“The Lasallian tradition fuels the college’s perspective on teaching and learning: Education is powerful, and it comes with a deep responsibility to improve the world. It’s a mechanism of change.“
– Colleges That Change Lives
⋅ In-Person Campus Tours & Information Sessions
⋅ Drive-Through Campus Tours
⋅ Group Tours
Office of Admissions
P.O. Box 4800
Moraga, CA 94575-4800
925-631-4224
smcadmit@stmarys-ca.edu
www.stmarys-ca.edu
⋅ 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio
⋅ Average class size: 19
⋅ More than 90% of students receive financial aid.
⋅ Fall 2021 average first-year student’s financial aid package: $38,000
⋅ Merit scholarships are awarded to incoming students at the time of admission. They range from $13,000 to $29,000 and are renewable annually.
- Founded in 1863, a residential college of 2,358 undergraduates and 1,331 graduate students.
- Located on one of America’s most beautiful campuses — 420 acres of rolling hills in the heart of the San Francisco Bay Area.
- The college rests on a foundation of more than 300 years of Lasallian education, rooted in the life and work of Saint John Baptist de La Salle, a radical educational visionary, founder of the Christian Brothers, and the patron saint of teachers in the Catholic faith.
- All undergraduate students participate in Collegiate Seminar, a series of discussion-based classes that examine the Great Books and discuss the ideas of the world’s greatest thinkers.
- During January term students focus on one class, which is often outside their major during which students travel abroad, provide direct service, explore new ideas or take a courageous step towards personal change.
- Saint Mary’s 17 NCAA athletic teams for both men and women dominate the West Coast Conference.
- Saint Mary’s students provide more than 70,000 hours of service to communities in the U.S. and abroad. The college was included on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction and recognized as one of the top 10 colleges for community service by USA Today College.
- 408 full-time faculty members, 97% of faculty hold terminal degrees
- Saint Mary’s currently offers 43+ majors across three schools of disciplines — the School of Liberal Arts (SOLA), the School of Sciences (SOS), and the School of Economics and Business Administration (SEBA).
- 100% of undergraduate classes are taught by experienced faculty; no classes are taught by graduate students or teaching assistants.
- Operates on a 4-1-4 academic calendar, including two four-month terms and one four-week January Term.
- Every year at least a third of students conduct research with a professor — and professors often collaborate with the world’s premier research facilities.
Majors
Accounting
Anthropology (Concentration in Archeology)
Art Practice
Art Theory & Criticism
Art History
Biochemistry
Biology
Business Administration (Concentrations in Business Analytics. Digital Media, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Global Business, Interfaith Leadership, Marketing)
Chemistry (Environmental Concentration)
Classical Languages
Communication
Engineering (3+2, specialized program)
English (Emphases in Creative Writing, Dramatic & Film Arts, Literary Theory & History)
Earth Science
Environmental Science
Environmental Studies
Ethnic Studies
French Studies
Global and Regional Studies (Concentrations in East Asia, Europe, Latin America, and General Global Studies)
Greek
History
The Integral Program of Liberal Arts: A Great Books Program
Justice, Community, and Leadership
Kinesiology (Concentrations in Health & Human Performance, Health Promotion, Sports & Recreation Management)
Latin
Leadership and Organizational Studies (B.A. completion option for adult learners)
LEAP (Liberal Education for Arts Professionals)
Mathematics (Tracks in Applied Math, Pure Math, and Computer Science)
Performing Arts: Dance, Music, and Theatre Performance/Theatre Studies and Design and Technical Theatre
Philosophy
Physics
Politics
Psychology (Concentrations in Child / Adolescent Development, Behavioral Neuroscience, Personality Psychology, Social Psychology)
Sociology
Spanish
Theology & Religious Studies
Women’s and Gender Studies
World Languages and Cultures
- The First Year Experience Program helps Saint Mary’s students with the critical transitions from high school to college, and ultimately to successful post-college lives.
- All first-year students are required to live on campus. There are a total of 21 dorm buildings on campus, including 13 traditional-style residence halls and 8 townhouse-style residence halls.
- Sponsored by the Office of Residential Experience, a Living Learning Community (LLC) is a specialized living and learning environment that embodies curricular and co-curricular components. All students, regardless of major, identity, or background, are encouraged to apply for a Living Learning Community to make living in your community a successful and enjoyable experience.
- Students take part in some 60 clubs and organizations ranging from cultural interests to service and politics to arts and media.
- More than 60% of students participate in some kind of organized athletic activity, including 17 NCAA Division I sports and 23 club and intramural sports. Club sports offered include: Crew (M), Lacrosse (M), Volleyball (M), Water Polo (M, W), and Rugby (M).
NCAA Division I, West Coast Conference:
Baseball (Men’s)
Basketball (Men’s, Women’s)
Cross Country (Men’s, Women’s)
Golf (Men’s)
Lacrosse (Women’s)
Rowing (Women’s)
Soccer (Men’s, Women’s)
Softball (Women’s)
Tennis (Men’s, Women’s)
Track (Men’s, Women’s)
Traditional Volleyball or Beach Volleyball (Women’s)
- Forbes magazine rated Saint Mary’s in the top five in the U.S. for “raising your earnings potential” and the average starting salary for a Saint Mary’s graduate is above the national average.
- 8/10 of our graduates who apply to medical school are accepted, and 3/4 who apply to law school are accepted.
- Nearly 10% of every graduating class joins a major service organization (including the Peace Corps, the Lasallian volunteers, the Jesuit volunteers and Teach for America).
- Prominent alumni include Mahershala Ali (’96), Academy Award, Emmy Award, and Golden Globe Award-winning actor; Robert Hass (’63), Pulitzer prize winner and Poet Laureate of the United States from 1995-1997; Maria Elena Durazo (’75), executive secretary–treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO; James Guyette (’67), president and CEO, Rolls Royce of North America, Inc; and Laura Garcia (’91,) anchorwoman, NBC-11 Bay Area.
- Saint Mary’s is officially test optional beginning for first-year students applying for fall 2021 and beyond.
- Middle 50% SAT composite scores:
Critical Reading – 510–610
Math – 500–610
Writing – 510–610 - Middle 50% ACT Composite range for entering freshman: 22–27
- Middle 50% GPA: 3.4–3.9
- In 2021, the average applicant’s weighted academic GPA was a 3.63
- In 2021:
– 7% of the total undergraduate population identified as Black or African American
– 1% of the total undergraduate population identified as Indigenous or Native American
– 17% of the total undergraduate population identified as Asian or Asian American
– 2% of the total undergraduate population identified as Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
– 29% of the total undergraduate population identified as Hispanic or Latin(x)
– 39% of the total undergraduate population identified as White
– 3% of the total undergraduate population identified as international students - In 2021, 30% of all undergraduates identified as first-generation college students.