A private Catholic university founded way back in 1855 by the Society of Jesus (aka Jesuits), USF was San Francisco’s first institution of higher learning. Started as the St. Ignatius Academy, USF received a charter from the state of California to confer degrees in 1859 and was renamed St. Ignatius College. To celebrate its diamond jubilee in 1930, St. Ignatius College changed its name to the University of San Francisco. A males-only insitution for most of its history, USF became fully co-educational in 1964.

“USF is committed to becoming internationally recognised as a premier Jesuit Catholic urban university with a global perspective that educates leaders who will fashion a more humane and just world. Currently, we are in the midst of a $175 million capital expenditure campaign, the largest in the university’s history. When completed, the infrastructure will further enable USF to educate students with the brains to make a difference and the hearts to want to do so,” says Stephen A. Privett, SJ, president of USF.

San Francisco. Sited on the tip of San Francisco Peninsula, with the Pacific Ocean to the west, the San Francisco Bay to the east, and the Golden Gate bridge to the north, Frisco (pop. 744,000) is the fourth largest city in California. A popular international tourism destination renowned for its chilly summer fog, steep rolling hills (there are 50 hills within city limits), an eclectic mix of Victorian and contemporary architecture, parks and its peninsular character, the city has many famous landmarks including the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, its cable cars, Coit Tower, and Chinatown. It’s also home to six Fortune 500 companies, major information and biotechnology businesses, famous museums and top architecture, design and media firms. From the city centre, Silicon Valley, the hub of the information technology industry worldwide, is less than an hour’s drive.

San Francisco’s Mediterranean climate, characterised by mild wet winters and warm dry summers, is strongly influenced by cool currents of the Pacific Ocean. The combination of cold ocean water and high heat of the California mainland creates the city’s characteristic fog that can shroud the western half of the city all day during the spring and early summer. Summertime temperatures peak to 21°C while in winter they seldom dip below 10°C.

Campus facilities. Spread across 51 acres, USF’s hilltop campus is in the centre of San Francisco, close to the city’s salubrious parks, shops and restaurants. With wireless internet, modern classrooms and well-equipped research laboratories, the educational facilities are cutting-edge. The Richard Gleeson Library and the Charles and Nancy Geschke Learning and Research Center (named after Charles Geschke, university benefactor and co-founder of Adobe Systems and his wife Nancy) together house over a million volumes, subscribe to almost 3,000 periodicals and provide access to a wide range of digital resources.

The Koret Health and Recreation Center features a state-of-the-art gymnasium, exercise rooms, an olympic size swimming pool, indoor basketball, volleyball, badminton and racquet courts, and facilities for fencing and karate. Opportunities to participate in outdoor sports and adventure activities such as horse riding, sailing, sea kayaking, skiing and snowboarding at Lake Tahoe, abound. Moreover to broaden non-academic interests, USF offers students membership of more than 90 clubs and societies.

Admission. The minimum eligibility criterion for admission into USF’s undergrad programmes is a first class Plus Two certificate. Foreign students have to submit proof of proficiency in English (TOEFL or IELTS test scores are acceptable) and high SAT scores. The completed application form must include attested certified copies of original academic documents from all secondary and post-secondary schools attended, a personal essay, proof of participation in extra-curricular activities and letters of recommendation from a teacher/school official together with an application fee of $55 (Rs.2,200). The application deadline for entry into the academic year beginning August 2008 is January 15 next year.

For further information contact Offices of Undergraduate and Graduate Admission, 2130 Fulton Street, San Francisco, CA 94117-1088, USA. Tel: +1 415 422 6172; e-mail: international admission@usfca.edu; website: www.usfca.edu/international admission.

Accommodation. Most USF students live on campus in one of the university’s five halls of residence or apartment-style community. All halls of residence are co-ed (with the exception of one all-female hall) and offer laundry rooms and kitchen facilities. Moreover each hall room has a telephone, cable television outlet, and high-speed ethernet connection. University apartments are located off-campus and provide all amenities including kitchen and laundry rooms.

Degree programmes. Accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business, USF offers a wide range of undergrad, postgrad and doctoral programmes across five faculties including arts and science, law, education, business and nursing.

 
Summiya Yasmeen