Saint Louis University
A Jesuit research university in midtown St. Louis with a campus in Madrid and aid offered to almost every first-year student.
- Acceptance rate
- 75%
- Fall 2024 entering class (latest federal admissions data); deadlines below are for fall 2027 entry
- Students
- 13,307
- 8,101 undergraduates
- International
- 5%
- of students
- Student–faculty
- 9:1
- ratio
- Tuition
- $58,960
- 2026-27
About SLU
Saint Louis University was founded on November 16, 1818, and calls itself the first university west of the Mississippi River. It is a Catholic, Jesuit research university: the Carnegie Classification placed it in the R1 category in 2025, and its research expenditures reached $65.1 million in 2025. Its campus sits in midtown St. Louis, and it also runs an international campus in Madrid, Spain, open to undergraduates from the St. Louis campus.
In fall 2025 SLU enrolled 13,307 students, of whom 8,101 were undergraduates, and it reports a 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio. It is organised into colleges and schools that include Arts and Sciences, Philosophy and Letters, the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business, Science and Engineering, Nursing, Social Work, Education, Law, Medicine, the Doisy College of Health Sciences and the College for Public Health and Social Justice.
Admission is test-optional and not extremely selective: the most recent federal data show 75% of applicants admitted for fall 2024. SLU pairs this with large merit scholarships awarded automatically to freshman applicants who apply by December 1, and 99.6% of its first-time freshmen received financial aid in fiscal year 2025. It suits students who want a health, business or professional pathway in a mid-sized city, with a faith-informed, service-minded culture.
Ad maiorem Dei gloriam
“For the greater glory of God” — university motto
Why students choose SLU
Freshman applicants who apply by December 1 are automatically considered for the Billiken, Ignatian, University and Vice Presidents' scholarships, listed at up to $15,500 to $19,500 each on SLU's scholarships page (the column is headed 'per semester, up to 10 semesters'; confirm the unit with SLU), with no separate application.
The Billiken Promise adds a $10,000 SLU Difference Award for summer and winter tuition, a fifth year of tuition-based aid if needed, and the chance to study at SLU-Madrid with your scholarships.
Strong professional programs: per SLU's rankings page, U.S. News ranks its undergraduate entrepreneurship and international business programs No. 15 each, and its undergraduate nursing program No. 36.
The SLU Tuition Promise can cover full tuition through gift aid for eligible first-time freshmen whose parents' combined adjusted gross income is $60,000 or less.
Admissions
Fall 2024 entering class (latest federal admissions data); deadlines below are for fall 2027 entry
Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.
IPEDS (College Navigator) reports 15,533 applicants and 75% admitted for fall 2024, with 14% of admitted students enrolling. SLU's 2026 Profile reports 14,759 applications and 1,338 full-time first-time freshmen enrolled for fall 2025, with an average high school GPA of 3.8. SLU's own Common Data Set page is no longer published beyond 2021-22, so the number of admitted students is not stated here.
Deadlines
- Early Decision I Binding Next deadline · In 27 daysNovember 2, 2026
Binding. Notification begins December 1. Merit scholarship information comes with the decision.
- Early Action Non-binding In 56 daysDecember 1, 2026
Non-binding. Notification by February 1. This is also the date to apply to be automatically considered for merit scholarships, and the deadline for Flight Science, Nursing, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy.
- Early Decision II Binding In ~3 monthsJanuary 19, 2027
Binding. Notification begins February 1.
- Regular Decision Non-binding In ~6 monthsPreferred by April 1, 2027
Non-binding; SLU accepts applications while space is available. Decisions by April 15 for applications completed by March 16, otherwise within 30 days of a complete file.
SLU's Admission Deadlines page lists these dates without a year and invites applications to 'Summer or Fall 2027'; the years shown are inferred from that heading. The honors, scholars and special programs application deadline is typically around January 5 (Scholars programs: December 1 on the dates table).
How to apply
Apply through the free SLU application, the Common Application or the Coalition application/Scoir; there is no application fee. Send official transcripts (weighted and unweighted GPAs are considered), a personal essay, and optionally SAT/ACT scores, a counselor form, a resume, letters of recommendation and an admission interview. Honors, scholars and other special programs have separate applications that open September 1 after you apply for admission. International applicants also send English translations of academic records and proof of English proficiency, and must document the ability to pay for the I-20, which does not affect the admission decision.
What admissions looks for
- Solid academic performance in college-preparatory coursework, which SLU calls a primary consideration.
- Four years each of English and mathematics, and three years each of foreign language, natural sciences, social sciences and academic electives are strongly encouraged.
- Doisy College of Health Sciences programs require high school biology and chemistry; physics is strongly recommended for physical therapy applicants.
- A personal essay from every freshman applicant, plus optional recommendations, a resume and an interview.
Tips for applying to SLU
- 1 Apply by December 1: that is the date for automatic merit scholarship consideration without a separate application.
- 2 If you want Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy or Flight Science, use the December 1 deadline; those majors come off the application on December 2.
- 3 Honors, scholars programs and competitive awards such as the Presidential and Martin Luther King Jr. scholarships need their own applications, which open September 1 after you apply.
- 4 If you are a U.S. citizen or federal aid-eligible student with parental income of $60,000 or less, file the FAFSA (SLU code 002506) early for the SLU Tuition Promise.
What are your chances?
Sign up to see your personalized admission chances for Saint Louis University
Sign up to see your chancesCosts & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in USD
SLU awards merit scholarships automatically to freshman applicants who apply by December 1, and runs the need-based SLU Tuition Promise for eligible federal aid-eligible students with low family income. In fiscal year 2025, 99.6% of first-time freshmen and 92% of all students received aid, and SLU says it awarded more than $517 million in aid. SLU lists only outside scholarship websites for international students.
- 99.6%
- First-time freshmen receiving aid, FY2025
- 92%
- All students receiving aid, FY2025
- $50,817
- Average aid award for freshmen, fall 2025
- Billiken up to $15,500; Ignatian up to $16,500; University up to $17,500; Vice Presidents' up to $19,500, as printed in a table headed 'Award Amount (per semester, up to 10 semesters)' on SLU's scholarships page (an older 2020-21 SLU award sheet states yearly totals, so check with SLU whether the amounts are per semester or per year); renewable up to 10 semesters
- Merit scholarships for freshmen
- Full undergraduate tuition covered through gift aid for eligible freshmen with combined parent AGI of $60,000 or less and assets of $50,000 or less
- SLU Tuition Promise
- Up to $10,000 for first-time freshmen, for summer or winter term tuition
- SLU Difference Award
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters (fall and spring), with optional summer and winter terms
Entrepreneurship and International Business (Chaifetz School of Business)
U.S. News ranks both undergraduate programs No. 15 (per SLU's rankings page), and Princeton Review places SLU among the top 50 schools for undergraduate entrepreneurship.
Nursing (Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing)
U.S. News ranks the undergraduate nursing program No. 36; applicants use the December 1 deadline.
Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy (Doisy College of Health Sciences)
U.S. News ranks Physical Therapy No. 25 and Occupational Therapy No. 37 (most recent rankings), and both use the December 1 application deadline.
Public Health and Health Management (College for Public Health and Social Justice)
Eligible students in the BS in Public Health or BS in Health Management are guaranteed half-tuition scholarships, currently worth more than $28,000 a year.
Flight Science (School of Science and Engineering)
A December 1 deadline applies to Flight Science alongside Nursing, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy.
Health Law (School of Law)
SLU's 2026 Profile cites U.S. News 2025 Best Law Schools ranking its Health Care Law program No. 1.
Research
- SLU was granted R1 (very high research activity) status in the 2025 Carnegie Classification; external research expenditures grew from $37.4 million in FY2016 to $65.1 million in FY2025.
- The WATER Institute at the Sinquefield Science and Engineering Center houses a water and sediment flume used by students and faculty.
- SLU reports 486,855 square feet of dedicated research space, 42 endowed chairs and 24 named professorships.
Schools & faculties
- College of Arts and Sciences
- College of Philosophy and Letters
- Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business
- School of Science and Engineering
- Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing
- Doisy College of Health Sciences
- College for Public Health and Social Justice
- School of Education
- School of Social Work
- School for Professional Studies
- School of Law
- School of Medicine
SLU's First-Destination Survey for 2023-24 graduates: 48.24% working, 44.24% continuing their education, 6.94% still looking, 0.23% in the military and 0.35% in service programs. U.S. News reports a median salary of $60,716 six years after graduation.
Student life
Campus life is built around a residential core in midtown St. Louis, with halls for first- and second-year students such as Grand Hall and the Griesedieck Complex, learning communities where students in a program live together, and apartments for upperclass students. SLU reports more than 200 student clubs and organizations, over 20 Greek letter organizations and nearly 30 sport clubs. Its Jesuit identity shows up in service, retreats and Sunday student Masses at St. Francis Xavier College Church, which about 420 students attend weekly, and students of every faith are welcome. Billiken athletics add a Division I backdrop.
- NCAA Division I in 18 sports, as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference.
- More than 200 student clubs and organizations and over 20 Greek letter organizations.
- Learning communities let students live with others in their academic program or who share interests.
- SLU-Madrid: all undergraduates can spend at least one term at the Madrid campus, and scholarships travel with them.
Housing. SLU offers residence halls and apartments including Grand Hall (first- and second-year students, 528 beds), the Griesedieck Complex, Spring Hall, Reinert Hall, Marchetti Towers and the Village Apartments; Marguerite Hall is closed for 2026-27.
Location
SLU's campus lies in the Midtown neighbourhood of St. Louis, Missouri, with the Midtown Arts District and the Cortex Innovation District steps from campus, according to the housing office. SLU's housing office points students to the city's parks, concerts, sports and food scene, and College Navigator classifies the campus setting as a large city.
Nearest airport: St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL)
Notable alumni
- JG James GunnFilm director and screenwriter (Guardians of the Galaxy); earned a Bachelor of Arts at SLU
- EB Enrique BolañosFormer president of Nicaragua; graduated from SLU with a degree in industrial engineering
- ES Eric SchmittU.S. Senator for Missouri since 2023; earned his JD from SLU School of Law in 2000
- RC Richard ChaifetzFounder and CEO of ComPsych and naming donor of SLU's business school and Chaifetz Arena; B.S. 1975
- MB Michael BidwillPrincipal owner, chairman and president of the Arizona Cardinals; B.S. in finance, 1987
- RS Rex SinquefieldCo-founder of Dimensional Fund Advisors; studied business at SLU as an undergraduate
- WJ Walter J. OngJesuit cultural and religious historian; earned a master's degree in English at SLU
Frequently asked questions
Is Saint Louis University hard to get into?
Not especially: federal data show 75% of applicants were admitted for fall 2024. Among enrolled students who submitted scores, the middle 50% scored 600-700 (SAT reading and writing) and 600-710 (SAT math), or 25-31 on the ACT, and the fall 2025 freshman class averaged a 3.8 high school GPA.
Does SLU require the SAT or ACT?
No. SLU is test-optional for all undergraduate programs, and students who do not submit scores are not disadvantaged. SLU does not superscore.
What are the application deadlines for fall 2027?
Early Decision I is November 2, 2026 (binding), Early Action is December 1, 2026, Early Decision II is January 19, 2027 (binding), and Regular Decision is preferred by April 1, 2027. Applying by December 1 gets you automatic merit scholarship consideration.
What English score do international students need for SLU?
SLU accepts a TOEFL iBT of 80, an IELTS of 6.5, a PTE of 54 or a Duolingo score of 110, among other options. Most international students also take the SLU Writing Exam.
How much does Saint Louis University cost?
For 2026-27 SLU lists undergraduate tuition of $58,960, fees of $1,000 and on-campus housing of $16,360, for a total cost of attendance of $83,710. Most students pay less, since 99.6% of first-time freshmen received aid in fiscal year 2025.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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