Bellarmine University

Based in Louisville, Kentucky, the Bellarmine University, is the premier independent catholic university in the region, & is known to lay a major emphasis on the overall development of students.

In-line with its Catholic roots, the institute is known to organize a number of events over the course of the academic year, which involves students contributing to the overall welfare of the community by serving those in need.

The Bellarmine University ranks #273 as part of the latest National University Rankings rolled out by US News for the year 2025.

Further, the institute also secures a US-wide rank #328 for Social Mobility & #392 for Nursing.

It also ranks among the top 100 colleges & universities in the United States for Physical Therapy & in the Top 200 for Teaching based education.

The Bellarmine University acceptance rate stands at 94%,  per data curated from an unofficial source.

This highlights the non-selective nature of the institute when it comes to admitting students, with almost equal priority being given to all applicants.

Prospective students are advised to maintain a solid academic record anyway, as not only does it make you stand out from the rest of the crowd, but also makes you eligible for a number of scholarships offered by the institute.

The estimated annual tuition costs for international students planning to pursue higher studies from the institute is around USD 48,900 (INR 41.75 L), while that for PG students ranges between USD 435-USD 1,050 (INR 37.1 K-INR 89.6 K) per credit hour.

Additionally, students must also take into the various costs associated with living in Bellarmine such as housing, food, transportation among other costs, which is estimated to be in the range USD 15,000-USD 20,000 (INR 12.80 L-INR 17 L).

Bellarmine University & <a href="https://www.shiksha.com/studyabroad/usa/universities/university-of-louisville">Louisville</a> are two of the best universities in the Kentucky, region.

Acceptance rate wise, Bellarmine is relatively easier to secure admissions at with a 94% acceptance rate, while Louisville’s rate of acceptance stands at 81%.

Further, when it comes to tuition fees, Louisville is far more affordable at the UG & PG level of studies.

When it comes to rankings, Louisville gets the better of Bellarmine by securing a rank just inside the top 180 colleges & universities in the US, while Bellarmine ranks #273.

The choice of which institute is better can vary for different students based on their needs & interests.

Given below is a more comprehensive comparison between them:

Criteria

Bellarmine University

University of Louisville

Location

2001 Newburg Rd, Louisville, KY 40205, USA

 2301 South 3rd Street, Louisville, KY 40292

Acceptance Rate

94%

81%

Popular Courses & Streams

Business & Management Studies,

Nursing, & Psychology

Healthcare,

Engineering,

Business Management

Average Tuition Fees (UG)

INR 41.75 L

INR 24.9 L-INR 37.1 L

Average Tuition Fees (PG)

INR 10.5 L-INR 33.3 L

INR 15.9 L-INR 32.9 L

 National University Rank

(US News)

#273

#179

The <a href="https://www.shiksha.com/studyabroad/usa/universities/university-of-north-florida">University of North Florida </a>acceptance rate lies somewhere in the range of 62-71%, per data curated from multiple unofficial sources, which suggests, the institute is selective to a decent extent.

In comparison, Bellarmine acceptance rate of 94%, makes it far easier for students to secure admissions.

Prospective applicants are advised to maintain solid academic scores anyway, especially if one is planning to secure a seat at University of North Florida.

Marianne Rafferty, an overnight anchor at FOX News, is known to have pursued her undergraduate education from Bellarmine.

She has worked as part of a number of popular US based news television channels that includes: Channel 10 & CBS affiliate KZTV, before working for FOX.

Marianne came to limelight after a teleprompter malfunction allowed her to prove to her executives that she could work as a solo anchor.

Yes, Bellarmine is a private, catholic university which was established by the Diocese or Archdiocese of Louisville in the year 1950, over a land granted by the then king of the region: George III.

The institute welcomes students of all cultures & faiths however, & is known to organize a number of community service events & fests over the course of the academic year including the Non-Profit Volunteer & Internship Fair, that involves the participation of nearly 50 clubs & organizations.

Bellarmine graduates are on the receiving end of job offers from some of the best organizations in the US & abroad.

Aegon, Bosch Tool Corp, Brown & Williamson, Kroger, Marsh Inc., UPS, Walgreens & Sherwin Williams are some top recruiters of Bellarmine graduates.

Business, Education, Healthcare, Community Impact .and Tech & Analytics are some popular industries employing Bellarmine graduates.

Bellarmine graduates are very much of demand to some of the top private organizations in the US & abroad & are paid well for their contributions to respective industries.

The average salary of PG students after pursuing their studies at Bellarmine stands at USD 68,000 (INR 58 L), while that of UG students is around UD 53,000 (INR 45.25 L).

The average salary earned by students after graduating from other universities in Kentucky is USD 56,000 (INR 47.8 L) for PG students & USD 46,000 (INR 39.3 L) for UG students.

The Bellarmine University placement rate stands at a near-perfect 99%, with graduates either employed full-time or pursuing continuing education, six months after graduating from the institute.

Further, about 97% of the Bellarmine graduates are employed in the careers of their choice, per data curated from official sources.

Indian students interested in higher studies from Bellarmine University can follow the steps below to secure admissions at the institute:

<!- [if !supportLists]->·      <!- [endif]->Register on the Common Application portal or the Bellarmine University application portal

<!- [if !supportLists]->·      <!- [endif]->Apply to the course of your choice

<!- [if !supportLists]->·      <!- [endif]->Upload all essential documents such as language test scores & past educational documents & transcripts

<!- [if !supportLists]->·      <!- [endif]->Pay a standard application fee worth USD 40 (INR 3.4 K)

<!- [if !supportLists]->·      <!- [endif]->Submit the application

<!- [if !supportLists]->·      <!- [endif]->Use the portal to keep track of the status of your application

<!- [if !supportLists]->·      <!- [endif]->Follow any further instructions as specified by the university's admissions team

The minimum IELTS score requirement for international students at Bellarmine University is 6.0. or more.

Students can also provide alternative test scores such as Duolingo, & TOEFL, the minimum requirements for whom are given below:

Test

Minimum Score/Grade

TOEFL (paper-based)

550

TOEFL (computer-based)

213

<a href="https://www.shiksha.com/studyabroad/exams/toefl">TOEFL (internet-based)</a>

79-80

<a href="https://www.shiksha.com/studyabroad/exams/duolingo">Duolingo</a>

105

The Bellarmine University admission requirements varies with the course & the specialisation a student decides to pursue.

However, the general requirements for international students are listed below:

<!- [if !supportLists]->·      <!- [endif]->An online application

<!- [if !supportLists]->·      <!- [endif]->Educational Transcripts & Credentials evaluated course-by-course by SpanTran or World Education Services, Inc. (WES)

<!- [if !supportLists]->·      <!- [endif]->Submission of a bank statement demonstrating the ability to take care of cost of studies & living in Kentucky

<!- [if !supportLists]->·      <!- [endif]->Demonstrate proficiency of verbal & written English

Yes, the Bellarmine Scholar Award recognizes firs-year students with a full-ride scholarship over a duration of four years.

The aid includes a study abroad stipend along with an enrolment as part of the Bellarmine's Honor Program, allowing students the liberty to pursue their studies without being concerned about managing the financial aspect of their education.

The STEM Career Scholarship at Bellarmine University is a financial assistance provided to two groups of 11 high achieving individuals who are enrolled in a full-time course across either of the disciplines, which includes: Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Data Science or Mathematics.

The financial aid worth USD 7,200 (INR 61.45 L), is valid for a duration of upto 4 full-years of studies at Bellarmine.

The institute rolls out the cost of PG courses in a per-credit format.

The per-credit cost of a Master of Business Administration programme at Bellarmine University stands at USD 820 (INR 70 K) per credit.

An MBA at Bellarmine has about 38 credit hours, which takes the overall cost of the programme to USD 31,160 (INR 26.6 L).

The Bellarmine University application fee for international graduate students is around USD 40 (INR 3.4 K).

The application fee is non-refundable & is to be submitted as part of the Bellarmine University application process.

No applications without the payment of the said fee can go through & thus cannot be assessed by the admissions team at Bellarmine.

The Bellarmine University is known for offering about 50 undergraduate & 20 PG degrees as part of its course catalogue.

However, among these courses, Business & Management studies, Nursing & Psychology are known for being among the best in the region & in the US.

This is further proven by the fact, its Nursing course ranks #392 in the US per the latest course-specific rankings rolled out by US News.

The minimum high-school GPA attained by students who secured admissions at the institute stood at 2.5.

Further, the median GPA of admitted students, stood at 3.7, per data curated from official sources.

50% of the overall admitted students had a CGPA in the range of 3.38 & 3.9.

Among students who secured admissions by submitting test scores, the 50th percentile for <a href="https://www.shiksha.com/studyabroad/exams/act">ACT</a> was in the range 22-27, with a score of 1060-1260.

The Bellarmine University attains a global rank #3616, per global university ranking data curated from an unofficial source.

On a national level, Bellarmine attains a rank #273 per the National University Rankings 2025 rolled out by US News.

The same source also places it among the top 100 colleges & universities in the country for physical therapy studies & among the top 200 for teaching.

The <a href="https://www.shiksha.com/studyabroad/usa/universities/university-of-kentucky">University of Kentucky </a>is the #1 ranked university in the Kentucky region of the United States.

It is a public higher educational institute, based in Lexington, which also happens to be part of the top 100 colleges & universities in the USA, per the latest US National University Rankings rolled out by Shiksha.

Globally, the institute attains a rank #386, per global university rankings rolled out by Shiksha.

All students enrolled as part of full-time studies at the institute with 89 or less credit hours are required to live as part of university maintained residential halls or with a local parent/guardian, that too within a 50 mile (80 km) radius of the university.

Students who do not wish to live as part of on-campus accommodation can seek a letter of exception in line with the Residential Living policy & submit the same to the Director of Housing & Residence Life.

The Bellarmine University campus which first opened to students in 1950, is based around an area of 145 acres of land.

The land was granted as a reward to James McCorkle, by then King of the region, George III, for his contributions to the nation as part of military activities during the French & Indian wars.

The campus houses a number of industry standard resources & services including internet equipped classrooms, libraries & laboratories along with an array of student support services such as: counselling sessions.

It is also home to the institute's NCAA Division I team: The Bellarmine Knights.