Saint Mary’s College

Saint Mary's College is relatively accessible compared to similar private liberal arts institutions, even as its standing on the national stage has climbed. In the U.S. News & World Report National Liberal Arts Colleges rankings, the college moved from 100th in 2023 to 78th in 2027. For the 2025 admissions cycle, the college admitted 76% of its applicants, an acceptance rate higher than 76% of 30 similar private liberal arts colleges. The institution enrolled 396 new students while turning away several hundred applicants. Its yield rate reached 20.1%, which is higher than 83% of peer schools. Because only about one in five admitted applicants chooses to enroll, the institution does not draw a majority of accepted candidates, but its enrollment conversion remains stronger than most peer institutions. For applicants, these trends show an encouraging admissions environment at a college whose national recognition has been steadily improving.

Applicants to Saint Mary's College face an accessible admissions environment, where academic preparation is solid but not restrictive. During the 2023–2024 academic cycle, 44.15% of entering students enrolled with a 4.0 high school GPA, and roughly a quarter posted grade averages between 3.75 and 3.99. In standardized testing for 2025, the college recorded a median SAT score of 1220. In a comparison group of private liberal arts colleges with similar rankings, this median was higher than 20% of peer schools. ACT composite scores clustered within the upper twenties. Standardized test submission has declined in recent cycles, with 33% of entering students submitting SAT scores in 2025. These academic metrics indicate that prospective applicants with steady secondary school grades and mid-range test results have viable admission prospects without needing a perfect academic record.

Degrees at Saint Mary's College are moderately concentrated in healthcare and the sciences. In 2025, the college awarded 323 bachelor's degrees, with the top three majors accounting for 32.2% of completions. Registered nursing was the largest undergraduate program with 51 graduates, followed by general biology and general psychology. While nursing is the most popular field on campus, its undergraduate program was ranked 135th by U.S. News in 2027. International representation among graduates is minimal, making up just 0.6% of the undergraduate graduating class in 2025. Career outcomes show strong pay advantages for healthcare disciplines: according to 2023 earnings data measured one year after completion, registered nursing bachelor's graduates earned a median salary of $78,969, leading all tracked fields. For prospective students, the college offers particularly clear career preparation and high immediate compensation in health-focused professional tracks.

The student body at Saint Mary's College is primarily composed of domestic undergraduate women, with very limited representation of Asian and international students. In 2025, total enrollment stood at 1,601 students across undergraduate and graduate programs. White students make up the vast majority of the campus population, followed by Hispanic students. Asian and international presence is low across all cohorts. In the 2025 incoming undergraduate class, there were 9 Asian students, who represented 2.3% of first-year enrollment, alongside a single international student. Returning undergraduate and graduate divisions reflect similar demographic patterns, enrolling only a handful of Asian and foreign scholars. For families and applicants, these figures show that Saint Mary's College provides an educational setting dominated by domestic students, where international and Asian students form very small communities.

The student body at Saint Mary's College is concentrated almost entirely within traditional college-age cohorts. In 2025, students aged 18 to 19 made up 50.3% of the undergraduate population, while those aged 20 to 21 accounted for 42.9%. Undergraduates aged 22 and older form a very small share of the student body. The graduate division is similarly youthful; among the 96 graduate students enrolled, 61.5% were between the ages of 22 and 24. With undergraduates and the small graduate population clustered within adjacent age brackets, daily campus life involves peer groups that share closely aligned educational stages.

International student enrollment at Saint Mary's College is small and has trended downward over the past decade. At the undergraduate level, the international share declined from 1.6% in 2016 to 0.9% in 2025. When compared to 30 peer private liberal arts colleges in 2025, Saint Mary's undergraduate international proportion was higher than only 3% of peer schools. The graduate program shows a similarly limited international presence, with international students accounting for 1% of graduate enrollment in 2025. Among bachelor's degree recipients in 2025, international students earned just 0.6% of degrees, concentrating in general biology, while no master's or doctoral degrees were awarded to international students. Families evaluating the college should recognize that foreign students comprise a very small segment of the campus community.

Applicants exploring Saint Mary's College can evaluate several distinct institutional types nearby in northern Indiana and southern Michigan. Right across the street is the University of Notre Dame, an elite Catholic national university situated just 1 kilometer away and holding rank 20 among National Universities for 2027. About 18.4 kilometers to the north in Michigan sits Andrews University, a smaller national university ranked 262. Students looking specifically for coeducational liberal arts alternatives can consider Kalamazoo College, located 52.5 kilometers away in Michigan and holding rank 74 among Liberal Arts Colleges. Also in Kalamazoo is Western Michigan University, a major public research institution located 51.7 kilometers away and ranked 276 on the National Universities list.

Campus safety indicators at Saint Mary's College reflect relatively few reported offenses and a declining frequency of disciplinary incidents. Forward Pathway's weighted crime rate per 1,000 students dropped from 8.9 in 2016 to 1.5 in 2025, marking a steady downward trend in campus infractions. Over the three-year period from 2023 to 2025, the vast majority of recorded campus incidents involved non-violent behavioral violations handled through internal disciplinary processes. Alcohol-related disciplinary referrals represented the largest category across those years, totaling 19 incidents. Violent offenses remained infrequent on campus property during the same time frame, with 2 reported incidents of rape between 2023 and 2025. Drug-related disciplinary referrals also remained low, totaling two cases. For families assessing campus safety, these figures show that security reports center mainly on student conduct matters rather than severe felony crime.