (MLS), Master of Health Science in Respiratory Therapy (RT),Master of Science in Athletic Training (MSAT), Master of Science in Digital Media (MSDM), Master of Science in Nursing Education or Administration Tracks, and Master of Science in Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner Track. We also offer an Educational Specialist Degree in Instructional Leadership & School Administration, Accelerated 2nd Degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), Radiation Therapy Second Degree, and Accounting Certificate. Our online programs include a Master of Arts in Education (MAEd), Master of Health Science Health Promotion & Social Change Track or Healthcare Leadership Track (MHS), Master of Education in Higher Education Leadership and Social Justice, and Rank I Programs.

The Bellarmine Knights
Bellarmine student athletes play 21 varsity sports in NCAA Division II, plus NCAA Division I lacrosse. We also offer a variety of intramural sports. Women compete in Basketball, Cross Country, Field Hockey, Golf, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Tennis, Volleyball and indoor and outdoor Track. Men play Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Golf, Lacrosse, Soccer, Swimming, Tennis, indoor and outdoor Track and Wrestling. 18 percent of first-time, full-time freshmen are student athletes.