Villanova University is a Roman Catholic liberal arts institution in eastern Pennsylvania.

A private university founded as the Augustinian College of Villanova in 1842, it was known as Villanova College from 1845 to 1953, when it obtained its current name.

Located 10 miles north west of Philadelphia, trains into the city take 20 minutes and run four times an hour. The home of the US Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Liberty Bell, a key independence symbol, Philly was the country’s first capital. Its many museums, galleries, eateries, parks and Alexander Calder works are among the factors that explain the revitalised city’s increase in visitors since the turn of the millennium.

Established by the Brothers of the Order of St. Augustin, Villanova describes itself as Augustinian. The university’s main landmark is the 137-foot Saint Thomas Villanova Church, built in 1887. Its campus comprises more than 250 acres.

Singer-songwriters Don Mclean and Jim Croce went to Villanova, as did Jill Biden, the second lady of the United States throughout Barack Obama’s presidency, and Maria Bello, the actor who starred in Coyote Ugly, A History of Violence and The Cooler among other films.