Saint Xavier University Highlights

Chicago's First Catholic University

Saint Xavier University was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1846 and was the first Mercy institution of higher learning in the United States. It is Chicago's oldest Catholic University.  
Saint Xavier University is a mid-sized private University serving approximately 5,000 students at its Chicago campus, Orland Park campus and Loop location.  
Inspired by its Catholic identity and Mercy heritage, Saint Xavier University's mission is to educate men and women to search for truth, to think critically, to communicate effectively and to serve wisely and compassionately in support of human dignity and the common good.

In the 2012 U.S. News & World Report, Saint Xavier ranked among the top 25 percent of comprehensive universities in the Midwest.
The 2011 U.S. News & World Report recognizes SXU among the top private or public regional universities in the Midwest and in the top six in Illinois.
Saint Xavier University offers 43 undergraduate majors; more than 40 graduate program options in arts and sciences, business, education and nursing; and a variety of program options in continuing and professional studies.  
Saint Xavier University is the 10th largest private not-for-profit University in Illinois and in the top 20 percent for enrollment growth since 2002.

Saint Xavier University has one of the five largest schools of nursing in Illinois.
At the graduate level, Saint Xavier University is the second largest provider of teachers in Illinois. At the undergraduate level, Saint Xavier is one of the five largest providers in Illinois. In the metropolitan Chicago area, it is estimated that more than 174,000 school children a day are taught by a Saint Xavier University graduate.  
Statewide, less than half of new teachers make it to public classrooms. At Saint Xavier University, there are an estimated 4,000 graduates of the teacher education program with an average tenure of 12 years in the classroom. More than 80 percent of our baccalaureate recipients are teaching in Illinois public schools in the first year.

Saint Xavier University is a leader in adopting cutting-edge assessment techniques, including the National Survey of Student Engagement, the Lumina Longitudinal Study and the Collegiate Learning Assessment.  
Saint Xavier University sends $110 million into the local economy every year.
Almost 70 percent of Saint Xavier University students are first-generation college students, a significantly larger proportion than at most other four-year colleges and universities, where approximately 50 to 55 percent are first-generation students (2006 Cooperative Institution Research Program).

U.S.News & World Report ranks the Saint Xavier University student population among the five most diverse public and private colleges and universities in the Midwest and third in Illinois. More than one-third of undergraduate students come from under-represented ethnic backgrounds. 
Saint Xavier is committed to serving lower-income populations. U.S. News and World Report ranked SXU 11th among Midwest master's-granting universities in terms of the economic diversity of its students.
Between fall 2005 and spring 2007, Saint Xavier University ranked No. 1 in Illinois in the number of bachelor degrees in nursing earned by African-Americans and Hispanic nursing students.  
U.S. News & World Report in 2007 lists Saint Xavier University as the 12th most diverse socioeconomic student body in the greater Midwest. More than one-third of undergraduates have a high financial need.
Saint Xavier University is committed to serving the needs of lower-income populations and, to that end, has a large population of students with financial need: 94 percent of our undergraduates and 50 percent of our graduate students receive financial assistance.

Nine of Saint Xavier University's 12 athletic teams qualified for the NAIA National Tournament or their respective national playoffs since 2006, including football, men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball, men's cross country, women's cross country, men's track, women's track and women's soccer.
In 2011, the Saint Xavier University football team became NAIA’s no. 1 football team.
In 2011, the Saint Xavier women’s basketball team ranked No. 13 in the NAIA Preseason Poll.
In 2007, Saint Xavier University’s football program earned a No. 2 national ranking.