Peter's Hidden Gem Series #9: St. Mary's University (TX)

FACTS ABOUT ST. MARY’S UNIVERSITY (TX)

St. Mary’s University is a residential Catholic liberal arts college located in San Antonio, Texas. They operate on a semester calendar, plus an optional term they call “Maymester,” which is a highly accelerated, two-week term between the spring and summer semesters.

St. Mary’s has a student body of 1,945 full-time undergraduate students. Approximately 1,058 of these students live on their campus. San Antonio, is a city of 1.57 million residents, located about three hours from Houston and 4.5 hours from Dallas. Their campus is situated in the historic West Side of San Antonio, only 5 miles from the downtown area.

St. Mary’s offers 86 undergraduate majors and many minors. The most popular majors are Business, Biology, Exercise and Sport Science, Psychology, Political Science, Finance/Risk Management, Criminology, Marketing, and Communications. They have several ABET-accredited engineering programs, including Industrial Engineering, which is rarely found at small colleges (less than a dozen in the entire U.S.).

The acceptance rate at St. Mary’s University is 89%. They consider a wide range of students (C+ to A+).

2026-2027 Tuition: $38,404 per year

Mandatory Fees: $1,478 per year

Housing (Room): $8,002 per year

Food (Board): $5,436 per year

Estimated Total Sticker Price: $53,320

However…

After merit scholarships (that average over $24K), most families (even families that do not qualify for need-based assistance) pay less than $26K without loans. In fact, including students who receive need-based aid, the average amount that students pay is less than $23K. This is a very financially stable college (Forbes gives them a strong A for financial strength). Their endowment is over $263 million.

PROGRAM SPOTLIGHTS:

INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING

From their website:

“The Industrial Engineering program at St. Mary’s University was established in 1960 as the University’s first engineering program, and it is still the only Industrial Engineering major in San Antonio.

Industrial engineers improve efficiency and productivity in manufacturing and service industries. Working with both people and technology, students in the Industrial Engineering program learn to reduce waste, increase quality and work in technical and managerial positions.

The Bachelor of Science degree program in Industrial Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.

Industrial Engineering students specialize in lean production, Six Sigma, supply-chain management, logistics optimization, decision analytics, additive and advanced manufacturing, and robotics.

Every Engineering senior also completes a year-long design project, some of which have even been patented. Many students also participate in the student chapter of the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE), a professional society for industrial engineers.

Students will pursue internships and applied projects in organizations such as Amazon, Boeing, Tesla, and Toyota.”

LAW SCHOOL GUARANTEED ADMISSION AND EARLY ADMISSION PROGRAMS

St. Mary’s University has its own law school. From their website:

“Nelson Wolff Law Early Admission Program

The Nelson Wolff Law Early Admission Program offers motivated, talented undergraduate students who plan to attend law school the opportunity to complete a bachelor’s degree and a law degree from St. Mary’s School of Law in less time.

The program allows qualified St. Mary’s undergraduate students in most degree programs to begin law school after completing 91 undergraduate hours, reducing the time required to complete both degrees by one year.

Guaranteed Admission Program

St. Mary’s undergraduate students who graduate with a specified GPA, earn a minimum of 151 on the LSAT exam and would be eligible for admission to the Bar in the State of Texas, are guaranteed admission to the St. Mary’s School of Law.”

Website: https://www.stmarytx.edu/

Link to their virtual tour information:

https://www.stmarytx.edu/admission/visit-campus/