608 North 18th Street
Kansas City, KS 66102

Donnelly College is an independent, co-educational Kansas College. Founded in 1949, affiliated with the Catholic Church and sponsored by the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, Donnelly College was located and has remained in the heart of Kansas City, Kansas. As a Catholic liberal arts and professional college, Donnelly College's institutional philosophy derives from a belief in God and the dignity of each person.

Donnelly College believes that education can lead people to recognize their potential and value as human beings, to be aware of their relationship to God and to function as constructive members of society.

Donnelly College was a joint venture of Bishop George Donnelly, bishop of Kansas City, Kansas, and Sister Jerome Keeler, a Benedictine Sister of Atchison, Kansas. In 1949, they saw the need to make a Christian education available in the urban core where many Catholic Immigrants had settled. Bishop Donnelly gave the building next door to his residence at 12th and Sandusky for the classrooms and the Benedictine Sisters provided the faculty.

Quick Facts:

The first year 170 students at this Kansas college enrolled for day classes, 45 for evening classes and 35 St. Mary's nurses attended afternoon classes.

In the early 1990s, enrollment at Donnelly College increased to almost 1,000 with the accelerated health science program, which ended in 1998. Currently the enrollment is about 750.

About 32 percent of Donnelly College's students come from households with less than $13,000 annual income. More than 90 percent qualify for some type of financial aid.

An Associated Press article in 1997 referred to Donnelly College as "Second Chance U," and it does provide an opportunity for success to many that others have given up on. Since 1992, over 90 percent of this Kansas college's graduates have gotten jobs or transferred to four-year colleges.

This school profile has been compiled and updated by The CollegeBound Network. The school is not affiliated with The CollegeBound Network and shall not be considered a sponsor of this program.