University of St Thomas

University of St. Thomas has steadily improved its standing in the US News rankings, advancing from rank 250 in 2023 to rank 202 in 2027. Gaining admission to the Houston institution is widely accessible. In 2025, the university admitted 89.9% of its applicants, reflecting an open admissions threshold relative to other private institutions. At the same time, the school manages to attract a committed share of its admitted pool. Its undergraduate yield rate reached 29.7% in 2025, a figure that is higher than 93% of peer schools in its comparison group of 30 similarly ranked private national universities. For prospective applicants, these figures mean that securing an offer of admission is very achievable, while the institution continues to secure enrollment commitments at a pace well above most of its direct private peers.

University of St. Thomas (TX) follows an admissions policy where standardized test scores are optional, considered if submitted. For 2025, score ranges show an accessible academic profile for applicants submitting testing credentials. The middle half of enrolled freshmen recorded an ACT Composite score between 18 and 25. Among those presenting SAT results, the university's median score was 1090, which is higher than 4% of peer schools in its comparison group of similarly ranked private comprehensive universities. In terms of test participation for 2025, a minority of enrolling students submitted SAT results, and only a small fraction submitted ACT scores. For prospective students planning their applications, competitive candidates typically demonstrate academic records aligned with these moderate baseline ranges. Because the institution evaluates candidates holistically without mandatory testing, applicants presenting consistent high school grades can put forward a competitive portfolio for admission.

Undergraduate degrees at University of St. Thomas are heavily concentrated in a small selection of programs. In 2025, the top three bachelor's majors accounted for 60.9% of all undergraduate degrees awarded. The single largest program was Registered Nursing, graduating 284 students, followed at a distance by general psychology and general business administration. Despite their popularity among students, these major fields do not hold high national academic standings; in U.S. News rankings, undergraduate business placed at rank 439, psychology at rank 529, and nursing at rank 648, meaning the university's largest majors are not nationally distinguished strengths. However, post-graduation earnings for nursing graduates are particularly robust. According to 2023 earnings data, nursing alumni earned a median of $84,429 one year after graduation, comfortably surpassing other bachelor's disciplines like accounting and finance. International students remain rare in these leading bachelor's tracks, making up just a sliver of nursing and psychology cohorts.

In 2025, the student body at University of St. Thomas featured strong Hispanic representation alongside smaller Asian and international groups. Asian students represent an important minority across campus; among first-year undergraduates, they numbered 70, accounting for 9.1% of the cohort. International students represent a modest fraction of undergraduate life but maintain a more visible footprint in advanced degree programs. In 2025, international graduate students numbered 105, representing 11.2% of all graduate students. The rest of the student body consists primarily of White and African American students. This demographic makeup indicates a campus culture rooted primarily in regional diversity, where Asian and international students constitute distinct, specialized cohorts.

The age distribution at University of St. Thomas shows a clear division between a traditional undergraduate college experience and an older, professional graduate student body. In 2025, undergraduate life was dominated by young adults, with students aged 18 to 19 making up 35.1% of undergraduates and those aged 20 to 21 accounting for 24.9%. This creates a conventional campus environment for bachelor's degree seekers, centered around typical college-age peers. Conversely, the graduate school serves an experienced, mid-to-late-career population. Students aged 50 to 64 constituted the largest graduate segment at 21.7%, closely followed by cohorts in their twenties and forties. This distinct graduate profile suggests an adult learning culture where master's and doctoral students balance their coursework with long-standing professional and personal commitments.

International student enrollment at University of St. Thomas has followed diverging paths across study levels. At the undergraduate level, the international share has steadily contracted, reaching 4.5% in 2025. In contrast, the graduate international proportion held steady over the same period, finishing at 11.2% in 2025. Among degree recipients, international representation is much stronger in advanced programs; international students accounted for just a small fraction of bachelor's degrees but earned 13.3% of master's degrees. These graduate students concentrate primarily in analytical and management tracks, comprising 25% of master's recipients in Financial Mathematics and over twenty percent in General Business Administration. For prospective international applicants, this distribution demonstrates that while undergraduate cohorts are largely domestic, graduate programs in business and quantitative finance provide established international student communities.

Applicants exploring higher education choices in and around Texas will find several notable institutions within driving distance of University of St. Thomas. Located just 1.4 kilometers away in Houston is Rice University, a prominent national university ranked 16th in the 2027 U.S. News rankings. Also situated within the city is University of Houston, ranked 137th among national universities, positioned just 3.2 kilometers from campus. Further out, approximately 83 kilometers northwest, lies Texas A&M University-College Station, a major public research institution ranked 59th nationally. For those considering distinct alternatives across the region, Southwestern University offers a liberal arts college environment ranked 91st, located 149.2 kilometers away.

Campus safety records at University of St. Thomas show an environment where internal disciplinary actions constitute the majority of reported incidents. In 2025, the university recorded a crime rate per 1,000 students of 4.5. Over the three-year period from 2023 through 2025, alcohol-related disciplinary referrals were by far the most frequent issue, totaling 52 incidents. Reported offenses outside disciplinary referrals were less frequent; stalking was the most common with 12 incidents across those three years, while drug referrals, burglaries, and rapes each totaled six or fewer cases. Serious violent crime on campus remained rare over this timeframe. For prospective students and families, these records indicate that safety incidents are largely driven by student conduct enforcement rather than high rates of predatory crime, though sensible awareness remains appropriate in an urban university setting.