Temple University (TU) Introduction and History

Introduction

Students who wish to attend a big and well known university in the United States should consider choosing Temple University. Temple is a comprehensive public research institution with over 39,000 students, and is the nation’s 25th biggest university, along with being the fourth biggest giver of specialized education (pharmacy, dentistry, medicine, podiatric medicine and law) in the country.

This institution is recognized for its eminent faculty in seventeen colleges and schools, which include the schools of Dentistry, Law, Medicine, Podiatry and Pharmacy and a legendary Health Sciences Center.

Temple University is part of the state of Pennsylvania’s 3 public research institutions, along with Penn State University and the University of Pittsburgh.

Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; the university also has 4 regional campuses – this includes its Health Sciences Campus, flagship Main Campus and its Center City Campus located in the city of Philadelphia and a main suburban campus located in Ambler.

There are also learning centers located in Fort Washington and Harrisburg, and overseas campuses in Rome, Italy and Tokyo, Japan. This institution of higher learning also offers academic programs in countries such as Israel, Great Britain, People’s Republic of China, France, Greece and other nations across the globe.

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Information Summary

Ranks 28th in Pennsylvania and 347th overall. See the entire top 2,000 colleges and universities list
Overall Score (about)	89.2
Total Cost On-Campus Attendance	$33,004
Admission Success rate	N/A
SAT 75%ile scores	1230
Student Ratio Students-to-Faculty	21 : 1
Retention (full-time / part-time)	89% / 67%
Enrollment Total (all students)	39,740

History

In 1884, Temple University was established by Dr. Russell Conwell—a Yale graduate, Boston attorney, gifted orator and Baptist minister who also rendered service in the Union Army all through the American Civil War. In 1882, Dr. Conwell came to Pennsylvania in order to lead a branch of Grace Baptist Church and at the same time, he was also teaching working class citizens – the teaching sessions took place late in the night in order to accommodate the students’ work schedules.

The students, who were later nicknamed ”Night Owls”, were receiving their classes in Conwell Baptist Temple’s basement, hence where the institution gets its name. The popularity of the Grace Baptist Church began to grow fast within the area of North Philadelphia. In order to handle the fast growing formalities that are associated with the programs of the church, the creation of a temporary board of trustees was put in place. During the first meeting that was conducted by the board of trustees, Russell H. Conwell was named the college’s president.

Within a couple of months, Grace Baptist Church went on to appoint a new board of trustees, issued stock in order to raise money to acquire new teaching/training facilities and printed official files used for admissions processes. Whether or not they had the resources to successfully support the college, Dr. Conwell’s wish was to be able to provide education to those who are not able to get it through the normal means.

In 1888, Billings granted a charter in order to create “The Temple College of Billings”, however, the city declined to grant power to award educational degrees. The enrollment of the institution was almost 600 by 1888. The school modified its institutional standing and incorporated as a university in 1970. Official recognition as a university immediately improved it in a variety of noticeable ways, this includes its total enrollment, professional & graduate programs, its reputation, and monetary support.

Over the years, the school has grown and developed: Samaritan Hospital was established, there was an addition of a Medical School and there was a merger with the Billings Dental College. Following the merger, on December 12th, 1907, the school formally reincorporated as Temple University.

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Academics

Schools and Colleges

There are more than 300 programs from seventeen schools and colleges and four professional schools. Students can earn bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and professional degrees.

The186-acre campus in Ambler’s suburbs offers programs in horticulture, landscape architecture, community & regional planning and others. At the Center City, Harrisburg and Fort Washington locations, students have the opportunity of taking an array of undergraduate, graduate and non-credit courses.

Distance Education

The school offers students the opportunity to learn from the comfort of their home or offices via its online-based education program. Computer-based courses offer students the chance to arrange their class attendance to suit their own schedule – although coursework is due on the teacher’s schedule. The video conference courses will allow students to attend classes that are offered on one campus from another campus location nearest to them (this includes Fort Washington, Harrisburg, Ambler, Main Campus, Health Sciences and Center City) if the courses are video-conferenced to that particular campus. The OLL courses also offer students the chance to experience innovative methods of learning and discovery.

Most Popular Fields of Study

Admissions

Nearly 20,000 applications are received each year, and every application is carefully reviewed by the institution’s admissions committee. The committee considers everything an applicant has done, but having rock-solid academics is the key.

The best way for students to apply for admission is to fill out and submit their application online, pay the application fee, and ensure that they meet the deadline. Applicants should meet a certain cumulative grade point average, applicants should also know that recommendations are not necessary, but will be given some consideration. Applicants are required to send an admissions essay and present a record of their extra-curricular activities.

Please Note: In-state and out-of-state students are offered a merit-based scholarship each year. Students who have a solid GPA and SAT are also considered. A separate application is not required.

Financial Aid

Dr. Russell H. Conwell,strongly believed that learning should be made available to any person on the basis of his or her personal motivation and intellectual abilities, regardless of their financial situation. In this spirit, the university is ready and very eager to help all its students afford a college education. Temple has designed a webpage that will help students become aware of every financial aid opportunities that are available to them and to also answer questions that usually come up during financial assistance processes.

Financial Aid Available: Grants, Scholarships, Educational Loans, and Federal Work Study Program.

Student Financial Aid Details

Ranks 695th for the average student loan amount.
Secrets to getting the best scholarships and financial aid in Pennsylvania.

Students

Top quality on-campus housing is available, and a large number of students reside in the high-rise and apartment-style campus housing, located on North Philadelphia’s Main Campus. There is also student housing on the Ambler campus. Single-sex floors are featured in a couple of the institution’s oldest residence halls while a large number of the new student housing on campus are co-ed. Co-ed facilities feature gender-specific bathrooms. In addition to this, the development of wellness floors has also offered students who choose to live in on-campus housing the opportunity to live healthy.

There are over 240 clubs & organizations that offer outlets for every culture and also allow students to socialize. Students who are interested in politics will be glad to know there is a competitive political debate team – Temple is a National Parliamentary Debate Association’s member. The institution also offers community service and a lot more.

The Student Center Annex was launched in 2005. The center includes an underground multi- purpose room, full scale movie theater, computer lounge and game room. It also includes an enhanced office and meeting space for student organizations and groups.

Student Enrollment Demographics

Student Graduation Demographics

Athletics

The athletic teams are known as the Owls – this name originated from the university’s early days as a night school. All of the sports teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division I and are Atlantic Ten Conference’s member – with the exclusion of football. The Owls are a part of Philadelphia’s area basketball rivalry known as the Philadelphia Big 5.

This became one of the first U.S. institutions to support extracurricular sporting activities for its students when both basketball and football programs were launched in 1894 under coach Charles M. Williams’ direction.

Here, students can take part in baseball, basketball, track & field, softball, lacrosse, fencing and much more!

Alumni

Bill Cosby – award winning actor, comedian, and author

Kevin Negandhi – Anchor, ESPN

Terry Smith – Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim’s broadcaster

Ed Sciaky – DJ (disck Jokey)

Pierre Robert – WMMR 93.3 fm’s midday DJ

Ronn Owens – Host of radio talk show

Nicholas P. Dallis – Writer of soap comic

Julie Gold – Grammy Award winner, songwriter

Joe Masteroff – Playwright and Tony Award winner

Accreditation

Accreditation is provided by over 30 agencies, including Middle States Commission on Higher Education, Association to Advance Collegiate School of Business, and Council of the Section of Legal Education & Admissions to the Bar.

Temple University