Campus Setting
Founded in 1863, Bryant University is a four-year private liberal arts university with a College of Business and a College of Arts and Sciences. Its 420-acre campus is located in Smithfield, Rhode Island, 12 miles from Providence. Bryant University has an enrollment of 3,632 students. In addition to a library, the campus facilities include: theatre • food court • Interfaith Center. Bryant University provides on-campus housing with 1,036 units that can accommodate 2,882 students. Housing options: coed dorms • women’s dorms • special housing for disabled students. Recreation and sports facilities include: athletic fields • baseball and softball complex • gymnasium • natatorium • recreation and wellness center • rugby field • sports arena • stadium • weight room.
Student Life and Activities
With 83 percent of students living on campus, there are plenty of social activities. According to the editor of the student newspaper, they (the student organization) try very hard to increase the social aspect of college life. Popular gathering places are Lupo’s, The Living Room, The Strand, Thayer Street, The Junction and Parente’s. Popular events on campus are semi-formals, MSU Extravaganza Night, commencement, convocation, ISO UN Festival, Parents’ Weekend, Spring Weekend, Special Olympics and the Festival of Lights. Bryant University has 83 official student organizations. Influential groups on campus are the Student Programming Board, rugby teams, Student Senate and Greek organizations. For those interested in sports, there are intramural teams such as: basketball • flag football • floor hockey • indoor soccer • inner-tube water polo • softball • volleyball. Bryant University is a member of the Northeast Conference (Division I).
Academics and Learning Environment
For the B student, the learning environment of a college is just as important as the quality of its academic program. Bryant University has 158 full-time and 98 part-time faculty members, offering a student-to-faculty ratio of 18:1. The most common course size is 30 to 39 students. Bryant University offers 30 majors with the most popular being marketing, finance and management and least popular being history and literary/cultural studies. The school has a general core requirement. Cooperative education is not offered. All first-year students must maintain a 2.0 GPA or higher to avoid academic probation, and a minimum overall GPA of 2.0 is required to graduate. Other special academic programs that would appeal to a B student include: independent study • double majors • dual degrees • honors program • internships.
Highlights
Bryant University
Smithfield (Pop. 20,000)
Location: Large town
Four-year private
Founded: 1863
Website: http://www.bryant.edu
Students
Total enrollment: 3,632
Undergrads: 3,386
Freshmen: 757
Part-time students: 4%
From out-of-state: 87%
From public schools: Not reported
Male/Female: 57%/43%
Live on-campus: 83%
In fraternities: 5%
In sororities: 6%
Off-campus employment rating: Fair
Caucasian: 82%
African American: 4%
Hispanic: 4%
Asian or Pacific Islander: 3%
Native American: 0%
International: 5%
Academics
Calendar: Semester
Student/faculty ratio: 18:1
Class size 9 or fewer: 6%
Class size 10-29: 46%
Class size 30-49: 48%
Class size 50-99: -
Class size 100 or more: -
Returning freshmen: 87%
Six-year graduation rate: 76%
Most Popular Majors
Marketing
Finance
Management
B Student Support and Success
Bryant College provides extra help to students through the Academic Center for Excellence (ACE). Each year, more than 1,600 students use its services to help with class performance. ACE’s philosophy is that college students are not born with good study skills and habits, and like anything else in life, they require practice on a regular basis. Even students who have great study skills in high school may find that they need extra help in college. According to the college, ACE’s primary goal is to “help students become self-reliant, independent, confident learners so that they may successfully meet the demands of their chosen academic curricula.” They do this through both a tutoring program and study skills instruction in group sessions provided by a combination of staff, peer tutors and faculty. Along with ACE, Bryant offers a Writing Center. Here you can learn and polish the skills of written communication through one-on-one consultations with staff and tutors. Access is provided through ACE to workshops and printed materials that are helpful tools in honing writing skills.
Bryant University provides a variety of support programs including dedicated guidance for: academic • career • personal • psychological • minority students • non-traditional students • family planning • religious. The average freshman year GPA is 2.8, and 87 percent of freshmen students return for their sophomore year. What do students do after college? While many enter the work force, approximately six percent pursue a graduate degree immediately after graduation. Among students who enter the work force, approximately 95 percent enter a field related to their major within six months of graduation. Companies that most frequently hire graduates from Bryant University include: State Street Bank • Tech Target • TJX • DiSanto • Priest & Co. • Lightolier • St. Paul’s Travelers • PricewaterhouseCoopers • The Hartford Life • Fidelity Investments • CVS • Ernst & Young • Meditech • Liberty Mutual • Target • Hanover Insurance • Travelers • Cambridge Associates • Bank of America • Wolfe & Co. • Brown Brothers Harriman • EMC Corporation • Mercier • Amica Insurance.
Support for Students with Learning Disabilities
Students with learning disabilities may take advantage of specific support programs offered by Bryant University. Students with learning disabilities will find the following programs at Bryant University extremely useful: tutors • learning center • testing accommodations • extended time for tests • reading machines • tape recorders. Individual or small group tutorials