There are many great colleges and universities located throughout Minnesota. We’re highlighting some awesome local colleges and universities that we think high school students should know about as they begin their college search and what exactly makes these schools so great. Today, we’re taking a closer look at classes and life at the St. Catherine University—a.k.a. St. Kate’s.

Autumn view of the Mississippi River from Ford Bridge in St. Paul, Minnesota near St. Kate’s

St. Catherine University (St. Kate’s)

Key Statistics:

Location: St. Paul, Minnesota

Year Founded: 1905

Mascot: Wildcat

Undergraduate Enrollment: 1,839

Graduate Enrollment: 1,576

Number of Undergraduate Degree Programs: 47

Average ACT Score of Student Body: 19-25

School History

St. Kate’s is an all-girl school that was founded in 1905 by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and named for St. Catherine of Alexandria, the fourth-century Egyptian lay philosopher. The school was positioned in St. Paul’s Highland Park atop the highest hill in the city. The school began offering courses to high school girls, and higher-level college courses began being offered in 1911.

In 2009, St. Catherine became a university. Today, St. Kate’s is the largest Catholic women’s university in the nation.

Key Specializations

St. Kate’s offers many courses with 60 major/minor specialization options at the College for Women. Many of the undergraduate programs at St. Kate’s allow students to work toward a graduate degree requirements simultaneously. St. Kate’s is well known as a leader in healthcare education, particularly for nursing. Here are some popular majors at St. Kate’s:

Student Life

St. Kate’s is a small community of women that are encouraged to be leaders and that are surrounded by women role models. Here are some quick statistics about how students get involved at St. Kate’s:

St. Kate’s students run over 80 clubs and organizations. All clubs are women-led by current students.
St. Kate’s prides itself on helping students find opportunities to complete internships and gain professional experience. The college has over 600 internship partners (many of these throughout the Twin Cities), paid research opportunities, campus jobs, and paid community-based learning opportunities that students can take advantage of.
St. Kate’s has 12 Varsity athletic teams and competes at the DIII level in the MIAC conference

Estimated Costs

Undergraduate: $42,976 full-time tuition only

Estimated cost for tuition plus room and board: $52,970

*Note: St. Catherine University is expensive. However, 100% of first-year students receive some type of financial aid, whether it be student employment, scholarships, financial aid, or financing. The average grant and scholarship amount for first-year students who applied for aid and enrolled is $27,500.

Fun Facts

St. Kate’s is a school for women, but men can also take courses at St. Kate’s as associate students, graduate students, and adult undergraduate students. All St. Kate’s academics is focused on women-centered learning.
St. Kate’s is a member of the Associated College of the Twin Cities, which means that students wishing to take a course that is not offered at St. Kate’s can do so at any of these other Twin Cities schools: University of St. Thomas, Macalester College, Hamline University, and Augsburg University.
St. Kate’s offers many online and hybrid-style degree options, so students do not always have to live on campus to complete a degree.
80% of first-year students will live on campus at St. Kate’s.
Approximately 83% of students at St. Kate’s are Minnesota residents.
Nearly 93 percent of St. Kate’s students are working full time or enrolled in graduate school within six months of graduation.
St. Kate’s offers over 250 short-term, semester-long, and year-long study abroad programs.

Undergraduate Application Requirements & Deadlines

Considering applying to St. Kate’s? Here are the pieces you’ll need to include with your application and specific submission deadlines.

When applying to the St. Catherine College for Women, students are required to include the following pieces with their applications:

official high school transcripts
letter(s) of recommendation
ACT or SAT scores
essay or personal statement

Application deadline: The College for Women’s priority decision and scholarship deadline is February 1.

To apply to St. Kate’s, students can either use the Common App or apply directly through the St. Kate’s website.

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Learn More

To learn more about St. Catherine University and becoming a wildcat, visit the St. Kate's admissions website.

School Spotlight: St. Catherine University