by Dave Best, Galin Education College Counselor
Located in Orange, CA, Chapman University was founded in 1861. Chapman is a mid-sized private university and it clearly highlights its location central to Los Angeles, Hollywood, Disneyland, the mountains, desert and the beaches in marketing to potential students.
According to the school, Chapman emphasizes the interdisciplinary study of the arts and sciences as well as professional programs, giving both undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to become multidimensional, original thinkers—the kind of people who flourish in a challenging world. Not only does Chapman strive to connect academic areas of inquiry through interdisciplinary study, Chapman also works to connect students to faculty and the University to the community, so that education is personal, relevant and engaged in the larger world. Chapman’s comprehensive and personal education attracts students from different backgrounds and countries from all over the world.
Academics
Chapman offers 45 undergraduate majors spread across eight colleges. These schools are Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Business and Economics, Communication, Education Studies, Film and Media Arts, Health and Behavioral Sciences, Performing Arts and Science and Technology.
Let’s highlight the Film school. According to Chapman, as recognized as one of the top ten film schools in the world and ranked #7 by The Hollywood Reporter among American film schools, Dodge College of Film and Media Arts offers an array of undergraduate and graduate degrees that address the rapidly changing entertainment business, so you learn not only how to tell a story, but what it takes to pitch, produce, finance, market and distribute the stories you want to tell. Our state-of-the-art facilities open to you 24/7, coupled with our award-winning faculty, many of who still work in the industry, inspire our hands-on, collaborative learning environment. As a student at Dodge College, you’ll connect with the industry via guest lectures, special events, career panels, resident filmmakers, and Chapman Filmed Entertainment, our in-house production company.
The most popular majors at Chapman include business, cinematography and film, and psychology.
Social Life
Students come to Chapman from 49 states, the U.S. territories and more than 60 different countries. Approximately three in five students are from California. Over 40% of the student body are students of color. Chapman has nine fraternities and eight sororities, with around a third of the student body participating,
Chapman offers 21 varsity sports. All sports compete at the NCAA Division III level, and the Panthers participate in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The SCIAC includes CalTech, schools in the Claremont consortium plus a few others in Southern California.
Environment
Chapman has a 78 acre suburban campus in Orange, CA. The school is about six miles from Disneyland, 30+ miles from Los Angeles or the beaches in Long Beach.
The school describes the campus as follows: Chapman University campus in Orange, California is an understandable source of pride for Chapman. Palm trees line the sidewalks. Stately Memorial Hall with its grand neoclassical columns stands in contrast to the sparkling contemporary lines of the Argyros Forum student center.
Like Chapman’s curriculum, which connects different disciplines, the campus blends historic and modern architectural styles with beautiful pieces of sculpture to create a campus that’s both serene and inspiring. Why is this important? A beautiful campus lifts the heart. Art sparks the imagination. A bench near a flower garden invites conversation. It all conspires to make us better students and scholars.
From light-filled residence halls said to resemble “resort communities” and skateboard friendly sidewalks to fully wired (and wireless) classrooms and pieces of public art, the Chapman campus reflects our commitment to the Four Pillars: Intellectual, Physical, Social and Spiritual.
And one more thing…
Chapman University has a grand vision. It truly wants to boost its national profile and with a recent $100 million donation from a local alumnus it will take another step in that direction. The first portion of the gift was earmarked to endow the law school, and the second portion for a school of engineering.
Outgoing President James Doti explained, “we’ve gone from a small liberal arts college to a well-recognized regional school.” As he passed the presidency on to Daniele Struppa last Fall, Doti also shared, “(Struppa) can bring us to the next rung where we’ll be considered a significant national university along the same lines of a Tufts, a Tulane or a Vanderbilt.”
By the Numbers
Undergraduate Population: 6,363
Acceptance Rate: 46%
SAT / ACT (25/75) scores: SAT 1100-1300, ACT 25-30
Student-faculty ratio: 14:1
4-year graduation rate: 65%
US News Ranking: 6 Regional West(2017)
Tuition: $49,060 (2016-17)
