Our Lady of the Lake University

Admission to Our Lady of the Lake University is relatively accessible, though its standing in national rankings has trended downward in recent years. In the U.S. News rankings, the university stood at 293 in 2020 and shifted to 395 by 2026, while remaining unranked on the latest 2027 list. Admission figures show balanced entry barriers across applicant groups. In 2022, the acceptance rate reached 66.6% for men and 65.4% for women. A total of 1,346 applicants were denied admission that year, while 254 admitted students enrolled to begin their undergraduate studies. These moderate admit rates and small entering classes indicate that prospective students meeting baseline academic thresholds have a reasonable likelihood of admission, though the institution draws a modest volume of newly enrolling undergraduates each term.

Academic evaluation at Our Lady of the Lake University centers on secondary school achievement alongside standardized testing. The school's published test ranges date to 2022, when the middle span of admitted undergraduates earned SAT reading scores from 450 to 540. During that same period, the middle range for composite ACT results spanned from 15 to 23, with a modest share of entering freshmen submitting either exam. High school grade distributions from the 2023-2024 cycle demonstrate that successful candidates presented steady classroom work, with a notable portion achieving honors-level grade point averages and top academic standings. These benchmarks indicate that the institution maintains accessible admissions criteria. For prospective families weighing their options, preparing a competitive application means maintaining a consistent academic record throughout secondary school, as sustained classroom diligence and solid grades remain central to securing an undergraduate offer.

Academic programs at Our Lady of the Lake University are heavily concentrated in social services and behavioral sciences, which represent the school's primary academic and career strengths. In 2025, the top three bachelor's majors accounted for 36.9% of all bachelor's degrees conferred, demonstrating moderate concentration among undergraduates. The largest bachelor's program is Social Work with 39 graduates, followed by General Psychology and Exercise Science and Kinesiology. The university's most prominent discipline is also its highest ranked: in 2024, U.S. News ranked its graduate Social Work program at 95, making it the only program at the institution ranked within the national top one hundred. Career outcomes reinforce this focus. According to 2023 earnings data, bachelor's degree graduates in Social Work reported median first-year earnings of $42,327, making it the highest-earning undergraduate field at the institution. Other fields, including business administration and general psychology, showed lower starting earnings. For prospective students, the university's academic identity clearly centers on social work and community counseling rather than broad research or STEM offerings.

Our Lady of the Lake University maintains an undergraduate and graduate population largely centered on Hispanic and female students. Representation from international and Asian backgrounds is relatively limited across all academic divisions. Among graduate students in 2025, the university enrolled 21 Asian students, who accounted for 2.4% of the degree-seeking graduate population. International representation at the graduate level is also modest, with 12 international students making up 1.4% of the cohort. In the undergraduate divisions, including incoming freshmen and continuing cohorts, international and Asian enrollments remain in the low single digits. Women comprise a distinct majority across each academic level on campus. For applicants considering the institution, these demographic patterns point to an educational environment shaped primarily by regional attendance, where overseas scholars and Asian students form small minorities within the broader campus community.

The student body at Our Lady of the Lake University features two distinct age profiles across its degree levels. In 2025, the undergraduate population was largely of traditional college age, with students between eighteen and nineteen years old representing 37.6% of the undergraduate body. Graduate programs, by contrast, serve an older student population across different life stages. Students between twenty-five and twenty-nine years old accounted for 23% of the graduate cohort, while another substantial share consisted of students in their forties. These age patterns show that undergraduate campus life centers on young adults entering straight from secondary school, whereas graduate education accommodates working adult learners pursuing advanced professional credentials.

International student enrollment at Our Lady of the Lake University is modest, though both undergraduate and graduate divisions have experienced upward trends in their international shares over the past decade. In 2025, undergraduate international students accounted for 3.5% of the undergraduate student body, which was higher than 44% of peer schools in the private comprehensive university group. At the graduate level, the international share also increased, reaching 1.4% in 2025. Among degree recipients, international representation remains low across most fields but concentrates in select areas. At the bachelor's level, international students were most represented in Exercise Science and Kinesiology, where they accounted for 8.7% of graduates in that major. At the master's level, international graduates concentrated primarily in General Business Administration, while the institution's largest programs in social work and counseling graduated almost exclusively domestic students. Prospective international applicants should recognize that while overall campus numbers are limited, specific academic tracks show higher levels of international enrollment.

Prospective students looking at Our Lady of the Lake University have several alternative higher education institutions in the surrounding South Texas region. Just 4.5 kilometers away lies Trinity University, a private institution ranked 38 among national liberal arts colleges in 2027. Nearby public education is anchored by The University of Texas at San Antonio, located 11.8 kilometers away and ranked 227 among national universities. Further northeast at a distance of 48.2 kilometers sits Texas State University, ranked 288 in the national university category. For applicants considering large flagship options, The University of Texas at Austin is located 76.4 kilometers from campus, ranked 34 among national universities for 2027.

Campus safety at Our Lady of the Lake University is characterized primarily by low-level disciplinary referrals rather than serious offenses. In 2025, the university reported a crime rate of 3.9 per 1,000 students, reflecting a downward trend from earlier years in the recording period. Across the three-year span from 2023 to 2025, the most frequent campus incidents involved disciplinary actions for substance violations, led by 25 liquor law referrals and 9 drug law referrals. Property crimes and violent offenses were reported far less often over this timeframe, with a small number of motor vehicle thefts and burglaries, and very few incidents of assault or domestic violence. Overall, safety reports indicate that campus incidents remain concentrated in student conduct and disciplinary violations, providing families and incoming students with a clear picture of campus conduct and security conditions.