Bradley University

Bradley University International Student Insurance

Bradley University, located in Peoria, Illinois, was established in 1897. It was founded as the Bradley Polytechnic Institute by philanthropist Lydia Moss Bradley in honor of her husband and six children, all deceased. She purchased a controlling interest in Parsons Horological School, a watchmaking training institution, and moved it to Peoria with the instructions that the school be expanded after her death to include classical education, industrial arts, and home economics. Over time, the school evolved from a four-year academy to a two-year college to, in 1920, a four-year collegiate program. It gained its current name in 1946. 

Bradley enrolls about 5,400 students and counting each year. The school colors are red and white, and its athletic nickname is the braves.

Academic Offerings

Today, the school offers more than 185 undergraduate programs across five colleges: the Foster College of Business, the Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts, the College of Education and Health Sciences, the Caterpillar College of Engineering and Technology, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. It also has more than 30 graduate programs, including an AACSB-accredited MBA, the Theresa S. Falcon Executive MBA, and a Doctorate of Physical Therapy, among others. Other academic opportunities include the Turner School of Entrepreneurship and Innovation and the Charley Steiner School of Sports Communication (the first of its kind in the U.S.).

On Campus

Bradley boasts the most successful speech team in the country, winning the American Forensics Association Championship 18 out of 21 years between 1980 and 2000. The forensics team also plays host to the country’s oldest intercollegiate competition, the L.E. Norton Invitational.

Notable Alumni

Notable Bradley University alumni include former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood; General John Shalikashvili, former chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff; speech communication author and speaker Lillian Glass; Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Rene C. Byer; and Academy Award-wining make-up artist Tami Lane.

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