Saint Joseph's University

To determine if an online college or university is legitimate, prospective students should first look at its accreditation. Accredited online colleges and universities are higher education institutions that have met and maintained the educational requirements determined by an accrediting agency. Saint Joseph’s University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). MSCHE is an institutional accreditor recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The accrediting agency evaluates aspects of each institution, including the modality of instruction within academic programs and services.

As a veteran-friendly school, SJU participates in the Yellow Ribbon program, helping veterans pay for out-of-state college tuition and fees that the Post-9/11 GI Bill doesn’t cover. Veterans enrolled in an online degree program at SJU can access services through the Office of Veterans Services and participate in their Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans With Disabilities program.

Five out of 55 undergraduate degree programs at SJU have the highest earnings, according to College Scorecard. These programs include Accounting and Related Services at $73,059, Finance and Financial Management Services at $72,898, Insurance at $72,326, Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods at $70,859, and International Business at $68,919. 

While SJU doesn’t offer online undergraduate degree programs, they do provide online graduate programs within these high-earning fields of study, such as Finance, Business Intelligence and Analytics, and Strategic Human Resource Management.

Potential Benefits

• Small class sizes

Students who benefit from a smaller, more intimate classroom environment may find SJU appealing. SJU’s student-to-faculty ratio is 10 to 1, and it has a population of 4,217 undergraduate students, according to federal data from College Scorecard and the NCES. 

• Diverse programs from various fields of study

For online graduate degree programs, prospective students can pursue fields of study like Cybersecurity, Health Informatics, and Reading Specialist.

• Online resources 

Distance learners have access to resources such as virtual advising, a career center, a success center, counseling services, and an online library.

Potential Cons 

• SJU doesn’t offer any online bachelor’s degrees.

Unfortunately, SJU doesn’t offer any distance education programs at the undergraduate level. Therefore, students interested in pursuing an online program at SJU must consider this when applying.

• The annual cost of tuition is high.

College Scorecard reports that the average annual college tuition and fees at SJU is $33,492. In addition, 61% of undergraduate students receive federal student loans at SJU. With this in mind, prospective students may have to take out loans and obtain other financial aid sources to cover tuition.

SJU’s acceptance rate is 80%, which indicates that getting admitted may not be too challenging for applicants. While SJU does not require college entrance exam scores, they may still be considered during the admission review process. For applicants who submitted their test scores, the SAT scores of applicants generally range between 560 to 650 in critical reading and 540 to 640 in math. For the ACT, scores were between 23 and 29.

To apply for admission to SJU, prospective students must submit an online application for their desired level of study. Undergraduate applicants can submit the national Common Application or SJU’s application. Applicants must also submit transcripts, a letter of recommendation, and a personal essay. SJU’s admission team reviews applications, assessing each applicant’s academic achievement, personal qualities, and community service. 

Applicants interested in pursuing an online graduate degree at SJU must also submit an online application alongside materials, such as official transcripts, two letters of recommendation, a resume, a personal statement, and a $35 application fee.