While the following description focuses on the campus program, the fundamental principles noted have characterized the entire University program. Ottawa seeks to present the Christian faith in a setting where students are free to accept or reject it, but not to ignore it. Ottawa seeks to help each student develop moral clarity and moral seriousness. The University seeks to prepare students for lives of service, and the servant ministry of Jesus Christ is upheld as the example most worthy of emulation. There is diversity among Ottawa University students.
Students come to Ottawa from over twenty-seven different states and from fifteen foreign countries.
The majority of the students come from the Midwest, but the rest of the country is also well represented. There is also diversity in that students come in significant numbers from rural, urban, and suburban areas of major metropolitan centers, small towns, and moderate to large cities. Despite the great diversity of background, interests, and abilities represented in the Ottawa University student body and faculty, there is a sense of community based on shared objectives and concerns. Each person finds acceptance and is valued as one who can contribute to the welfare of the total community. The residential campus makes possible a special supporting community, which strengthens and enhances opportunities to learn and mature.