| Location: | Mid-Atlantic |
| Setting: | Large City Setting |
| Type: | Private |
| Affiliation: | Roman Catholic |
| Size: | Small (Under 2,000 Undergrad) |
| Mascot: | Redhawks |
La Roche College is a private college in McCandless, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. It was founded in 1963 by the Sisters of Divine Providence as a Roman Catholic college and now sits on an 80-acre campus in McCandless. The current president, Sister Candace Introcaso, CDP, Ph.D., was installed in 2005 and replaced the previous president, Monsignor William Kerr. Recent additions to the school include the Kerr Fitness and Sports Center in 1993 and new residence halls, Bold I and II, in 1997 and 2003, respectively.
Its total enrollment of 1,800 and residence population of 600 makes La Roche a small school, with a community atmosphere. Graphic design, interior design, education, and marketing are among the most popular majors.
La Roche College was founded in 1963 by the Sisters of Divine Providence as a private college for religious sisters. It was named in honor of Marie de la Roche, the first superior of the Congregation of the Sisters of Divine Providence. The first president of the college was Sister Annunciata Sohl, and served until 1968. The College had begun to admit its first lay students by 1965. The College continued to grow, and two years later, La Roche expanded beyond its leased space to construct the first College building, the John J. Wright Library.
La Roche encountered financial difficulties soon after its founding. Although closing the College was considered, Sister de la Salle Mahler, president from 1969-1975, carried on. The Board amended its charter in 1970 to establish La Roche as an independent, coeducational Catholic institution, while also diversifying course offerings through an affiliation with the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. This partnership made available several new areas of study, including graphic and interior design, which count among the College's strongest programs today.
An enrollment boom made the construction of two new residence halls necessary in the mid-1970s. Under College President Sister Mary Joan Coultas (1975-80), the College launched its first capital campaign in 1979, garnering enough to construct the Palumbo Science Center, which opened in 1980. During Sister Margaret Huber's eleven-year tenure as president beginning in 1981, the College continued to grow, marking its 25th anniversary in 1987 with the dedication of the $2.5 million Zappala College Center. The Magdalen Chapel was added in 1990, and 1993 the college opened the Kerr Fitness and Sports Center.
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| Percent of Students International: | 8% |
| On-Campus Housing Available: | Yes |
| Percent of Students Living On-Campus: | 43% |
| Freshman Students Required to Live on Campus: | No |
| Member of: | NAA, NCAA |
| Sports Include: |
Basketball (Division III Independents) Baseball (Division III Independents) Track (Division III Independents) |
| Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) | Expenses | ||
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 16,780 | ||
Required Fees for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 600 | ||
| Financial Aid | Avg. Amount Received | % of Students Receiving Aid | |
Federal Grants: |
$ 2,865 | 29% | |
State and Local Grants: |
$ 3,051 | 59% | |
Institutional Grants: |
$ 6,368 | 89% | |
Student Loans: |
$ 3,124 | 87% | |
Any Aid: |
89% |
| Acceptance Rate: | 65% (Selective) |
| Test Scores | |
| SAT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting SAT Scores: | 89% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Verbal: 410, Math: 420 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Verbal: 530, Math: 530 |
| ACT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting ACT Scores: | 11% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Composite: 17, Verbal: 15, Math: 16 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Composite: 22, Verbal: 22, Math: 23 |
| Application Fee: | $ 50.00 |
| Formal Demonstration of Competencies: | Recommended |
| High School Diploma or Equivalent: | Recommended |
| High School GPA: | Required |
| High School Rank: | Not Required |
| High School Record: | Required |
| Recommendations: | Required |
| TOEFL: | Required |
| Test Scores: | Required |
