Saint Leo University

Admission to Saint Leo University is broadly accessible, though the institution experiences a modest pull among those it admits. In the 2027 US News rankings of national universities, Saint Leo University placed at 382, following a decline from earlier positions. Securing a spot remains straightforward for most applicants. In 2025, the university posted an acceptance rate of 78.4%, which is higher than 56% of peer schools in its comparison group of private comprehensive universities with similar rankings. Meanwhile, the university sees limited enrollment follow-through from admitted candidates. Saint Leo recorded a yield rate of 13% in 2025, reflecting that only a small share of admitted students decide to matriculate. For prospective applicants, these figures mean that gaining admission presents a relatively low hurdle, but the low yield also suggests that accepted candidates frequently evaluate and choose other college options.

Saint Leo University follows a test-blind policy, meaning standardized test scores are not considered in admissions even if submitted. Because of this policy, recent years have no published SAT or ACT score ranges. Test submission rates had already declined prior to this stance, with 8% of enrolled first-year students submitting SAT scores in 2023. Consequently, secondary school coursework and grades drive the admissions evaluation. For the 2023–2024 entering cohort, 30.0% of enrolled students earned a high school GPA between 3.5 and 3.74, while 20.0% posted a GPA between 3.75 and 3.99. Other students arrived with GPAs in adjacent brackets, including top marks. For applicants, this framework indicates that admissions decisions depend on school transcripts, course choices, and sustained classroom performance rather than standardized testing.

Undergraduate degree conferrals at Saint Leo University are heavily concentrated in practical fields, though its largest programs carry modest national rankings rather than high standing. In 2025, the university awarded 1,203 bachelor degrees, with 41.4% of graduates concentrated in its top three disciplines: Psychology, Business Administration and Management, and Criminal Justice and Safety Studies. The most popular undergraduate offerings do not hold top tier ranks; in US News rankings, undergraduate psychology placed at 474 and computer science stood at 541 in 2027. International students represent a small fraction of undergraduates in these fields, though master programs in computer science attract a substantial international cohort. Earnings outcomes highlight stronger early compensation in technical programs. Based on 2023 earnings data one year after graduation, bachelor recipients in general computer and information sciences achieved the highest median earnings at $64,270. Prospective students should recognize that enrollment volume is driven by regional career tracks rather than national program prominence.

The student body at Saint Leo University features a sizable adult and continuing cohort, with female students forming the majority across all levels. In 2025, total enrollment reached 9,692 students, with undergraduates outnumbering graduate students. Female students make up over half of every academic cohort, including 56.6% of incoming freshmen. International students show their strongest presence in the graduate division, totaling 374 graduate students, alongside 101 undergraduate freshmen, while representing smaller shares among continuing undergraduates. In contrast, Asian students maintain very limited representation across campus, accounting for only one freshman and 33 graduate students. The demographic balance is largely shaped by continuing undergraduates and graduate learners pursuing advanced professional credentials.

The age distribution across the campus reveals a distinct mix of traditional-age undergraduates and adult learners. Among the 7,501 undergraduates enrolled in 2025, students aged 20 to 21 formed the largest group at 18.2%, closely followed by those aged 18 to 19 at 16.3%. Notably, adults aged 40 to 49 constituted the third-largest undergraduate group, making up 14.7%. At the graduate level, where 2,176 students enrolled, mature professionals predominated, with 33.9% aged 40 to 49. This dual demographic creates an educational environment split between young residential learners and working adults completing degrees later in life.

International student representation at Saint Leo University is modest among undergraduates but substantial at the graduate level, with foreign students heavily concentrated in technical degree tracks. In 2025, international students comprised 4.9% of the undergraduate body, a proportion that is higher than 63% of peer schools in its comparison group of 30 private comprehensive universities with similar rankings. In contrast, the international share among graduate students was much larger, reaching 17.2% in 2025. This divide is clearly visible in degree completions, where international candidates earned a much higher share of master degrees than bachelor credentials. At the advanced level, international enrollment is heavily clustered in computing programs; for example, international students accounted for 99.2% of master graduates in Computer Science in 2025. Meanwhile, undergraduate international students are distributed thinly across broad liberal arts and business disciplines.

Students exploring higher education options in Florida have several notable regional universities near Saint Leo University. Located 21.2 kilometers away, University of South Florida provides a major public research option and holds a rank of 100 in the 2027 US News rankings. Further east, University of Central Florida is situated 66.8 kilometers away in Orlando and ranks 121 among National Universities. For applicants considering the state's highest-ranked public flagship, University of Florida is located 90.6 kilometers to the north, ranking 34 nationally. In addition, Florida Institute of Technology is located 101.3 kilometers away on the Atlantic coast, carrying a rank of 236. These nearby institutions offer diverse academic settings within practical driving distance.

Campus safety reports for Saint Leo University indicate that student misconduct violations account for the vast majority of documented campus incidents, while serious violent offenses remain infrequent. The crime rate per 1,000 students stood at 3.6 in 2025, reflecting a stable campus environment over time. From 2023 to 2025, campus safety records were dominated by internal disciplinary actions rather than criminal court filings. Across that three-year period, disciplinary referrals for liquor law violations totaled 282, representing the primary driver of reported activity, alongside 21 disciplinary referrals for drug violations. More serious criminal events occurred in far smaller numbers between 2023 and 2025, including 12 reported dating violence offenses. For incoming students and families assessing daily campus life, safety data shows an environment where typical concerns center on residential substance policy enforcement rather than pervasive community violence.