Fordham University was founded by the Reverend John Hughes, Bishop of New York as Saint John’s College in 1841, and was the first Catholic institution of higher learning in the northeastern United States. Fordham was granted a charter by the
New York state legislature in 1846, and in
1907 changed its name to Fordham University. As of 2003, Fordham provided an education to
over 8,000 undergraduate students, and over 7,000 graduate students. Fordham awards Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral
degrees.