[3] Loras College, a liberal arts college, was founded in 1839 by Mathias Loras, first bishop of Dubuque, who established Saint Raphael's Seminary to educate young men for the priesthood with the expressed intention of also providing an opportunity for higher education to the citizens of the area.

That same year, the national Catholic honor society, Delta Epsilon Sigma was founded at the college, by Father Fitzgerald.

In 1963, when The Catholic University of America decided to discontinue its branch program of graduate study on the Loras campus, Loras College, realizing the growing need in the locale for study beyond the baccalaureate degree, initiated its Graduate Division offering the Master of Arts degree in some fields.

Undergraduates can also participate in summer classes, internships, field experience, study abroad, and other programs.

For graduate programs, Loras offers a Master of Arts in clinical or general psychology, school counseling, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Education, and a master's degree Business Administration with a focus on business analytics.

The school fields 23 men's and women's varsity teams in the NCAA Division III.

Jim Naprstek ('13) serves as the director of athletic communications for the Duhawks after his hiring in March 2014.

Because of its high location, several of the buildings provide excellent views of Downtown Dubuque and the Mississippi River.

In addition to its broad general collection, the library contains a rich heritage in its special collections of rare books, as well as the photographs and manuscripts in the Center for Dubuque History located in the lower level of the library.

St. Pius X has prepared countless Seminarians across Iowa & surrounding states for the priesthood, counting over 30 Bishops as alumni.

The college is located west of downtown Dubuque and served by The Jule transit system.