About St. Mary's University in San Antonio, TX

Why our education is different

Academic excellence – our students develop the critical skills all employers are seeking through our Core Curriculum: effective writing and speaking, critical thinking, and problem solving. We also focus on hands-on education such as internships and community service, helping our students become leaders in their chosen professions.
Community – The St. Mary’s community is a close-knit family. You’ll experience a nurturing and vibrant community atmosphere, rooted in our commitment to providing a holistic education in the family spirit.
Vocation – For more than 160 years, our faculty have mentored St. Mary’s students to graduate with generous spirits and humble hearts, and to find their vocation – their true calling, not just a job.
Success – We educate the whole person, emphasizing enduring values which are prized by employers, patients and clients: integrity, respect for others, humility, and collaboration. Graduates move forward and outward after St. Mary’s, not with the narrow goal of personal gratification, but aspiration to a life purposefully lived.

Traditions, customs and events set us apart.

We’re a NCAA Division II school with 6 national titles in basketball, baseball, softball and golf.
Alumni earn $16,000 to $30,000 more annually than graduates from other local colleges and universities.
We are the only fair-trade-designated university in Texas.
The annual Fiesta Oyster Bake is one of San Antonio’s most popular events and raises thousands in scholarships.

For more about what makes St. Mary’s unique, view the booklet below:
View booklet

Who we are

St. Mary’s University, founded in 1852 by Marianist brothers and priests, is the first institution of higher learning in San Antonio and the oldest Catholic university in Texas and the Southwest. Personal attention and powerful academic programs have made St. Mary’s a nationally recognized liberal arts institution.

Mission Statement

from St. Mary’s University Code of Student Conduct, Section 1: Mission, Vision and Philosophy

St. Mary’s University, as a Catholic Marianist University, fosters the formation of people in faith and educates leaders for the common good through community, integrated liberal arts and professional education, and academic excellence. The St. Mary’s University mission statement is a reflection of the Characteristics of Marianist Universities. There are five elements that characterize the Marianist approach to education:

Educate for formation in faith
Provide an integral quality education
Educate in the family spirit
Educate for service, justice and peace
Educate for adaptation and change

The three Marianist universities have a publication titled Characteristics of Marianist Universities (PDF) to fully describe the Marianist approach to education at the University level.

Consistently well-ranked

St. Mary’s University sits among the top colleges and universities in the country in a Brookings Institution study that shows how well colleges prepare students for careers. With a score of 99 out of 100, St. Mary’s has the 17th highest value-added score with respect to mid-career salary. This score is the highest in San Antonio and right behind Rice University for best in Texas.

Money Magazine ranked St. Mary’s the best university in San Antonio, fourth in Texas and 52nd nationally in its 2016 Best Value Colleges list based on quality of education, affordability and graduates’ job success.

St. Mary's University aerial view featuring St. Louis Hall, Chaminade Hall, Charles Francis, and the Bell Tower

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The Saint John's Bible

The Saint John’s Bible, the world’s newest handwritten, hand-illuminated, grand-scale bible, was commissioned in 1998 by the Benedictine monks of Saint John’s Abbey and University in Collegeville, Minn., and produced under the leadership of artistic director Donald Jackson, scribe to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

St. Mary’s owns the seven-volume The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Edition, displaying it daily in St. Louis Hall and at many lectures, classrooms, new student orientations and campus liturgies.

Learn About The Bible at St.Mary’s

Illustrations in the Saint John's Bible depict ancient tools and architecture

Illuminated lettering of the book of Ecclesiastes

Illustrations of trees and leaves in the Saint John's Bible Heritage Edition

Fair Trade University

Fair Trade Colleges & Universities St. Mary’s received the Fair Trade University certification on March 23, 2015. Fair Trade is a global social movement that allows producers in developing countries to work in safe conditions, earn a living wage, improve the lives of their families, and invest in a social premium which is used to democratically determine how to improve their communities.

Fair Trade principles are taught in classes.
Fair Trade products can be found in campus outlets such as the cafeteria and Starbucks.
Catered events can include Fair Trade Certified coffee and tea.
The Fair Trade Committee promotes awareness on campus.
St. Mary’s is committed to the promotion of Fair Trade and conscientious stewardship of resources.

About St. Mary’s