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Buena Vista University

Buena Vista University

Buena Vista University, also known as BVU, is located in Storm Lake, Iowa, United States. It was founded in the year 1891. It was initially known as Buena Vista College. The institute gained university status in 1995. The campus spreads over an area of approximately 60 acres. The university is divided into five degree-granting schools, which are:

  • Harold Walter Siebens School of Business
  • School of Communication and Art
  • School of Education and Exercise Science
  • School of Science
  • School of Social Science, Philosophy and Religion

BVU's athletic teams are nicknamed the Beavers. The men's teams participate in sports such as baseball, basketball, golf, soccer, tennis, wrestling, football, cross country, and track and field. The women's teams are involved in basketball, cross country, track and field, soccer, golf, softball, tennis, and volleyball.

Overview of Buena Vista University

Storm Lake, IA is home to Buena Vista. Storm Lake is a self-contained town. Students select the school partly because it is a Presbyterian Church (USA) school. Buena Vista is a private, not-for-profit institution. Degrees at the school go up to the Master's degree.

Areas of Study

The range of program offerings available from Buena Vista is especially impressive compared to its number of students. Students commonly pursue studies in business and management, therapy and counseling, and security and law enforcement.

Buena Vista Selectivity

Prospective students are advised that admissions are not open to all; the school selects from among qualified applicants. Three quarters of students in 2007-2008 had SAT verbal scores of at least 380. Half of math SAT scores of accepted students fell between 390 and 520.

Faculty

Buena Vista has a tenure system for senior faculty.

Student Body

The school has 2,548 enrolled students (as of 2007-2008).

Student Life

Buena Vista offers dorm rooms to a higher percentage of its students than do most colleges. The school offers students meal plans. Buena Vista values student athletics, and belongs to the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

More complete details are provided below.

Contacting Buena Vista

Buena Vista University
610 W 4th St
Storm Lake, IA 50588
General Phone: (712) 749-2400
http://www.bvu.edu

Buena Vista Programs and Degrees (2008-2009)

General CategoryDegreesMost Common Majors [see all]
Business And Management219entrepreneurship, accounting, human resources, banking, business management, marketing, MIS, managerial economics, ...
Education And Teaching185elementary school teaching, curriculum and instruction, school counseling, history teaching, business teaching, English teaching, music teaching, biology teaching, ...
Liberal Arts129interdisciplinary studies, history, English, Spanish language, sociology, political science, political science and government
Therapy And Counseling92psychology, psychology courses
Security And Law Enforcement66criminal justice and safety
Nutrition And Exercise Therapy36sports and fitness management, athletic trainer, exercise science
Science29biology, chemistry, physics, biological and physical sciences
Media16mass communication, communication and journalism, organizational communications
Family And Social Work9social work, public administration
Computer Science And Engineering8computer science
Photography And Commercial Art6commercial art
Art Studies5arts management, art studies
Mathematics3mathematics, math
Religion And Philosophy3philosophy and religious studies
Drama And Performing Arts2theater history and criticism
Conservation And Resource Management1environmental science
Music0various music studies, music performance

Number of programs and degrees for Buena Vista in 2008-2009:

Degree LevelTotal
Awarded
Number of
Programs
Bachelor's degree76861
Master's degree412

Buena Vista Student Body

In 2007-2008, Buena Vista had a total enrollment of 2,548 students (2,725 full-time equivalent).

Students in the Freshman Class:

GroupPercent
Men57%
Women43%
Full-Time100%
Part-Time0%

Students By Class:

GroupPercent
Undergraduate90%
Graduate10%

Racial Diversity:
RacePercent
White90%
Black2%
Hispanic2%
Asian1%
American Indian0%
Unknown4%
(Foreign Students)1%

Students by Age:

AgePercent
Under 180%
18-1917%
20-2125%
22-2420%
25-2913%
30-348%
35-397%
40-498%
50-642%

Incoming (Freshman) Students by Place of Residence:
(From available data sampling)

ResidencePercent
Iowa74%
Minnesota8%
Nebraska5%
South Dakota3%
Illinois3%
Missouri2%

Buena Vista Graduation, Retention, and Transfers

Retention Rates (2007):

GroupReturning From
Previous Year
Full-Time71 %

Buena Vista Room and Board (2007)

Buena Vista offers campus housing for 1,142 of its 2,725 (full-time) students. Freshmen are required to live on campus.

(Please refer to our profile of Storm Lake, Iowa for details about the area surrounding the campus. Also see our list of other Iowa Colleges).

The school offers students a meal plan with 19 meals per week.

Buena Vista Admissions and Selectivity

Acceptances:

GroupApplicantsAcceptedPercent
Accepted
EnrolledPercent of
Accepted Enrolled
Total1,30998675%27428%
Men71254777%15528%
Women59743974%11927%

Standardized Test Scores:

Test25th Percentile75th Percetile
SAT Verbal380440
SAT Math390520
SAT Writing330430
ACT Verbal1724
ACT Math1725
ACT Composite1925

Application Requirements:

ItemRequirement
GPArequired
Class Rankrequired
High School Recordrequired
College Prep Programrecommended
Recommendationsrequired
Formal Demonstration of Competencenot required
Standardized Tests (SAT and/or ACT)required
Percent of Applicants Submitting SAT5%
Percent of Applicants Submitting ACT93%
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)required

Buena Vista Expenses and Financial Aid (2008-2009)

Expenses and Financial Aid:

ExpenseAmount
In-state tuition and fees$ 24,796
Out-of-state tuition and fees$ 24,796
Room and board$ 7,014
Room charge$ 3,484
Board (meal plan) charge$ 3,530
Books and supplies$ 700
Other expenses$ 1,800

Financial Aid:
Buena Vista participates in Federal Title IV financial aid programs. (The school's OPE ID is 184700)

Buena Vista Faculty

Buena Vista has a tenure system for faculty.

Tenure Status of Faculty (2008-2009):

Full-Time Faculty LevelMenWomen
Tenured2916
Non-tenured, but on tenure track1110
Non-tenured and not on tenure track810

Salaries for full-time faculty:

Full-Time Faculty (2008-2009):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Professoracademic year17$83,6267$73,237
Associate professoracademic year11$57,5407$54,866
Assistant professoracademic year13$53,15019$54,047
Instructoracademic year6$48,9462*
No academic rankacademic year1*1*
All faculty totalacademic year48$64,07936$56,556

*: salaries are not displayed where there are fewer than 3 professors in the category.

Buena Vista Athletics

Athletic Conferences:

SportConference
FootballIowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
BasketballIowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
BaseballIowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
TrackIowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

Buena Vista Degree Programs (2007)

ART STUDIES
Art/Art Studies, General
Arts Management

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
Accounting
Banking and Financial Support Services
Business Administration and Management, General
Business/Managerial Economics
Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies
Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General
International Business/Trade/Commerce
Management Information Systems and Services, Other
Management Information Systems, General
Marketing/Marketing Management, General

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Computer Science

CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Science

DRAMA AND PERFORMING ARTS
Theatre Literature, History and Criticism

EDUCATION AND TEACHING
Art Teacher Education
Biology Teacher Education
Business Teacher Education
Chemistry Teacher Education
Computer Teacher Education
Counselor Education/School Counseling and Guidance Services
Curriculum and Instruction
Education, Other
Elementary Education and Teaching
English/Language Arts Teacher Education
History Teacher Education
Mathematics Teacher Education
Music Teacher Education
Physical Education Teaching and Coaching
Psychology Teacher Education
Science Teacher Education/General Science Teacher Education
Social Science Teacher Education
Social Studies Teacher Education
Spanish Language Teacher Education
Speech Teacher Education

FAMILY AND SOCIAL WORK
Public Administration
Social Work

LIBERAL ARTS
English Language and Literature, General
History, General
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other
Political Science and Government, General
Political Science and Government, Other
Sociology
Spanish Language and Literature

MATHEMATICS
Mathematics, General
Mathematics, Other

MEDIA
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other
Mass Communication/Media Studies
Organizational Communication, General

MUSIC
Music Performance, General
Music, Other

NUTRITION AND EXERCISE THERAPY
Athletic Training/Trainer
Kinesiology and Exercise Science
Sport and Fitness Administration/Management

PHOTOGRAPHY AND COMMERCIAL ART
Commercial and Advertising Art

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy and Religious Studies, Other

SCIENCE
Biological and Physical Sciences
Biology/Biological Sciences, General
Chemistry, General
Physics, General

SECURITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
Criminal Justice/Safety Studies

THERAPY AND COUNSELING
Psychology, General
Psychology, Other

Buena Vista Highlights

(Details are provided further down on this page.)

What Sets Buena Vista Apart:

CategoryTrophy 
Number of degree programs
(vs. all colleges)
Top 9%Buena Vista Number of degree programs
Dorm rooms per full-time student
(vs. all colleges)
Top 12%Buena Vista Dorm rooms per full-time student
% of degrees in business and management
(vs. all colleges)
Top 17%Buena Vista % of degrees in business and management
% of degrees in therapy and counseling
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 17%Buena Vista % of degrees in therapy and counseling
% of degrees in security and law enforcement
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 19%Buena Vista % of degrees in security and law enforcement
Explanation of the Highlights categories

Notable:
Presbyterian Church (USA) affiliation
Accepts some high school credits
Offers credit for life experience
Grants credits for AP courses
Offers distance learning
Career counseling
Career services
Student employment services
Remedial classes for students
Option to study abroad
Offers part-time study
On-campus library
Offers campus housing
Offers a board (meal) plan
Tenure system for quality teaching
NCAA athletic conference member

Online Degree Alternatives

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