Saint Mary's College of California

Saint Mary’s is a selective, comprehensive university that engages the intellect and the spirit with exceptional academics. This is an education that changes lives and inspires the desire to transform society.

Saint Mary's College of California invites you to passionately embrace knowledge, the challenges of scholarship, and the capacity to make lasting change in the world. The foundation for this is our mission.

Recognizing that the paths to knowledge are many, Saint Mary's College of California offers a diverse curriculum that includes the humanities, arts, sciences, social sciences, education, business administration and nursing, serving traditional students and adult learners in both undergraduate and graduate programs.

As an institution where the liberal arts inform and enrich all areas of learning, it places special importance on fostering the intellectual skills and habits of mind, which liberate persons to probe deeply the mystery of existence and live authentically in response to the truths they discover. This liberation is achieved as faculty and students, led by wonder about the nature of reality, look twice, ask why, seek not merely facts but fundamental principles, strive for an integration of all knowledge and express themselves precisely and eloquently.

Saint Mary's College holds that the mystery which inspires wonder about the nature of existence is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ giving a transcendent meaning to creation and human existence. Nourished by its Christian faith, the College understands the intellectual and spiritual journeys of the human person to be inextricably connected. It promotes the dialogue of faith and reason: it builds community among its members through the celebration of the church's sacramental life; it defends the goodness, dignity and freedom of each person, and fosters sensitivity to social and ethical concerns.

Recognizing that all those who sincerely quest for truth contribute to and enhance its stature as a Catholic institution of higher learning, Saint Mary's welcomes members from its own and other traditions, inviting them to collaborate in fulfilling the spiritual mission of the College.

As a Lasallian college, Saint Mary's holds that students are given to its care by God and that teachers grow spiritually and personally when their work is motivated by faith and zeal. The College seeks students, faculty, administrators and staff from different social, economic and cultural backgrounds who come together to grow in knowledge, wisdom and love.

A distinctive mark of a Lasallian school is its awareness of the consequences of economic and social injustice and its commitment to the poor. Its members learn to live "their responsibility to share their goods and their service with those who are in need, a responsibility based on the union of all men and women in the world today and on a clear understanding of the meaning of Christianity.

Saint Mary’s offers one of the most rigorous, multifaceted and rewarding programs of academic study in the world. Our undergraduate and graduate programs span many disciplines and areas of academic interest, from astronomy to philosophy to global business, and we serve a wide range of students, from traditional undergraduates to international students to working professionals.

What unites all our programs is the belief at the core of our mission: that education is a vehicle for transformative leadership and social justice. A Saint Mary’s education will give you the tools to change the world— it’s up to you to decide what to do with them.

We’re glad you’re considering Saint Mary’s. It's a place where a highly diverse student body can access a topflight education. We’d love to get to know you. When we see potential in a student, we do our best to make sure tuition doesn't get in the way of her or his future. Eighty-six percent of Saint Mary's students receive some form of financial aid. Enabling students to access a Saint Mary's education is part of our commitment to individual attention and a part of our Lasallian heritage.

Is it being surrounded by 420 acres of hills, pines, hidden gardens, stunning architecture and state-of-the-art classrooms? Or is it the strong community infused with Lasallian values that is filled with enthusiasm, idealism and passion. So much of your college experience comprises "Student Life" and knowing who we are and what we do for you will help you see what makes Saint Mary's so special.

There is a whole world to discover and Saint Mary's brings the best of the world to life on our campus through our global connections, academic excellence, our winning athletic programs, the diversity of the Bay Area, our passionate focus on social justice, the study of the great books and our inclusive learning environment.

In your first year as an undergraduate, you’ll meet more people in less time than you ever have before. You’ll have intellectual (and not-so-intellectual) conversations, late-night pizza parties, impromptu volleyball games, movie breaks and philosophical debates. You will begin to figure out that it’s not exaggerating to say that the four years you spend in college will be some of the most exciting, memorable years of your life and the friends and experiences you have in college will help shape the course of your life. Student Life helps you make those initial connections that will span the entirity of your time at Saint Mary's.