“Private Catholic university in Louisville, Kentucky's Belknap neighborhood.”
Bellarmine University is a private, Catholic-founded liberal arts university established in 1950 and located on a 175-acre campus in Louisville, Kentucky's Belknap neighborhood, about five miles from downtown. With an enrollment of roughly 3,500 students across undergraduate and graduate programs, Bellarmine is named for St. Robert Bellarmine and was founded in the Catholic intellectual tradition — though it enrolls students of all faiths and backgrounds today. The university is organized into seven colleges and schools: the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Business (AACSB-accredited), the College of Health Professions (which includes the Donna and Allan Lansing School of Nursing and Clinical Sciences and the School of Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences), the Annsley Frazier Thornton School of Education, the School of Communication, the School of Environmental Studies, and the School of Continuing and Professional Studies. Academic life emphasizes small classes (student-faculty ratio 12:1), strong faculty mentorship, and a liberal arts core rooted in Catholic humanistic values. Health professions and nursing are the most popular majors, reflecting Louisville's status as a major U.S. healthcare hub — home to Humana, Kindred Healthcare, Norton Healthcare, and the University of Louisville medical complex. Bellarmine's BSN, DPT, and accelerated health-sciences programs benefit from extensive clinical partnerships across the city. The business school, though smaller than flagship programs, carries the AACSB accreditation held by only the top 5% of business schools worldwide. Bellarmine operates on a semester calendar and is test-optional for admissions. The campus is residential (most first- and second-year students live on campus), Division I athletics have been competitive since the program's reclassification, and the Knights compete in the ASUN Conference. For international students, Bellarmine offers automatic merit-scholarship consideration, a relatively high acceptance rate, and a manageable small-university environment with access to Louisville's internship ecosystem — particularly valuable for students interested in healthcare, pharma, or logistics (UPS Worldport is headquartered at Louisville airport).
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
Test Optional — You can submit scores if they help your case, but they're not required.
Official SourceBellarmine Scholars / Fellows (top merit)
Priority deadline for Bellarmine Scholars and Bellarmine Fellows competitive merit awards.
Priority / Rolling
Rolling admissions; applicants encouraged to apply as early as possible for scholarship consideration.
Final (rolling)
Rolling admissions through start of term for space-available basis.
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Tuition & Fees (All Students)
$48,770
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
The liberal arts core of the university, with programs in humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, and fine and performing arts.
AACSB-accredited business school combining a liberal arts foundation with strong undergraduate business preparation.
Includes the Donna and Allan Lansing School of Nursing and Clinical Sciences and the School of Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences; hosts nursing, respiratory therapy, medical laboratory sciences, radiation therapy, physical therapy, and exercise science.
Teacher preparation and graduate education programs with placements across Louisville-area school districts.
Communication studies, journalism, and digital media programs with internship opportunities in Louisville media markets.
4 years
Traditional four-year BSN in the Lansing School, with clinical rotations across Louisville's major hospital systems including Norton Healthcare and Baptist Health. Strong NCLEX pass rates.
3 years
Three-year professional doctorate with accelerated 3+3 and 4+3 undergraduate-to-DPT pathways for students who qualify at matriculation.
4 years
Strong pre-medical, pre-dental, and pre-PA track with Louisville-area shadowing opportunities and a consistent record of med-school placement.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $48,770
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
