Leavenworth, KS

Founded by the Sisters of Charity in 1870 as St. Mary's Academy, this once all-girls school that served young women from Kansas, Missouri and the surrounding territories, now educates both females and males from 28 states and six countries.

St. Mary's Academy became a community college in 1923 and as St. Mary's College, a four-year degree program in 1932. The school began accepting men in 1988 and in its' most recent incarnation, became the University of St. Mary in 2003. The student body is split nearly half and half of men and women. The liberal arts minded school now offers 26 undergraduate programs and six master's degree programs to 866 students per semester. In 1973, the school opened its first satellite office on the campus of Donnelly College, a private Two-year school located in Kansas City, Kansas. The University of St. Mary now operates at two other campuses in the Kansas City metropolitan area, offering degree completion and graduate level courses to part-time students. About 95 percent of St. Mary students receive some form of financial aid.

Named as a "Best Value College" by the Princeton Review two years running, the University of St. Mary is only three schools in Kansas named to the index and one of 165 nationwide.

Quick Facts:

The rolling hills and 19th century architecture of the campus has been noted to be one of the most beautiful campuses in the Midwest

The main campus offers residential housing in two halls on campus, which accommodates 360 students.

The departments of history, English and fine arts offers special study abroad tours. The University of St. Mary has partnerships with schools all over the world for students who want to study abroad for a specific length of time. The university is also home to the Starr Global Studies Institute, which promotes global awareness among students.

The University of St. Mary offers both women's and men's athletic programs and boasts many NAIA All American athletes.

The DePaul Library on campus has been the recipient of several large special collections, including the Bernard H. Hall Abraham Lincoln Collection, which has over 10,000 rare and unique items. One of the most valued in that collection is an original copy of the 13th amendment signed by President Lincoln.

Thirty-one full-time, on-campus professors offer an impressive student ratio of 12 to 1, making it one of the best in the country. Small class sizes and personal attention are two of the reasons University of St. Mary students enjoy their school.

This school profile has been compiled and updated by The CollegeBound Network. The school is not affiliated with The CollegeBound Network and shall not be considered a sponsor of this program.