Loyola University New Orleans is a private, co-educational, and Jesuit university located in New Orleans, Louisiana. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the name of the Jesuit patron, Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Loyola is one of 28 member institutions that make up the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities and, with its current enrollment of approximately 5000 students, is among the larger Jesuit universities in the southern United States. Loyola University New Orleans is ranked eleventh best institution among Southern regional universities offering masters and undergraduate degrees in the 2015 issue of the annual America's Best Colleges issue and guidebook published by U.S. News & World Report.