Fordham University

Fordham University is a private Jesuit research university based in New York City, with its main Rose Hill campus in the Bronx and additional campuses in Manhattan and West Harrison, New York. Founded in 1841, it is one of the oldest Catholic institutions of higher education in the northeastern United States. Fordham offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs through schools including Fordham College at Rose Hill and Lincoln Center, the Gabelli School of Business, and the School of Law. The university emphasizes a liberal arts core curriculum rooted in the Jesuit tradition. Students are often drawn to Fordham for its urban campus settings, strong programs in business, law, social sciences, and the humanities, and its engagement with New York City’s professional and cultural institutions.

Fordham University was founded in 1841 as St. John’s College by Bishop John Hughes in the village of Fordham, now part of the Bronx in New York City. The college opened on June 24, 1841, with six students at the Rose Hill campus. In 1846, Hughes entrusted the institution to the Society of Jesus, establishing its Jesuit identity. At the turn of the twentieth century, the university expanded its academic offerings, opening law and medical schools in 1904. In 1907, St. John’s College was officially renamed Fordham University. During the twentieth century, Fordham University grew beyond the Bronx, establishing its Lincoln Center campus in Manhattan in 1958. Over time, it added graduate and professional schools in business, education, and social service. Today, Fordham University operates multiple campuses and continues its mission as a Jesuit university in New York City.