Bradley University

Situated on an 84-acre suburban campus in Peoria, Illinois, Bradley University is a small, private university that offers a wide range of degree programs to around 5,400 students.

Established in 1897 as the Bradley Polytechnic Institute, the university takes its name from philanthropist Lydia Moss Bradley, who established the institution in memory of her husband and six children, all of whom died at an early age.

While it started as a small institute, gradually more and more fields of study were introduced and it became known as Bradley University in 1946.

There are five main undergraduate colleges – the College of Education and Health Sciences, the Foster College of Business, the Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts, the Caterpillar College of Engineering & Technology, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. In addition to this, there are over 30 graduate programs and Bradley University has recently launched online degree programs too.

The Bradley University Speech Team is the most successful university forensics team in the United States, having won over 40 team national championships and more than 150 individual national championships. It is a source of huge pride at Bradley University, and a lot of the Speech Team alumni are very successful in their respective fields.

The university is also home to some fantastic sporting facilities that include the Renaissance Coliseum, a 4,200-seat venue that hosts 14 athletics teams.

Among Bradley University’s notable alumni are David Brant, former director of Naval Criminal Investigative Service, James E. Shadid, the District Judge for the US District Court, and Oscar-winning makeup artist Tami Lane.