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Notre Dame , IN
Saint Mary's College is a private Catholic women's college located in Notre Dame, Indiana. Established in 1844 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, the college offers a strong liberal arts education with a focus on empowering women and promoting social justice. With a beautiful campus spanning over 100 acres, the college provides a nurturing and inclusive environment for students to grow academically, spiritually, and personally.
At Saint Mary's College, academic excellence is a top priority. The college offers a wide range of undergraduate programs across various disciplines, including majors in the humanities, sciences, social sciences, and business. Small class sizes ensure that students receive individual attention and mentoring from highly qualified faculty members. The liberal arts curriculum emphasizes critical thinking, problem-solving, and effective communication skills, preparing students for successful careers and lifelong learning.
In addition to academics, Saint Mary's College offers a vibrant campus life. Students can engage in a variety of extracurricular activities, including more than 60 student-led clubs and organizations, intramural sports, and community service opportunities. The college also has a strong athletics program, with NCAA Division III teams in sports like basketball, soccer, tennis, and volleyball. Furthermore, the campus is home to a number of cultural and recreational facilities, including art galleries, a fitness center, and a serene lakeside park.
With its commitment to academic excellence, inclusivity, and social justice, Saint Mary's College provides a distinctive and empowering college experience for women. Students at Saint Mary's benefit from a comprehensive education that prepares them to make a positive impact in their professional fields and communities, while also fostering personal growth and spiritual development.
Saint Mary's College is a private four-year college located in Notre Dame, IN. This school follows a semester-based calendar. It has an acceptance rate of 76%. The freshman retention rate at Saint Mary's College is 88.1% and the six-year graduation rate is 69%.
Find out more about what you can expect if you get into Saint Mary's College.
Quick Facts
1,495
Total Number of Undergraduate Students
$53,934
Tuition
10:1
Student to Faculty Ratio
69%
Graduation Rate
Admissions
In order to improve your chances of getting admitted, you need to know as much as possible about the university's criteria for admission. Here are the most important information you have to know about admission at Saint Mary's College.
According to the newest data, this institution uses standardized test scores for admission and it admitted 1,966 in 2025. Looking at entrance difficulty level for all or most incoming freshmen, based on data self-reported by the institution this school is moderately difficult to get into.
Test Scores
Out of the number of students who submitted test scores, the percentage of first-time, first-year degree-seeking students who submitted SAT scores was 52% and ACT scores 15%. 7% of the freshmen submitted SAT composite scores between 1,400 and 1,600, 38% between 1,200 and 1,399, 45% between 1,000 and 1,199, 8% of the students between 800 and 999, and 1% of the students between 600 and 799. The percent of new students who submitted ACT Composite scores in the range between 30-36 was 22, 53 between 24-29, 22 in the range between 18-23, and 3 between 12-17.
The ACT composite average score for all the enrolled students in 2025 was 26 and the average GPA was 3.91. Accordingly, you'll probably need an above-average GPA in order to be granted acceptance, as well as an above-average ACT score.
The SAT Critical Reading average score was 596 for the enrolled first-year students, while the average SAT Math score was 571.
Retention Rate
The freshman retention rate is defined as the percentage of first-year students who return for their sophomore year at a college or university. This piece of data is important as it can reveal to the prospective students how many freshmen liked the school enough to return to it as sophomores.
The freshman retention rate for Saint Mary's College was 88.1% in 2025, a clear indication of the excellence and value of the educational experience at this school.
Another important metric to consider is the graduation rate. This rate indicates how many students finish their degrees within a certain timeframe. The six-year graduation rate at this institution stands at 69%, which is considered an above-average graduation rate.
Student Body
It is never easy to figure out which school is the perfect choice for you. Knowing more about the student population can help you get a better idea of the school's culture and life.
Main Student Body
The overall number of students enrolled at Saint Mary's College in 2025 was 1,593.
The school reported an out-of-state student body portion of 63% for that year. The total number of undergraduate students enrolled at the institution was 1,495, 14 of which were foreign students. 31 students enrolled as transfer students.
Student Population Gender Ratio
The student body is women only for undergraduate, and coed for graduate, with 1 male and 1,521 female full-time students in 2025.
Student Population Diversity
In order to promote a sense of inclusion and belonging among its students, higher education is dedicated to increasing student diversity. In a diverse learning space, you will be exposed to people from different backgrounds, which promotes the feeling of inclusion and acceptance. Find out more about different ethnic groups you can meet at Saint Mary's College.
This school had 22 Asian students and 31 Afro-American students in 2025. 237 undergraduate students at this school identified as Hispanic/Latino and 48 as multirace. The school also had 2 students who declared as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, as well as 3 American Indian or Alaska Native students. There were also 15 students whose ethnicity is unknown.
Cost
Before sending an application to any college or university, the financial component should be taken into consideration. Here are some details you should know about the cost of attendance for Saint Mary's College.
Tuition and Fees
Here are some facts that can be useful if you were curious about Saint Mary's College estimated tuition fees.
Tuition fees per academic year for full-time domestic students were $53,934 in 2025. Since this is a private institution, tuition is the same for all the accepted students. Full-time students in 2025 were required to pay additional fees in the amount of $1,159.
Books and Supplies
When you try to estimate the cost of attendance for a college or university, you need to take into account the cost of books and supplies you're going to need. Most students have to give about $300 for books and supplies during their time at Saint Mary's College.
Boarding
When choosing a college, you should factor in the price of a dorm room and meals at the school cafeteria. What do colleges and universities typically charge for accommodation and meals?
At Saint Mary's College, the 2025 annual cost of room and board (on campus) was $14,474. Room-only (on campus) cost per academic year at this school reached $8,831, according to the data from 2025. The estimated expense of room-only (on campus) for commuters not living at home was $8,646.
| Expense Category | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition | $ 53,934 |
| Room and Board | $ 14,474 |
| Book and Supplies | $ 300 |
| Total Expense | $ 68,708 |
Financial Aid
Be it a grant, loan, scholarship, or work-study program, any type of financial support can be a great deal for a number of students. If you want to find out more about need-based and non-need-based aid at Saint Mary's College, here are some recent data you should consider.
The most recent figures show that financial help was given to 283 freshmen. Students of this school received an average of $47,567 in financial help.
Need-based
If you need help with paying for your studies and you meet certain eligibility requirements, you may be eligible for need-based aid.
615 students received some form of need-based financial aid. Need-based college-administered scholarship and grant aid at Saint Mary's College is available to international students. The total number of students (including freshmen) who were determined to have financial need was found to be 948. The amount of federal need-based scholarships/grants awarded to the students at this institution stood at $2,512,574, and state $2,411,983. The students of Saint Mary's College received the -institutional need-based aid in the amount of $30,205,753, and external in the amount of $670,050.
$32,055
Average Amount of Aid Received
Non-Need Based
Non-need-based financial aid is any type of financial aid provided to a student who does not meet the criteria for need-based aid. The most popular forms of non-need-based financial aid for students are loans and grants, like Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans, Graduate PLUS Loans, Parent PLUS Loans, and the Teacher Education Access for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant.
Institutional non-need-based scholarships or grants were given to 921 students overall (including freshmen) at Saint Mary's College in 2025. Institutional grants or scholarships that are not based on financial need were given to 283 full-time freshman. The total amount of non-need-based institutional scholarships/grants was $10,429,476. This includes endowment, alumni, other institutional awards, and also external funds awarded by the institution, but doesn't include athletic aid and tuition waivers. $1,198,987 was the amount that the students at this institution got from external sources (like Kiwanis and National Merit).
Majors
Faculty
10:1
Student to Faculty Ratio
Getting information about the faculty at a school can help you estimate the quality of education you will receive there.
In 2025, this ratio at Saint Mary's College was 10:1. That means that there were 10 times more students than teachers at this school. This school has recently reported to have 189 faculty members. This number included 58 male and 131 female faculty members. The fact that female faculty members outnumber the male ones at this school is telling of the importance gender equality has at Saint Mary's College.
Student Population Diversity Graph
Campus Life
Knowing what to expect out of campus life at a college or university can set you up for success. Check out some details about social life at Saint Mary's College.
Its campus is 100 acres in size.
Student Organizations
Being a member of a student organization will make you connect better with your fellow students and enjoy your college years more.
This school has 75 open-membership student organizations you can participate in. The student organization that attracts the greatest number of students is Student Diversity Board, followed by Residence Hall Association and Student Activities Board. Other popular student organizations at this school are Dance Marathon and Student Government Association.
Those who have a talent for music can join the Saint Mary's College band or chorus. For students with a talent for acting, there is a drama club. Interested in media and communication? Saint Mary's College publishes its own newspaper.
Student Services
At Saint Mary's College, there are many amenities that make life on campus pleasant and safe.
There are 24-hour emergency phone and alarm devices. The dormitory entrances at the school are electronically controlled. There is a round-the-clock security patrol. The transport/escort service operates during late hours.
There is a health clinic with personal/psychological counseling. All in all, campus life at Saint Mary's College is rich and vibrant and provides everything most students need.
Career Services
Having career services at a college or university can mean a great deal for your career planning, so find out what you can expect at Saint Mary's College.
Career Counselling
At Saint Mary's College, there is both group career counseling for all students and individual career counseling for all students. There are a library, a job bank, and job fairs. Job interviews are also available to students through the career center. The career center offers resume preparation and resume referral to employers. The school has campus employer recruitment for all the students. This school offers alumni networking opportunities, which could be highly beneficial for your future career.
FAQ
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Saint Mary's College is located in Notre Dame, IN.
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Saint Mary's College offers need-based college-administered scholarship and grant aid to international students.
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According to the latest information, you would need to pay about 53,934 USD per academic year for Saint Mary's College.
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This school uses standardized test scores for admission.
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The most recent reported acceptance rate for Saint Mary's College is 76%.
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The most recent data indicate that the freshman retention rate for Saint Mary's College is 88.1%.
Contact Information
Data Source: IPEDS and Peterson's Databases © 2023 Peterson's LLC All rights reserved. Portions of this content were co-written with OpenAI's GPT-3.5 model.
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Data Source: IPEDS and Peterson's Databases © 2023 Peterson's LLC All rights reserved.
Portions of this content were co-written with OpenAI's GPT-3.5 model.
