University of Nebraska-Lincoln – Profile, Rankings and Academics

Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private Jesuit research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States.[3] Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Mississippi River and the second-oldest Jesuit university in the United States. The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

In the 2023–2024 academic year, SLU had an enrollment of 15,204 students. The student body included 8,502 undergraduate students and 6,702 graduate students that represent all 50 states and 96 countries.[4] The university is classified among “R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity”.

For more than 50 years, the university has maintained the Saint Louis University Madrid Campus in Spain. The Madrid campus was the first freestanding campus operated by an American university in Europe and the first American institution to be recognized by Spain’s higher education authority as an official foreign university.

SLU’s athletic teams compete in the NCAA Division I as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference.

Saint Louis University
150px Saint Louis University seal
Latin: Universitas Sancti Ludovici
Former names
Saint Louis Academy (1818–1820)
Saint Louis College (1820)
Motto Ad maiorem Dei gloriam (Latin)
Motto in English
“For the greater glory of God”
Type Private research university
Established November 16, 1818; 206 years ago
Founder Louis William Valentine DuBourg
Accreditation HLC
Religious affiliation
Catholic (Jesuit)
Academic affiliations
  • ACCU
  • AJCU
  • Space-grant
Endowment $1.71 billion (2023)
President Fred Pestello
Provost Michael Lewis
Academic staff
2,022
Administrative staff
6,000
Students 15,204
Undergraduates 8,502
Postgraduates 6,702
Location
St. Louis

,

Missouri

,

United States

17px WMA button2b38°38′11″N 90°14′03″W

Campus Large city, 273 acres (110.5 ha)
Other campuses Madrid
Newspaper The University News
Colors Blue and white
   
Nickname Billikens
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division I – A-10
Website www.slu.edu
220px Saint Louis University logo.svg

History

Early years

Saint Louis University traces its origins to the Saint Louis Academy, founded on November 16, 1818, by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, Bishop of Louisiana and the Floridas, and placed under the charge of François Niel and others of the secular clergy attached to the Saint Louis Cathedral. Its first location was in a private residence near the Mississippi River in an area now occupied by Gateway Arch National Park within the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

Already having a two-story building for the 65 students using Bishop Dubourg’s personal library of 8,000 volumes for its printed materials, the name Saint Louis Academy was changed in 1820 to Saint Louis College (while the secondary school division remained Saint Louis Academy, now known as St. Louis University High School).[citation needed] In 1827 Bishop Dubourg placed Saint Louis College in the care of the Society of Jesus. Not long after that, it received its charter as a university by act of the Missouri Legislature.

According to William Faherty, the first Jesuit president of St. Louis College, Peter Verhaegen, was a key leader in building Catholicism in the West from his arrival 1823 to his death in 1853. He kept frontier needs in mind while designing the curriculum, intensified the school’s Catholic life, established a medical department, and moved the school to a bigger campus. It included Protestants among its faculty, student body, and supporters. It introduced evening adult programs, and taught poor boys with city funding.

University beginnings and American Civil War

220px Old Saint Louis University Location
The university at its Washington and Ninth location

In 1829, the new university moved its campus to Washington Avenue and Ninth, today the site of America’s Center. At this time, the founders forced enslaved Black Americans from their St. Stanislaus Seminary in Hazelwood to labor at the university. Many had previously been separated from their families enslaved at White Marsh Plantation.

In 1852 the university and its teaching priests were the subject of an anti-Catholic novel, The Mysteries of St. Louis, which was written by newspaper editor Henry Boernstein. Boernstein’s popular newspaper, Anzeiger des Westens, routinely criticized the university.

In 1867, after the American Civil War, the university purchased “Lindell’s Grove”, in what is now Midtown. The university subsequently moved to this new location, which is the current site of today’s north campus. Lindell’s Grove was the site of the Camp Jackson Affair, which had occurred only a few years prior to the university’s purchase.

The first building on campus, DuBourg Hall, began construction in 1888, and the college officially moved to its new location in 1889. [citation needed] Construction of the new St. Francis Xavier College Church began on 8 June 1884. The basement of the church was completed later that year and was the location for liturgical functions until the upper church was subsequently completed in 1898.

20th century and shift to majority lay board of trustees

220px Historical and interesting places of Saint Louis %281909%29 %2814782704624%29
DuBourg Hall, the oldest building on SLU’s campus, and St. Francis Xavier College Church in 1909

During the early 1940s, many local priests, especially the Jesuits, began to challenge the segregationist policies at the city’s Catholic colleges and parochial schools.

After the Pittsburgh Courier, an African-American newspaper, ran a 1944 exposé on St. Louis Archbishop John J. Glennon’s interference with the admittance of a black student at the local Webster College,Fr. Claude Heithaus, professor of Classical Archaeology at Saint Louis University, delivered an angry homily accusing his own institution of immoral behavior in its segregation policies. By summer of 1944, Saint Louis University had opened its doors to African-Americans, after its president, Father Patrick Holloran, secured Glennon’s reluctant approval .

In 1967, Saint Louis University became one of the first Catholic universities to give laypeople more power over the affairs of the school. Board chairman Paul Reinert stepped aside to be replaced by layman Daniel Schlafly, and the board shifted to an 18 to 10 majority of laypeople.

This was largely because of Horace Mann vs. the Board of Public Works of Maryland, a landmark case heard by the Maryland Court of Appeals, which declared unconstitutional grants to “largely sectarian” colleges. The Second Vatican Council has also been mentioned as a major influence on this decision for its increased focus on the laity, as well as the decreased recruitment of nuns and priests since the council.

From 1985 to 1992 the chairman of the Board of Trustees was William H. T. Bush (younger brother of former president George H. W. Bush). The younger Bush also taught classes at the school. Since the move to lay oversight, there has been some debate over how much influence the Roman Catholic Church should have on the affairs of the university. The decision by the university to sell its hospital to Tenet Healthcare in 1997 met much resistance by both local and national Church leaders but went ahead as planned.

In 2015, the Catholic SSM Health system assumed operation of Saint Louis University Hospital. Renovations were completed in 2020. In 2022, Saint Louis University sold its medical practice, SLUCare, to the SSM Health System as well.

As of 2023, 40 Jesuits taught, studied, and ministered at SLU.

Slavery, history, memory and reconciliation

In 2016, the institution revealed names and stories of Black Americans who had been enslaved by the university and its founders and who contributed to the cultivation and building of the institution. Direct descendants include Louis Chauvin and St. Louis Black Stockings player Sylvester Chauvin, whose burial site was marked by a headstone in 2022 through the Negro Leagues Baseball Grave Marker Project.

Contemporary descendants formed the organization Descendants of the Saint Louis University Enslaved and are petitioning for a physical monument on campus to acknowledge the history of their ancestors. The group has estimated the contemporary value of labor performed by enslaved workers to be between 361 million to 74 billion dollars.

Timeline of notable events

220px Slu dubourg 1888
DuBourg Hall, as it appears today
  • 1818 – First institution of higher learning west of the Mississippi River
  • 1832 – First graduate programs west of the Mississippi River
  • 1836 – First medical school west of the Mississippi River
  • 1843 – First in the West to open a school of law
  • 1906 – First forward pass in football history
  • 1908 – First female students admitted
  • 1910 – First business school west of the Mississippi River
  • 1925 – First department of geophysics in the Western Hemisphere
  • 1927 – First federally licensed school of aviation
  • 1929 – First woman Ph.D. graduate, Mother Marie Kernaghan
  • 1944 – First university in Missouri to establish an official policy admitting African-American students
  • 1949 – First co-ed classes, in the College of Arts and Sciences
  • 1955 – Marguerite Hall, first women’s hall of residence, opens.
  • 1967 – First major Catholic university to give lay and clergy people combined legal responsibility for institutional policy on its board of trustees.
  • 1972 – First human heart transplant in the Midwest
  • 2013 – First Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in aviation in the world awarded

 Admissions

  • Acceptance Rate
    77%
  • Regular Application Due
    May 1
  • SAT Range
    1090–1310*
  • ACT Range
    22–28*

By the Numbers

These ranges reflect what most admitted students scored, but many are outside these ranges.

GPA Range

3.75+
50%
3.50–3.74
20%
3.25–3.49
13%
3.00–3.24
10%
2.50–2.99
5%
2.00–2.49
2%
Below 2.00
0%

SAT Range

  • Total40016001090–1310
  • Reading200800550–660
  • Math200800540–670

ACT Composite Range

  • 13622–28
Acceptance Rate77% Less Selective
  • Total Applicants
    18,354
  • Admitted
    14,146
  • Enrolled
    4,699

Application Requirements

  • High School GPA: Recommended
  • High School Rank: Recommended
  • College Prep Courses: Required
  • SAT/ACT Scores: Considered if submitted
  • Recommendations: Neither required nor recommended

Application Deadline

Stay on top of your goals! Dates are subject to change, so confirm important deadlines by visiting the college website.
May 1
Regular Application Due
Add to Calendar

Application Process

Application Fee

$45

Application Types Accepted
  • Online through college’s own website
  • Common Application

 Academics

  • Graduation Rate
    65%
  • Majors Available
    139
  • Student-to-Faculty Ratio
    16:1
  • Retention Rate
    85%

AP Credit Policy

Students must have official copies of their scores submitted to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Office of Admissions by the College Board in order for credit to be awarded.

  • Offers credits

    Yes

  • Offers placement into advanced courses

    Yes

AP Courses Min Score Required Number of Credits Course Equivalent
2-D Art and Design 3 3 General Studio Credit
3-D Art and Design 3 3 General Studio Credit
Art History 4 3 AHIS 101
Biology 4 4 BIOS 101 and BIOS 101L
Calculus AB 3 5 MATH 106
Calculus BC 3 9 MATH 106,107
Chemistry 3 4 CHEM 105A and CHEM 105L
4 4 CHEM 109A and CHEM 109L
Chinese Language and Culture 5 6 CHIN 201 + 202
4 3 CHIN 201
Comparative Government and Politics 4 3 POLS 104
Computer Science A 3 3 CSCE 155
Computer Science Principles 3 3 CSCE 101
Drawing 3 3 DRAW 101
English Language and Composition 4 3 ENGL 150
English Literature and Composition 4 3 ENGL 180
Environmental Science 4 3 GEOG 181
European History 4 3 HIST 130
French Language and Culture 5 6 FREN 201 + 202
4 3 FREN 201
German Language and Culture 5 6 GERM 201 + 202
4 3 GERM 201
Human Geography 4 3 GEOG 140
Japanese Language and Culture 4 3 JAPN 201
5 6 JAPN 201 + 202
Latin 4 13 LATN 101, LATN 102, 300-level Latin Credit
3 10 LATN 101 and LATN 102
5 16 LATN 101, LATN 102, 300-level Latin Credit
Macroeconomics 3 3 ECON 211
Microeconomics 3 3 ECON 212
Music Theory 4 4 MUSC 165, 165A
5 8 MUSC 165, 165A, 166, 166A
Physics 1 4 5 PHYS 141
Physics 2 4 5 PHYS 142
Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism 4 4 PHYS 212
Physics C: Mechanics 4 4 PHYS 211
Psychology 3 4 Psychology 181
Spanish Language and Culture 5 6 SPAN 201 + 202
4 3 SPAN 201
Statistics 3 3 STAT 218
United States Government and Politics 4 3 POLS 100
United States History 4 3 HIST 110
World History: Modern 4 3 HIS 120

Study Options

Majors and Degrees

The college offers the following degrees: Bachelor’s, Certificate, Master’s, and Doctoral

 

  • A

    • Accounting
    • Actuarial Science
    • Agricultural Business and Management, General
    • Agricultural Communication/Journalism
    • Agricultural Economics
    • Agricultural Engineering
    • Agricultural Mechanization, General
    • Agricultural Teacher Education
    • Agricultural and Food Products Processing
    • Agriculture, General
    • Agronomy and Crop Science
    • Ancient Studies/Civilization
    • Animal Health
    • Animal Sciences, General
    • Anthropology
    • Apparel and Textile Marketing Management
    • Apparel and Textiles, General
    • Architectural Engineering
    • Architecture
    • Art History, Criticism and Conservation
    • Athletic Training/Trainer
    • Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, General
    • Audiology/Audiologist
    • Audiology/Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist
  • B

    • Banking and Financial Support Services
    • Biochemistry
    • Biological/Biosystems Engineering
    • Biology Teacher Education
    • Biology/Biological Sciences, General
    • Biomedical Sciences, General
    • Botany/Plant Biology
    • Broadcast Journalism
    • Business Administration and Management, General
    • Business and Innovation/Entrepreneurship Teacher Education
    • Business/Managerial Economics
  • C

    • Chemical Engineering
    • Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
    • Chemistry Teacher Education
    • Chemistry, General
    • City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning
    • Civil Engineering, General
    • Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General
    • Communications Technology/Technician
    • Computer Engineering, General
    • Computer Software Engineering
    • Computer and Information Sciences, General
    • Construction Engineering
    • Construction Engineering Technology/Technician
    • Construction Management, General
    • Curriculum and Instruction
  • D

    • Dance, General
    • Drafting and Design Technology/Technician, General
    • Drama and Dramatics/Theater Arts, General
  • E

    • Economics, General
    • Education, General
    • Educational Leadership and Administration, General
    • Educational Psychology
    • Electrical and Electronics Engineering
    • Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician
    • Elementary Education and Teaching
    • Engineering, General
    • English Language and Literature, General
    • English/Language Arts Teacher Education
    • Entomology
    • Environmental Studies
    • Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering
    • Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy, General
  • F

    • Film/Cinema/Media Studies
    • Finance, General
    • Fine/Studio Arts, General
    • Food Science
    • Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General
    • Foreign Language Teacher Education
    • Foreign Languages and Literatures, General
    • Forensic Science and Technology
    • French Language Teacher Education
    • French Language and Literature
  • G

    • Geography
    • Geology/Earth Science, General
    • German Language Teacher Education
    • German Language and Literature
    • Graphic Design
  • H

    • History, General
    • Horticultural Science
    • Hospitality Administration/Management, General
    • Human Development and Family Studies, General
  • I

    • Industrial Engineering
    • Insurance
    • Interior Architecture
    • International Business/Trade/Commerce
    • International Relations and Affairs
    • International/Globalization Studies
    • Investments and Securities
  • J

    • Journalism
  • L

    • Landscape Architecture
    • Landscaping and Groundskeeping
    • Latin American Studies
    • Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies
    • Logistics, Materials, and Supply Chain Management
  • M

    • Manufacturing Engineering Technology/Technician
    • Marketing Research
    • Marketing/Marketing Management, General
    • Mathematics Teacher Education
    • Mathematics, General
    • Mechanical Engineering
    • Medieval and Renaissance Studies
    • Microbiology, General
    • Music Teacher Education
    • Music, General
  • N

  • P

    • Philosophy
    • Physics Teacher Education
    • Physics, General
    • Political Science and Government, General
    • Pre-Dentistry Studies
    • Pre-Medicine/Pre-Medical Studies
    • Pre-Pharmacy Studies
    • Pre-Veterinary Studies
    • Psychology, General
    • Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
  • R

    • Range Science and Management
    • Russian Language and Literature
  • S

    • Science Teacher Education/General Science Teacher Education
    • Social Science Teacher Education
    • Sociology
    • Soil Science and Agronomy, General
    • Spanish Language Teacher Education
    • Spanish Language and Literature
    • Speech Communication and Rhetoric
    • Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist
    • Statistics, General
  • T

    • Teacher Education, Multiple Levels
    • Telecommunications Technology/Technician
    • Textile Science
    • Turf and Turfgrass Management
  • V

    • Veterinary/Animal Health Technology/Technician and Veterinary Assistant
    • Visual and Performing Arts, General
  • W

    • Women’s Studies

Special Academics Program

  • Accelerated Study
  • Cross-Registration
  • Distance Learning
  • Double Major
  • Dual Enrollment of High School Students
  • English as a Second Language
  • Honors Program
  • Independent Study
  • Internships
  • Liberal Arts/Career Combination
  • ROTC, Air Force
  • ROTC, Army
  • ROTC, Navy
  • Student-Designed Major
  • Study Abroad
  • Teacher Certification
  • Undergraduate Research
  • Visiting/Exchange Student Program

Costs

  • Average Per Year After Aid
    $16,805
  • Students Receiving Financial Aid
    46%
  • Average Aid Package
    $16,099
  • Financial Aid Application Due
    April 1

Tuition

Average Net Price$16,805 per year
Your net price is a college’s cost of attendance minus the grants and scholarships you receive. The net price you pay for a particular college is specific to you because it’s based on your personal circumstances and the college’s financial aid policies. Use the college’s Net Price calculator for the most accurate estimate of your net price.
Average Net Price by Household Income

<$30k

$11,585 per year

$30-48k

$11,812 per year

$48-75k

$14,504 per year

$75-110k

$18,692 per year

$110k+

$21,192 per year

Sticker Price

In-State Tuition

$8,310 per year

Out-of-State Tuition

$26,640 per year

Other Costs

Housing

$14,120 per year

Books and Supplies

$1,100 per year

Personal Expenses

$3,056 per year

$0 per year

Financial Aid

Financial aid can include grants, loans, scholarships and work-study jobs. Financial aid packages vary depending on your financial need. Most colleges determine financial need based on your FAFSA.

Distribution Details
  • Students Receiving Financial Aid

    46%

  • Freshmen With Need and Received Financial Aid

    96%

  • Percent of Need Met

    70%

Aid Package Details
  • Average Aid Packages Awarded

    $16,099

  • Need-Based Scholarship or Grant Award

    Scholarships and grants don’t need to be paid back.

    $9,501

  • Need-Based Loan Amount

    Loans must be paid back.

    $4,066

  • Non-Need-Based Aid

    $7,123

  • Debt at Graduation

    The typical amount of loans a student must pay back.

    $23,894

Tuition Guarantee Plans

Tuition at time of first enrollment guaranteed only to students making advance payment

Financial Aid Dates

Application Due: Apr 1

The last day to apply for financial aid or turn in related paperwork.

Priority Application Due: May 1

Applications received prior to this date will be given the strongest consideration. Still apply for financial aid if you don’t make this due date.

Notification Date: Not available

When students receive a letter with the amount and types of aid the college is offering.

Response Due: Not available

The deadline for students to respond to the college’s aid offer.

 Campus Life

  • Setting
    Urban
  • Undergraduate Students
    18,887
  • Average Per Year for Campus Housing
    $14,120
  • Sports
    Club, Intercollegiate, Intramural, NCAA Division I and NCAA Division IA

Housing

Average Housing Cost

$14,120 per year

First-Years in College Housing

87%

Housing Options
  • Apartments For Married Students
  • Apartments For Single Students
  • Coed Housing
  • Cooperative Housing
  • Fraternity/Sorority Housing
  • Living Learning Communities
  • Special Housing For Disabled Students
  • Women’s Housing

Extracurricular

Sports

The sports programs offered and athletic scholarships available are below.

 

  • Badminton
    • Men’s: Club, Intramural
    • Women’s: Club, Intramural
  • Baseball
    • Men’s: Club, Intercollegiate, NCAA Division IOffers Scholarships
  • Basketball
    • Men’s: Club, Intercollegiate, Intramural, NCAA Division IOffers Scholarships
    • Women’s: Club, Intercollegiate, Intramural, NCAA Division IOffers Scholarships
  • Bowling
    • Men’s: Club, Intramural
    • Women’s: Intercollegiate, Intramural, NCAA Division IOffers Scholarships
  • Cheerleading
    • Men’s: Intercollegiate
    • Women’s: Intercollegiate
  • Cross-Country
    • Men’s: Club, Intercollegiate, NCAA Division IOffers Scholarships
    • Women’s: Club, Intercollegiate, NCAA Division IOffers Scholarships
  • Diving
    • Women’s: IntercollegiateOffers Scholarships
  • Equestrian
    • Men’s: Club
    • Women’s: Club
  • Football
    • Men’s: Intercollegiate, NCAA Division IAOffers Scholarships
  • Football (Non-Tackle)
    • Men’s: Intramural
    • Women’s: Intramural
  • Golf
    • Men’s: Club, Intercollegiate, Intramural, NCAA Division IOffers Scholarships
    • Women’s: Club, Intercollegiate, Intramural, NCAA Division IOffers Scholarships
  • Gymnastics
    • Men’s: Intercollegiate, NCAA Division IOffers Scholarships
    • Women’s: Intercollegiate, NCAA Division IOffers Scholarships
  • Ice Hockey
    • Men’s: Club
    • Women’s: Club
    • Men’s: Club
    • Women’s: Club
  • Lacrosse
    • Men’s: Club
    • Women’s: Club
  • Racquetball
    • Men’s: Intramural
    • Women’s: Intramural
  • Rifle
    • Men’s: Club, Intramural
    • Women’s: Club, Intercollegiate, Intramural, NCAA Division IOffers Scholarships
  • Rodeo
    • Men’s: Club
    • Women’s: Club
  • Rowing (Crew)
    • Men’s: Club
    • Women’s: Club
  • Rugby
    • Men’s: Club
  • Sailing
    • Men’s: Club
    • Women’s: Club
  • Soccer
    • Men’s: Club, Intramural
    • Women’s: Club, Intercollegiate, Intramural, NCAA Division IOffers Scholarships
  • Softball
    • Men’s: Intramural
    • Women’s: Club, Intercollegiate, Intramural, NCAA Division IOffers Scholarships
  • Swimming
    • Men’s: Club
    • Women’s: Club, Intercollegiate, NCAA Division IOffers Scholarships
  • Table Tennis
    • Men’s: Club, Intramural
    • Women’s: Club, Intramural
  • Tennis
    • Men’s: Club, Intercollegiate, Intramural, NCAA Division IOffers Scholarships
    • Women’s: Club, Intercollegiate, Intramural, NCAA Division IOffers Scholarships
  • Track And Field
    • Men’s: Intercollegiate, IntramuralOffers Scholarships
    • Women’s: Intercollegiate, IntramuralOffers Scholarships
  • Track: Indoor
    • Men’s: NCAA Division I
    • Women’s: NCAA Division I
  • Track: Outdoor
    • Men’s: NCAA Division I
    • Women’s: NCAA Division I
  • Ultimate Frisbee
    • Men’s: Club, Intramural
    • Women’s: Club, Intramural
  • Volleyball
    • Men’s: Club, Intramural
    • Women’s: Club, Intercollegiate, Intramural, NCAA Division IOffers Scholarships
  • Volleyball (Sand)
    • Men’s: Intramural
    • Women’s: Intercollegiate, IntramuralOffers Scholarships
  • Water Polo
    • Men’s: Club
    • Women’s: Club
  • Weightlifting
    • Men’s: Club
    • Women’s: Club
  • Wrestling
    • Men’s: Intercollegiate, Intramural, NCAA Division IOffers Scholarships
    • Women’s: Intramural
Activities
  • Air Force ROTC
  • Army ROTC
  • Campus Ministries
  • Choral Groups
  • Concert Band
  • Dance
  • Drama/Theater
  • Film
  • International Student Organization
  • Jazz Band
  • Literary Magazine
  • Marching Band
  • Model UN
  • Music Ensembles
  • Musical Theater
  • Naval ROTC
  • Opera
  • Pep Band
  • Radio Station
  • Student Government
  • Student Newspaper
  • Symphony Orchestra
  • Television Station

Student Body

  • Total Undergrad Students

    18,887

  • Total Graduate Students

    4,648

  • Full-Time Students

    18,078

  • Part-Time Students

    889

Race and Ethnicity
  • Black or African American

    3%

  • Asian

    4%

  • Hispanic or Latino

    9%

  • Multiracial

    4%

  • Native American

    Less than 1%

  • Pacific Islander

    Less than 1%

  • Unknown

    1%

  • White

    76%

  • International (Non-Citizen)

    3%

Student Primary Residence
  • Out-of-State

    25%

Campus

220px Slu northeast quarter
Northeastern quarter of campus

SLU’s campus in Midtown, St. Louis consists of over 273 acres (110.5 ha) of land, with 129 buildings on campus. This area is split between two locations along Grand Boulevard. The north campus (or Frost Campus), located just north of I-64, is the site of most undergraduate learning and is also home to the university’s residence halls.

The south campus, located just south of Chouteau Avenue, is the site of the Saint Louis University Hospital, the Doisy Research Center, and some athletic facilities. Most health science instruction takes place on the south campus.[38] The Saint Louis University School of Law is located in downtown St. Louis in Scott Hall.

Fr. Raymond L. Sullivant launched the campus in Madrid, Spain in 1967. Saint Louis University Madrid has nearly 1,000 students from more than 70 countries. The campus has a faculty of 125, an average class size of 17 and a student-faculty ratio of 12:1.

Major campus construction and renovation

Jesuit Center

In 2022, Saint Louis University opened a new residence for Jesuits living and working on campus. The 25-bedroom apostolic center also has a chapel where student Masses are held and community meeting rooms. The building replaces Jesuit Hall, which had been home to Saint Louis University Jesuits since 1973. Retired Jesuits moved to a Delmar Gardens facility in north St. Louis County.

Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building

In the fall of 2020, the university opened a new, 90,000-square-foot, three-story building featuring “innovative teaching environments and flexible lab spaces.” The building is home to bioinformatics, biology, biomedical engineering, chemistry, neuroscience and computer science courses that support all science, engineering, nursing and health science majors at SLU.

Saint Louis University School of Law

Saint Louis University School of Law, founded in 1843, is the oldest law school west of the Mississippi River. Law students attend classes in Scott Hall, which is in downtown St. Louis. Scott Hall was bought and renovated by the university between 2012 and 2013, as the law school had outgrown its former site on SLU’s midtown campus. The newly renovated building opened in 2013.

Edward A. Doisy Research Center

In 2007, SLU completed a 10-story research center on its Medical Campus Building, a green building named for Edward Adelbert Doisy, Nobel laureate of 1943 and a long-time faculty member at SLU. The building contains 80 labs that are used in the development of vaccines and in research initiatives studying cancer, liver disease, and other health conditions. The building is home to the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Chaifetz Arena

220px Chaifetz arena
Chaifetz Arena, viewed from the air

The multi-purpose Chaifetz Arena, built in 2008, is a 10,600-seat stadium located on-campus. The arena also contains training facilities, locker rooms, and a practice facility that can house 1,000 spectators. It is on the eastern end of the north campus. The arena replaced Enterprise Center as the university’s primary location for large events, notably commencement celebrations and varsity sports. The arena is named for alumnus Richard Chaifetz.

Housing

Saint Louis has residence halls and student apartment space on campus. As part of the university’s First Year Experience (FYE) program, students are required to live on campus for their first four semesters at SLU, unless they are a commuter from the St. Louis metropolitan area.

St. Francis Xavier College Church

Located at the corner of Grand Boulevard and Lindell Boulevard is the university’s official parish, St. Francis Xavier College Church. Built between 1888 and 1894 by architect Thomas Walsh, who also designed DuBourg Hall, the church was the first English-speaking parish in the city of St. Louis. The church has held a weekly Sunday Evening Mass for SLU students since 1990.

Clock tower

220px Slu clock tower
Joseph G. Lipic Clock Tower Plaza

Built in 1993, Saint Louis University’s clock tower closed off the campus from West Pine Avenue from Spring Street to Vandeventer Avenue.[53] The surrounding plaza is host to social gatherings, demonstrations, and philanthropic events.

In 2011, the clock tower and the area around it were renamed the Joseph G. Lipic Clock Tower Plaza.[54] The amphitheater adjacent to the plaza was renamed in 2021 honor of Jonathan Smith.

In October 2014, the clocktower plaza became the focal point for a student-led demonstration known as OccupySLU. Hundreds of students descended on the plaza to engage in teach-ins, peaceful protest, and conversation in the aftermath of the shooting of Michael Brown and the shooting of Vonderrit Myers Jr.[56] Students and community leaders peacefully occupied the plaza for six days. During this time, university president Fred Pestello negotiated with demonstrators to end the occupation.

Libraries and museums

Pius XII Memorial Library is the general academic library. It houses over 2.2 million books and e-books.[59] Housed within Pius XII Memorial Library is the Knights of Columbus Vatican Film Library, which holds a unique collection of microfilm focusing on the manuscripts housed in the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana.

In 1964, SLU president Paul Reinert established the Saint Louis University Library Associates. The Associates are a group of “civic-minded St. Louisans…dedicated to the growth of the university libraries.” Since 1967, the organization has presented the St. Louis Literary Award to a distinguished figure in literature. Notable recipients of the award include Salman Rushdie, E.L. Doctorow, Joan Didion, and R. Buckminster Fuller.

The university also has three museums: the Museum of Contemporary Religious Art (MOCRA), the Saint Louis University Museum of Art (SLUMA), and the Samuel Cupples House.

Administrative Offices

The Saint Louis University Office of Admissions Building was built in 1890 and had a number of different owners until it was acquired by the University in 1988.

Academics and rankings

University rankings
Saint Louis University
Global – Overall
ARWU World 501-600 (2024)
THE World 401-500 (2025)
USNWR Global 629 (2024-2025)
National – Overall
ARWU National 115-142 (2024)
Forbes National 162 (2024)
THE National 113 (2022)
USNWR National 105 (2024-2025)
Washington Monthly National 235 (2022)

SLU offers 94 undergraduate majors and 88 graduate disciplines. The student-faculty ratio is 9:1.

The university operates 12 schools and colleges:

  • College of Arts and Sciences
  • College of Philosophy and Letters
  • Doisy College of Health Sciences
  • School of Medicine
  • Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing
  • College for Public Health and Social Justice
  • School of Social Work
  • Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business
  • School of Education
  • School of Law
  • School of Science and Engineering
  • School for Professional Studies
  • Saint Louis University Madrid.

In addition, the university also operates a campus in Spain, Saint Louis University—Madrid, and the degree-granting Center for Advanced Dental Education.

Research

Saint Louis University’s long research history includes the work of Edward Adelbert Doisy who discovered the lifesaving properties of Vitamin K and is the namesake of the university’s research center, as well as its college of health sciences.

One of only nine Catholic universities with a “higher” or highest” research activity designation from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, SLU’s current research spans science, technology, law, and the humanities and is funded by the federal government, private foundations, and partnerships.

In 2018 became home to the Saint Louis University Research Institute, established through a $50 million gift from Rex Sinquefield and his wife, Jeanne. The SLU Research Institute performs research on geospatial, water, health data, translational neuroscience, and global Catholicism, among other topics.

Athletic

The Saint Louis Billikens are the collegiate athletic varsity teams of Saint Louis University. This NCAA Division I program fields teams in men’s soccer, women’s soccer, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s baseball, women’s softball, women’s volleyball, men’s swimming and diving, women’s swimming and diving, men’s cross country, women’s cross country, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, men’s track and field, women’s track and field, and women’s field hockey. The university competes in the Atlantic 10 Conference. In 2023, the women’s basketball team made their first trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Student life

Demographics

Saint Louis University has a residency requirement, 3,895 students lived on campus in fall 2023 including 89% of first- year students. More than 60% of students at SLU in 2021 identified as female and 33% identified as Black, Hispanic, Asian, or two or more races. According to the university’s profile, 99% of first-time freshmen and 92% of all students receive aid with a $45,343 average aid award for freshmen in 2023–24. The university reports that 43% of students graduate without student loan debt.

Student organization

Saint Louis University has over 215 student organizations. Students at SLU ranked third among U.S. universities in community engagement in 2023. The free speech watchdog group FIRE ranks SLU as a “warning” school due to its history of censoring both left and right wing speakers that disagree with the administration. The university’s Policy on Speech, Expression and Civil Discourse is based on Ignatian principles.

Greek life

Saint Louis has more than 20 fraternities and sororities on campus.

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