Roosevelt University

Roosevelt University is a private, nonsectarian university located in Chicago, Illinois, with an additional campus in Schaumburg. Founded in 1945, the institution was established with a mission centered on access, inclusion, and social justice in higher education. Roosevelt University offers undergraduate and graduate programs through colleges that include arts and sciences, business, education, health sciences, and the Chicago College of Performing Arts. The university serves a diverse urban student population and emphasizes community engagement and metropolitan-focused learning. Its downtown Chicago campus includes facilities in the historic Auditorium Building and a modern high-rise academic center in the Loop.

Roosevelt University was founded in 1945 in Chicago, Illinois, by Edward J. Sparling and 62 faculty members who left Central YMCA College in protest of discriminatory admission practices. Originally chartered as Thomas Jefferson College in March 1945, the institution was soon renamed in honor of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt after President Roosevelt’s death. Classes began in September 1945 with a mission focused on equal access to higher education regardless of race, religion, or gender. In 1947, Roosevelt University acquired the historic Auditorium Building as its main campus. Over the decades, Roosevelt University expanded its academic structure to include colleges in arts and sciences, business, education, and performing arts, and later added a suburban campus in Schaumburg in 1978. In 2020, the university completed a merger with Robert Morris University Illinois, further shaping its modern academic profile.