Beloit College

Summary

Beloit College is a private institution that was founded in 1846. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,397, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 47 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Beloit College's ranking in the 2012 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 60. Its tuition and fees are $36,674 (2011-12).

Although the town of Beloit, Wis. may be best known for having the world’s largest can of chili, Wisconsin’s oldest college also resides here. Beloit College, located 90 miles northwest of Chicago and about an hour south of Milwaukee, is nestled on a 40-acre, New England-style campus situated on river bluffs and surrounded by American Indian mounds. On campus, students have many opportunities to get involved in activities, with more than 100 student-run clubs and organizations and over 20 fraternities and sororities. Beloit College competes in the Division III Midwest Conference and sponsors 19 intercollegiate varsity teams. Intramural, club, and varsity sports are very popular at Beloit, with about 70 percent of students taking part in athletics. Nearly all students live on campus during their entire college career, but students have opportunities to travel away from the area. About half of all Beloit students study abroad in places such as Brazil, China, Germany, and many other countries. Although this campus is located in the Midwest, Beloit’s student population has an international flavor. About 10 percent of the students are from countries outside the United States and, each year, students have the opportunity to share their cultural experiences through an event called International Symposium, a day when classes are cancelled so everyone can attend the presentations.  

Beloit College has a sense of humor when it comes to its incoming freshman class. Every August, the college releases the “Mindset List,” which provides a look at the cultural touchstones that shape the lives of students entering college that year. The list began as a reminder to faculty to be aware of dated references, but it has since become a yearly tradition that has garnered considerable national attention. The school is also known for its success in sending students to post-graduate programs, ranking among the top 20 liberal arts colleges in the country for the number of graduates who go on to earn a Ph.D. Ultimate Frisbee is a favorite campus pastime, and the activity has landed 30 Beloit students in the record books for longest continual game by playing for more than 72 hours.