In 1938, the Christian Brothers renamed the college "University of Scranton" and began admitting women to the evening division.

[9] Three members of the university faculty began producing Best Sellers: The Semi-Monthly Book Review in 1941; it remained in print until 1987.

In 1944 Scranton Preparatory School was founded, with its first quarters in a former private hospital building; it moved to its present location in 1963 and became independent of the university in 1978.

[9][13][14] With the influx of veterans after World War II, three barracks were constructed on the former Scranton Estate and served as classroom space over the following 15 years.

The Graduate School opened in 1950, soon adding programs in Education, Business Administration, Chemistry, History, and English; all admitted women from the start.

[19][20] New construction extended to Driscoll and Nevils residence halls in 1965, raising on-campus housing to 650 male students.

[21][22][9] Esprit, the university's review of arts and letters, first appeared in 1958 and Flannery O'Connor, friend of a Jesuit, visited the campus to help get it launched.

[28] In 1966 a university senate was established, whereby faculty and administrators, and later student representatives, could make recommendations to the board of trustees.

[9] Linden Street was closed to form the university commons in 1980 and sculptures were added to beautify the campus: Jacob and the Angel (1982), Ignatius of Loyola and fountain (1988), and Christ the Teacher (1998).

The World Premiere Composition Series began performing new works by composers in 1984 and has continued this annual showcase.

[32] During the 16-year presidency of Jesuit priest Joseph A. Panuska, two capital campaigns enabled the construction of major new buildings, including the Byron Recreational Complex (1986), Hyland classroom building (1988), Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Memorial Library (1992), and McDade Center for the Performing Arts (1993).

Upon Panuska's departure, the Board of Trustees renamed in his honor the College of Health, Education, and Human Resources which he had founded in 1987.

The Department of Physical Therapy, founded in 1980, became in 2004 the university's first doctoral program, receiving CAPTE certification in 2007.

[33] Pilarz and Montrone halls on Mulberry Street provided more fitness space, a dining area, and apartment-style units to accommodate 400 juniors and seniors.

The university's strategic plan for 2015-2020 looks to build on the Jesuit heritage with education that is "engaged, integrated, global".

The university also grants graduate degrees in 29 fields, ranging from Accounting and Chemistry to Software Engineering and Theology.

The honors program, first created in 1963 by Academic Vice President William Kelly, stresses independent work and individualized engagement with faculty.

[3] The program gives students the opportunity to pursue their research interests through one-on-one tutorials with professors and culminating in a year-long thesis project.

[40] The program accepts 15 sophomores each spring to begin the two-year curriculum the following fall based upon leadership experience and/or potential, student records from high school and college, involvement in clubs and activities, recommendations from professors, and a minimum GPA of a 3.0, because students need at least a 3.5 GPA to graduate with the program.

[38][41] The Special Jesuit Liberal Arts program (SJLA) was established in 1975 to model the traditional Jesuit liberal arts education that emphasizes philosophy, theology, history and literature of the Western classical and Christian ages while providing a way for students to fulfill the general education requirements.

[42][43][44] Through the courses, students develop enhanced writing, oral and critical-thinking skills while also becoming immersed in a community atmosphere that encourages excellence and service to others and an awareness of contemporary issues.

[47] The University of Scranton maintains local chapters of over thirty different international and national honor societies.

[61] The Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program, published in October 2015, ranked The University of Scranton among the top 100 colleges in the nation for the increase in annual earnings it contributes to its graduates at 10 years after enrollment.

After sophomore year, students can also elect to live off-campus in the residential and historic Hill Section located adjacent to the university's campus.

Graduate students can either chose to rent houses in the Hill Section, or live in the university-owned Quincy Apartments, located on the 500 block of Quincy Avenue which was just transformed from an abandoned high school into an early childhood learning center and University graduate housing in 2015.

[165] The university's basketball teams play at the John Long Center located in the heart of the campus.

[166] In February 2016, the athletic director suspended the Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving team from the Landmark Conference championship meet for alleged hazing.

There are four standing committees formed out of the Senate: Safety and Crime Prevention, Student Life and Dining Services, Academic Affairs, and Appropriations.