Briar Cliff University
Sioux City, Iowa
With a University-wide orientation toward service and outreach, Briar Cliff was founded in 1930 by the Sisters of Saint Francis of Dubuque, with a mission to educate students in the Franciscan tradition of service, caring, and openness to all.
Briar Cliff University provides an outstanding education, offering more than 30 majors for undergraduates as well as an array of graduate and online degree-completion programs. Because a majority of Briar Cliff’s classes are taught by full-time faculty and not adjunct or graduate instructors, students easily connect with their professors, forming close relationships as they work side-by-side on research projects and build outstanding professional networks.
What Briar Cliff offers inside the classroom is only part of its distinction. The University is nationally recognized for its community outreach, boasting six consecutive years as a member of the President’s National Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. Collectively, its compassionate students commit over 10,000 hours annually to service projects both within their local community and abroad.
Get to know Briar Cliff University
Student Activities
- Campus Ministries
- Choral groups
- Dance
- Drama/theatre
- International Student Organization
- Jazz band
- Literary magazine
- Music ensembles
- Radio station
- Student government
- Student newspaper
- Television station
High-Impact Practices
- First-Year Seminars and Experiences
- Common Intellectual Experiences
- Learning Communities
- Collaborative Assignments and Projects
- Undergraduate Research
- Diversity/Global Learning
- Service-Learning, Community-Based Learning
- Internships/Coops/Practica
- Capstone Courses and Projects/Senior Experience
Campus Resources
- Career Services
- Writing Center
- Academic Advisors
- Library Services
- Disability Services
- Multicultural Engagement Center
- Health Services
- Academic Tutors
- Peer Mentors
- Counseling
College Highlights
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
Briar Cliff students have the distinct and rare honor to conduct undergraduate research alongside their professors. Through their collaborative work, students get to bulk up their résumés and graduate school applications as well as form close relationships with valuable professionals to add to their networks.
In addition to one of the region’s only educational cadaver labs, Briar Cliff is home to fully equipped laboratories that complement students’ nursing, kinesiology, chemistry, and biology studies. The University is also surrounded by 150 acres of the nation’s largest urban tallgrass prairie, an outdoor classroom that is just as beautiful as it is educational. BCU also maintains the Siouxland Research Center in order to help nonprofit organizations in the area perform research.
COMMON INTELLECTUAL EXPERIENCES
Briar Cliff’s liberal arts education blends each student’s major studies with a general education program that exposes them to all the intellectual, emotional, and religious foundations one needs to be fully equipped for the world’s diverse challenges. The four components of Briar Cliff’s General Education include Intellectual Foundations, Competencies, Service, and Franciscan Core. Together, these requirements ensure every student a fully-rounded education that perfectly supplements their choice of major.
HONORS PROGRAM
Briar Cliff’s selective honors program pushes the most tenacious students to maximize their potentials as intellectual scholars. The program opens up possibilities for its students to engage in active learning collaborations such as exclusive seminars, individual research projects, community outreach initiatives, and priority access to foreign study opportunities.
STUDY ABROAD & TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES
BCU encourages student participation in both national and international travel experiences. These experiences immerse students in new cultures and stretch them to understand new perspectives and ideas. Recent trips abroad have included France, Italy, Tanzania, Costa Rica, Chile, Guatemala, and Honduras.
CLASS SIZE
The number of sections of each class size.
2-9: 127 | 10-19: 111 | 20-29: 68
30-39: 15 | 40-49: 19 | 50-99: 13 | 100+: 0
ENROLLMENT BY ETHNICITY
Nonresident aliens: 4%
Hispanic/Latino: 15%
Black or African American, non-Hispanic: 10%
White, non-Hispanic: 65%
American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: 1%
Asian, non-Hispanic: 2%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic: 0%
Two or more races, non-Hispanic: 1%
Race and/or ethnicity unknown: 2%
FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCES
“Franciscan Life,” Briar Cliff’s First-Year Seminar, introduces incoming students to the cultural and historical foundations of Briar Cliff University through an exploration of the school’s Catholic Franciscan traditions. The course also familiarizes students with the academic expectations, skills, and demands of college life at Briar Cliff.
LEARNING COMMUNITIES
Through its Learning Communities initiative, Briar Cliff places first-year students into groups of students who share similar interests. These students enroll in similar classes and team up in service projects, adjusting to the college lifestyle side-by-side.
WRITING-INTENSIVE COURSES
Briar Cliff has a host of writing courses that develop students’ skills as communicators and critical thinkers. Introduction to College Writing offers students multiple opportunities to practice essay planning, writing, and revision on a variety of topics. Creative Writing introduces students to the craft of creative written expression in a variety of literary genres, providing students ample guidance and practice in developing their artistic interests. Communication courses teach students how to write for different media types. At Briar Cliff, students have access to a wide range of writing intensive courses and all share the common value of helping students think critically and communicate effectively.
The University’s Writing Center is a valuable resource open to all students. Its services help students learn to hold their own as college-level writers, helping them understand how to structure arguments and display an understanding of grammar, articulation, structure, and cohesion.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOL
The Professional Development School not only gives education majors fulfilling hands-on experience, but it also enriches the education of students from local elementary and high schools. This collaboration between BCU and the broader community provides students with the extraordinarily rare opportunity to gain hundreds of hours of experience in the classroom before they even begin student teaching.
MENTORING PROGRAM
Briar Cliff’s student mentor program establishes a consistent foundation of support throughout the campus community. It is a symbiotic system of students helping other students, whether that be through academic or emotional support. Peer mentors, course mentors, writing mentors, social mentors, tech mentors, and research mentors ensure that every student has someone to turn to for any help throughout their lives in college.
COMMUNITY SERVICE & OUTREACH
Briar Cliff students have countless opportunities to lead service projects every year. Their volunteer efforts, both locally and abroad, bring meaningful change to communities all over the world. Not only do these projects make a strong impact on the lives of those they help, but they also enrich students’ skills and values with experiences that they will remember long after they graduate.
THE BRIAR CLIFF REVIEW
Founded in 1989, the Briar Cliff Review is a nationally renowned literary and art magazine that showcases emerging writers and artists. Its annual publication has played a significant part in developing several authors’ careers, including New York Times and #1 international best-selling author Jenna Blum.
SCHOOL LOCATION
Perched on a beautiful, 70-acre hilltop overlooking the Sioux City, Iowa skyline on one side and rolling prairieland on the other, the Briar Cliff campus provides safety, scenery, and a strong sense of community. Briar Cliff is ranked among the safest college campuses in the state of Iowa. From the moment students set foot on campus, they’ll experience a genuine feeling of acceptance that will forever shape their lives.
ATHLETICS
Briar Cliff belongs to the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC), which is made up of 11 private schools from Iowa, South Dakota, and Nebraska, all of which emphasize a healthy balance between academics and athletics. The University competes in 18 sports for men and women including baseball, basketball, cheer, cross country, dance, football, golf, soccer, softball, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling. The “Blue Crew,” a collection of student fans, wear the school’s colors (blue and gold) to cheer on fellow students. Bolt, a Charger horse, is the school’s mascot.
Briar Cliff is also an NAIA Champions of Character institution. As proud Chargers, therefore, Briar Cliff students develop life-shaping qualities that stick with them long after competition has ended. Each BCU athletic team plans a service project each year, exemplifying the community-oriented mission that the University values most.
RESIDENCE LIFE
Percent of students living on campus.
First-time, first-year (freshman) students: 80%
Undergraduates: 44%
Campus housing options.
Coed dorms
Theme housing
SERVICE-LEARNING
Service is a core component of the Briar Cliff experience. As a foundation of the University’s education, service activities help students to develop a lifelong willingness and sense of responsibility to contribute to the communities in which they live. Academic departments individually define the service component for their majors, creating a unique array of opportunities for students to apply their studies to real-world change. The minimum requirements for each service component must include either a 10-hour service project or a service-learning experience.
INTERNSHIPS
Briar Cliff faculty and advisors have a vested interest in helping students succeed. They actively assist students in finding the best internships possible, including regional and national opportunities. This hands-on experience is invaluable to students. Recently, Briar Cliff students have interned with the U.S. Congress, American Red Cross, Buzzfeed.com, Heritage Foundation, Mayo Foundation, Microsoft, the Iowa Department of Human Services, and the Harlem Globetrotters.
CAPSTONE COURSES
Capstone courses are required for certain majors at Briar Cliff. This type of course culminates the many learning experiences from the student’s major into one final class. Capstones allow students to apply the theories they learned in class toward a hands-on project that exemplifies each student’s growth.
Admission
ADMISSIONS FACTORS
Very Important
Academic GPA | Standardized test scores
Important
Rigor of secondary school record | Talent/ability | Character/personal qualities
Considered
Class rank | Application Essay | Recommendation(s) | Extracurricular activities
FRESHMAN ADMISSION PROCESS
- Complete an Application for Admissions
- Submit transcripts and test scores.
- Visit Briar Cliff’s campus.
- Complete a housing application.
- File for financial aid.
- Apply for Briar Cliff scholarships.
- Submit a $100 enrollment deposit.
- Sign up for New Student Registration Day.
Tuition & Cost
Tuition: $28,650
Fees: $1,136
Room: $4,196
Board: $4,786
Aid
Each year, Briar Cliff awards over $20 million in financial aid to more than 1,300 students in the form of grants, scholarships, loans and work study employment. Briar Cliff believes in the value of a Catholic education, and it is Briar Cliff’s mission to make higher education accessible and affordable. As such, all first-year students are awarded financial aid based on merit, talent, leadership, and financial need. Financial aid is awarded annually and FAFSA applications are available on Oct. 1. Briar Cliff’s FAFSA code is 001846.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Students enrolling at Briar Cliff can apply for up to 15 different scholarship categories with values ranging from $1,000 to full tuition.
What Others are Saying
Contact Briar Cliff University
Contact Admissions
briarcliff.edu/admissions
(712) 279-5200
admissions@briarcliff.edu
Campus Location
3303 Rebecca Street
Sioux City, IA 51104
(800) 662-3303
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