St. Bonaventure University is also featured in our ranking 50 Most Affordable Bachelor’s Degrees in Health Informatics.
Launching Health Informatics Careers at SBU
Each 15-week semester, the School of Arts & Sciences admits St. Bonaventure University undergrads into the Bachelor of Science in Bioinformatics for interdisciplinary STEM training. It’s focused on analyzing medical data. This 120-credit curriculum teaches the latest tech algorithms to extract patient knowledge from complex scientific statistics. The required in-person courses like Genomics, Cell Biology, Computer Science, and Mathematical Probability have a 11:1 student-faculty ratio.
Before the BIF 401 capstone, 90 percent of seniors compete high-impact internships at:
- Olean General Hospital
- Cleveland Clinic
- Regeneron
- Karr Lab
- Ginkgo Bioworks
- Emory Healthcare, and more
Majors might also:
- do research in William F. Walsh Center
- pursue the George Washington Dual BS/MD
- minor in Cybersecurity
- be HEOP Tutors
- join Information Systems Club
- serve on Operation Dignity
- travel with the Francis E. Kelly Oxford Program.
About St. Bonaventure University
St. Bonaventure University was formed on October 4, 1858, the Feast of St. Francis, by the wealthy Holland Land Company owner Nicholas Devereaux. He sponsored the voyage of four Franciscan friars, including Panfilo da Magliano, from Italy to teach its inaugural class of 15. In 1875, St. Bonaventure received a New York Board of Regents charter for liberal arts degrees. Seventy-five years later, it claimed university status and started the first full-time master’s. Administered by the Diocese of Buffalo, St. Bonaventure University is now a private, Catholic Atlantic 10 member endowed for $60.4 million. The 31-building, red-brick SBU campus has 1,635 undergrad students. These include B.S. in Bioinformatics majors. Linked to 17,585 LinkedIn alumni, St. Bonaventure University has trained:
- Dan Barry
- Deb Henretta
- Neil Cavuto, and others.
The U.S. News & World Report ranked St. Bonaventure the North’s 21st best university and fifth top value with 83 percent retention. On Niche, SBU is ranked:
- the 59th best Catholic education
- 260th best biology courses
- 216th top small campus nationally
The Princeton Review placed SBU 12th for diverse race/class interaction. Times Higher Education ranked St. Bonaventure University the 495th top institution overall. WalletHub recognized SBU for America’s 122th best student experience and 274th top faculty resources. PayScale calculated the 349th highest mid-career salary of $95,900 at St. Bonaventure. According to Washington Monthly, SBU is the 227th best buck and 158th top university. College Factual also deemed St. Bonaventure University the country’s 151st best biology value.
St. Bonaventure University Accreditation Details
In 2015, St. Bonaventure University completed a self-study institutional review for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education to keep the Level III accreditation up-to-date for 10 more years. The School of Arts & Sciences also received an elite three-year accreditation from the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) in February 2018.
St. Bonaventure University Application Requirements
Entering St. Bonaventure University is deemed “moderately difficult” by Peterson’s because just 1,892 of the 2,871 Fall 2016 applications were successful for 66 percent acceptance. First-year students looking at the Bachelor of Science in Bioinformatics must be high school graduates capable of college-level work. Copies of GED subject tests above 450 would also suffice. General prerequisites include at least three years of math and science. Specific grade cutoffs aren’t listed, but the average GPA is 90 percent. Freshmen present a mean SAT score of 1135 and ACT score of 25. Advanced Placement credits are granted for marks of 3-5. If undergrads have attempted 15+ credits at accredited colleges with a 2.5 GPA or better, they’re considered transfers. Articulation agreements are available with these colleges:
- Jamestown
- Monroe
- Erie
- Genesee Community College
International students from non-English speaking countries must achieve at least 480 on the SAT Reading or 500 on the TOEFL pBT.
St. Bonaventure University has rolling undergrad admission year-round until three weeks before semester starts. The only exception is for non-U.S. citizens who must apply by June 1st for Fall or October 1st for Spring. Hopeful B.S. in Bioinformatics majors can easily submit the Common Application or SBU Application online. It’s the candidates’ responsibility to mail official documents to PO Box D at 3261 West State Road in St. Bonaventure, NY 14778. Please contact admissions@sbu.edu or (716) 375-2400 for further assistance. The application checklist includes the following components:
• $30 non-refundable fee payment
• Transcripts for all academic courses
• Guidance counselor school report
• Highest college entrance exam score
• 250-word untimed writing sample
• Optional teacher evaluation form
Tuition and Financial Aid
For 2018-19, St. Bonaventure University will charge full-time B.S. in Bioinformatics majors $16,668 per semester or $33,336 annually. Studying part-time incurs $991 per credit. Summer courses are discounted to $505 per credit. Budgets include the $965 university fee, $1,459 health insurance premium, and $800 textbook charge each year. Living at the Cattaraugus County campus’ dorms like Falconio Hall costs $6,488 to $9,892 every nine months. The Bona Platnium meal plan for Hickey Hall adds $6,198 yearly. Annual bachelor’s attendance equals around $47,338 on-site or $35,831 if commuting. Please note the SBU-GW Dual Admit Medicine Program bills $60,250 after the first four years though.
According to the NCES College Navigator, the Office of Financial Aid works with $32.93 million total to draw up median yearly aid packages of $20,382. This is for 98 percent of full-time SBU students. University funds include:
- the Barbara Lowe Carr Scholarship
- Frank E. Caffoe Scholarship
- Kerry & Noah Clark Franciscan Healthcare ScholarshipFitzpatrick Scholarship
- Galasso Scholarship
- Doszpoly Scholarship
- Bob Lanier Scholarship
The SBU Achievement Grant gifts $64,000 over four years if freshmen hold minimum 2.5 GPAs. St. Bonaventure has an April 8th deadline for B.S. in Bioinformatics majors seeking the Mary Yankelovich Endowed Fellowships. Undergrads file the FAFSA form with code 002817 to check Federal Pell or SEOG Grant eligibility. Excelsior State natives can benefit from:
- the Tuition Assistance Program
- Part-Time TAP, Regents Award
- STEM Incentive, and more
Various VA chapter benefits help veterans and military dependents. Bachelor’s students accept Federal Work-Study jobs for tuition assistance. Also applied after a 2 percent origination fee are:
- Federal Perkins
- Stafford Subsidized
- Stafford Unsubsidized loans