View source for Saint Louis University

{{Short description|Private university in St. Louis, Missouri, US}}
{{About||the university in the Philippines|Saint Louis University (Philippines)|the university in Brussels|Saint-Louis University, Brussels}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date = October 2019}}
{{Infobox university
 | name                   = Saint Louis University
 | image                  = Saint Louis University seal.png
 | image_upright          = 0.6
 | latin_name             = Universitas Sancti Ludovici<ref>{{Cite web |title=Search |url=https://archive.org/search?query=%22Universitas+Sancti+Ludovici%22&sin=TXT |website=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>
 | former_names           = Saint Louis Academy (1818–1820)<br />Saint Louis College (1820)
 | motto                  = {{lang|la|[[Ad maiorem Dei gloriam]]}} ([[Latin]])
 | mottoeng               = "For the greater glory of God"
 | type                   = [[Private university|Private]] [[research university]]
 | established            = {{Start date and age|1818|11|16}}
 | founder                = [[Louis William Valentine DuBourg]]
 | accreditation          = [[Higher Learning Commission|HLC]]
 | religious_affiliation  = [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] ([[Jesuit]])
 | academic_affiliations  = {{hlist|[[Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities|ACCU]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.accunet.org/files/public/~ACCU%20Members%20List(1).pdf |title=ACCU Member Institutions |access-date=July 30, 2014 |archive-date=July 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714191013/http://www.accunet.org/files/public/~ACCU%20Members%20List(1).pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>|[[Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities|AJCU]]|[[National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program|Space-grant]]}}
 | endowment              = $1.88 billion (2024)<ref name=endowment>{{cite web |url=https://edge.sitecorecloud.io/nacubo1-nacubo-prd-dc8b/media/Nacubo/Documents/EndowmentFiles/2024-NCSE-Endowment-Market-Values-for-US-and-Canadian-Institutions-FINAL-Feb-12-2025.xlsx |title=U.S. and Canadian 2024 NCSE Participating Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2024 Endowment Market Value, Change in Market Value from FY23 to FY24, and FY24 Endowment Market Values Per Full-time Equivalent Student |date=February 12, 2025 |publisher=National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) |access-date=February 12, 2025 |format=XLSX |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250212074654/https://edge.sitecorecloud.io/nacubo1-nacubo-prd-dc8b/media/Nacubo/Documents/EndowmentFiles/2024-NCSE-Endowment-Market-Values-for-US-and-Canadian-Institutions-FINAL-Feb-12-2025.xlsx |archive-date=February 12, 2025 |url-status=live }}</ref>
 | president              = Edward J. Feser, Ph.D.
 | provost                = Michael Lewis
 | faculty                = 2,022<ref name="slu.edu">{{cite web|url=https://www.slu.edu/about/key-facts/index.php|title=Fast Facts|website=www.slu.edu|access-date=November 6, 2018|archive-date=November 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181104135603/http://www.slu.edu/about/key-facts/index.php|url-status=live}}</ref>
 | administrative_staff   = 6,000<ref name="faculty-staff">{{cite web |url=http://www.slu.edu/faculty-and-staff |title=Faculty & Staff |publisher=St. Louis University |access-date=July 1, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140626225817/http://www.slu.edu/faculty-and-staff |archive-date=June 26, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>
 | students               = 15,334 (fall 2024)<ref>{{cite web |title=2025 Profile |url=https://www.slu.edu/about/key-facts/slu-profile.pdf |publisher=Saint Louis University}}</ref>
 | undergrad              = 8,669 (fall 2024)
 | postgrad               = 6,665 (fall 2024)
 | city                   = [[St. Louis]]
 | state                  = Missouri
 | country                = U.S.
 | coordinates            = {{coord|38|38|11|N|90|14|03|W|region:US_type:edu|display=title,inline}}
 | campus                 = [[Urban area|Large city]]
 | campus_size            = {{convert|273|acre|ha|1}}<ref name="USNEWS">{{cite web|url=http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/st-louis-university-2506|title=Saint Louis University|publisher=U.S. News & World Report|access-date=July 1, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715192102/http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/st-louis-university-2506|archive-date=July 15, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>
 | colors                 = Blue and white<ref name="Colors">{{cite web |title=Colors and Fonts |url=https://www.slu.edu/marcom/branding-and-identity/colors-fonts.php |website=slu.edu |publisher=Saint Louis University |access-date=25 March 2022 |archive-date=May 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519173150/https://www.slu.edu/marcom/branding-and-identity/colors-fonts.php |url-status=live }}</ref><br />{{color box|#003DA5}} {{color box|#FFFFFF}}
 | nickname               = [[Saint Louis Billikens|Billikens]]
 | sporting_affiliations  = [[NCAA Division I]] – [[Atlantic 10 Conference|A-10]]
 | website                = {{URL|www.slu.edu}}
 | logo                   = Saint Louis University logo.svg
 | logo_upright           = 0.7
 | free_label             = Other campuses
 | free                   = [[Madrid]]
 | free_label2            = Newspaper
 | free2                  = ''The University News''
}}

'''Saint Louis University''' ('''SLU''') is a [[private university|private]] [[Society of Jesus|Jesuit]] [[research university]] in [[St. Louis]], Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by [[Louis William Valentine DuBourg]],<ref name="University of Saint Louis">{{cite encyclopedia |entry-url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13363a.htm |entry=University of Saint Louis |encyclopedia=Catholic Encyclopedia |access-date=February 11, 2007 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240526063340/https://www.webcitation.org/6AkJCTJ3u?url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13363a.htm |archive-date=May 26, 2024 |url-status=live |via=New Advent}}</ref> it is the oldest university west of the [[Mississippi River]] and one of the oldest [[Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities|Jesuit universities in the United States]]. The university is [[Higher education accreditation in the United States|accredited]] by the [[Higher Learning Commission]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hlcommission.org/component/directory/?Itemid=&Action=ShowBasic&instid=1459 |title=Statement of Accreditation Status |publisher=[[Higher Learning Commission]] |date=2023 |accessdate=January 30, 2023}}</ref>

In the 2023–2024 academic year, SLU had an enrollment of 15,204 students. The student body included 8,502 undergraduate students and 6,702 graduate students that represent all 50 states and 96 countries.<ref name="slu.edu"/>  The university is [[Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education|classified]] among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very High Spending and Doctorate Production".<ref>{{cite web |title=Carnegie Classifications Institution Lookup |url=https://carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu/lookup/view_institution.php?unit_id=179159 |publisher=[[American Council on Education]] |accessdate=January 30, 2023 |date=2023}}</ref>

For more than 50 years, the university has maintained the [[Saint Louis University Madrid Campus]] in [[Spain]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://spain.slu.edu/asi_somos/asi_facts.html|title=Facts and Figures|access-date=January 15, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040121083707/http://spain.slu.edu/asi_somos/asi_facts.html/|archive-date=January 21, 2004|url-status=live}}</ref> SLU's athletic teams compete in the [[NCAA Division I]] as a member of the [[Atlantic 10 Conference]].<ref name="Atlantic 10 Website">{{cite web |title=A10 |url=https://atlantic10.com/ |website=atlantic10.com |publisher=Atlantic 10 |access-date=28 March 2022 |archive-date=April 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401142403/https://atlantic10.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==History==
===Early years===
Saint Louis University traces its origins to the Saint Louis Academy, founded on November 16, 1818, by [[Louis William Valentine DuBourg]], Bishop of Louisiana and the Floridas, and placed under the charge of François Niel and others of the secular clergy attached to the [[Basilica of St. Louis, King of France|Saint Louis Cathedral]]. Its first location was in a private residence near the Mississippi River in an area now occupied by [[Gateway Arch National Park]] within the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis|Archdiocese of St. Louis]]. {{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

Already having a two-story building for the 65 students using Bishop Dubourg's personal library of 8,000 volumes for its printed materials, the name Saint Louis Academy was changed in 1820 to Saint Louis College (while the secondary school division remained Saint Louis Academy, now known as [[St. Louis University High School]]).{{citation needed|date=March 2022}} In 1827 Bishop Dubourg placed Saint Louis College in the care of the Society of Jesus. Not long after that, it received its charter as a university by act of the Missouri Legislature.<ref name="University of Saint Louis"/>

According to William Faherty, the first Jesuit president of St. Louis College, [[Peter Verhaegen]], was a key leader in building Catholicism in the West from his arrival 1823 to his death in 1853. He kept frontier needs in mind while designing the curriculum, intensified the school's Catholic life, established a medical department, and moved the school to a bigger campus.<ref>William Barnaby Faherty, “Peter Verhaegen: Pioneer Missouri Educator and Church Administrator,” ''Missouri Historical Review'' (1966) 60.4 pp 407-415.</ref>  It included Protestants among its faculty, student body, and supporters. It introduced evening adult programs, and taught poor boys with city funding.<ref> William Barnaby Faherty, "St. Louis College: First community school" ''Bulletin of the Missouri Historical Society'' 24.2 pp. 122-138. </ref>

===University beginnings and American Civil War===
[[File:Old_Saint_Louis_University_Location.jpg|left|thumb|The university at its Washington and Ninth location]]
In 1829, the new university moved its campus to Washington Avenue and Ninth, today the site of [[America's Center]]. At this time, the founders forced enslaved [[Black Americans]] from their [[St. Stanislaus Seminary]] in [[Hazelwood, Missouri|Hazelwood]] to labor at the university.<ref>{{Cite journal | title=A National Legacy of Enslavement: An Overview of the Work of the Slavery, History, Memory, and Reconciliation Project | journal=[[Brill Publishers|Brill]] | date=December 15, 2020 | doi=10.1163/22141332-0801P005 | last1=Schmidt | first1=Kelly L. | volume=8 | pages=81–107 | s2cid=230573868 | doi-access=free }}</ref> Many had previously been separated from their families enslaved at [[White Marsh Plantation]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-06-21 |title='Their Lives Matter': Descendants Of Those Owned By Jesuits Want Their Voices Heard |url=https://www.stlpr.org/culture-history/2021-06-21/their-lives-matter-descendants-of-those-owned-by-jesuits-want-their-voices-heard |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=STLPR |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=What We Have Learned: Missouri |url=https://www.jesuits.org/our-work/shmr/what-we-have-learned/missouri/ |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=Jesuits.org |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 1852 the university and its teaching priests were the subject of an anti-Catholic novel, ''The Mysteries of St. Louis'', which was written by newspaper editor [[Henry Boernstein]]. Boernstein's popular newspaper, ''[[Anzeiger des Westens]]'', routinely criticized the university.<ref name="McGreevy">''Catholicism and American Freedom,'', [[John McGreevy]] Norton and Co., New York 2003, p. 22-23.</ref>

In 1867, after the [[American Civil War]], the university purchased "Lindell's Grove", in what is now [[Midtown, St. Louis|Midtown]]. The university subsequently moved to this new location, which is the current site of today's north campus.<ref>The University's north campus is officially named "Frost Campus" in honor of General [[Daniel M. Frost]], commander of the Missouri Militia during the Camp Jackson Affair. After being exchanged for a captured Federal officer, later General Frost "went south" and was commissioned as a General in the Confederate Army. The University named the campus after General Frost at the request of his daughter Mrs. Harriet Frost Fordyce, who financed a major expansion of the university by donating $1,000,000 in 1962. [http://www.slu.edu/sluhistory/scene20.html Frost Campus] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111219082921/http://www.slu.edu/sluhistory/scene20.html |date=2011-12-19 }} Part of the Frost Campus covers the former "Camp Jackson" militia encampment site.</ref> Lindell's Grove was the site of the [[Camp Jackson Affair]], which had occurred only a few years prior to the university's purchase.

The first building on campus, DuBourg Hall, began construction in 1888, and the college officially moved to its new location in 1889. {{citation needed|date=March 2022}} Construction of the new [[St. Francis Xavier College Church]] began on 8 June 1884. The basement of the church was completed later that year and was the location for liturgical functions until the upper church was subsequently completed in 1898.<ref name="Church">{{cite web |title=Early History |url=https://sfxstl.org/about |website=sfxstl.org |publisher=Saint Louis University |access-date=25 March 2022 |archive-date=October 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221030013324/https://sfxstl.org/about |url-status=live }}</ref>

===20th century and shift to majority lay board of trustees===
[[File:Historical_and_interesting_places_of_Saint_Louis_(1909)_(14782704624).jpg|thumb|DuBourg Hall, the oldest building on SLU's campus, and [[St. Francis Xavier College Church]] in 1909]]
During the early 1940s, many local priests, especially the Jesuits, began to challenge the [[Racial segregation|segregationist]] policies at the city's Catholic colleges and parochial schools.<ref>Donald J. Kemper, "Catholic Integration in St. Louis, 1935–1947", ''Missouri Historical Review'', October 1978, pp. 1–13.</ref> After the ''[[Pittsburgh Courier]]'', an African-American newspaper, ran a 1944 exposé on St. Louis Archbishop [[John J. Glennon]]'s interference with the admittance of a black student at the local [[Webster University|Webster College]],<ref>Ted LeBerthon, "Why Jim Crow Won at Webster College", ''Pittsburgh Courier'', 5 Feb. 1944, p. 13.</ref> Fr. Claude Heithaus, professor of Classical Archaeology at Saint Louis University, delivered an angry homily accusing his own institution of immoral behavior in its segregation policies.<ref>{{cite web |title=Timeline of Saint Louis University |url=https://www.slu.edu/timeline/ |website=Saint Louis University |access-date=8 July 2020 |archive-date=January 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115025652/https://www.slu.edu/timeline/ |url-status=live }}</ref> By summer of 1944, Saint Louis University had opened its doors to [[African Americans]], after its president, Father Patrick Holloran, secured Glennon's reluctant approval .<ref>"Pressure Grows to Have Catholic College Doors Open to Negroes", ''Pittsburgh Courier'', 19 Feb. 1944, p. 1; "St. Louis U. Lifts Color Bar: Accepts Five Negroes for Summer Session", ''Pittsburgh Courier'', 6 May 1944, p. 1.</ref>

In 1967, Saint Louis University became one of the first Catholic universities to give laypeople more power over the affairs of the school. Board chairman [[Paul C. Reinert|Paul Reinert]] stepped aside to be replaced by layman Daniel Schlafly, and the board shifted to an 18 to 10 majority of laypeople.<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=Time |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,901994,00.html?promoid=googlep |url-access=subscription |title=A Louder Voice for the Laymen|publisher=Time Magazine|date=1967-02-03|access-date=2008-01-24|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022124839/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,901994,00.html?promoid=googlep |archive-date=October 22, 2012}}</ref> This was largely because of ''Horace Mann vs. the Board of Public Works of Maryland,'' a landmark case heard by the [[Maryland Court of Appeals]], which declared unconstitutional grants to "largely sectarian" colleges{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}. The [[Second Vatican Council]] has also been mentioned as a major influence on this decision for its increased focus on the laity, as well as the decreased recruitment of nuns and priests since the council.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1141/is_n2_v34/ai_19967466/pg_2|title=St. Louis U. showdown could draw in Vatican – high church officials vs. university officials in the selling of Catholic teaching hospital for $3 mil to for-profit Tenet Healthcare Corp|author=Pamela Schaeffer|publisher=National Catholic Reporter|date=1997-10-31|access-date=2008-01-23|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120711063821/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1141/is_n2_v34/ai_19967466/pg_2/|archive-date=July 11, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

From 1985 to 1992 the chairman of the Board of Trustees was [[William H. T. Bush]] (younger brother of former president [[George H. W. Bush]]). The younger Bush also taught classes at the school.<ref>[http://www.bushodonnell.com/capitalpartners/whtbush.htm William H.T. (Bucky) Bush – bushodonnell.com – Retrieved January 28, 2008] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080214140059/http://www.bushodonnell.com/capitalpartners/whtbush.htm |date=February 14, 2008 }}</ref>

Since the move to lay oversight, there has been some debate over how much influence the [[Roman Catholic Church]] should have on the affairs of the university. The decision by the university to sell its hospital to [[Tenet Healthcare]] in 1997 met much resistance by both local and national Church leaders but went ahead as planned.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/religion/story/30545D6CFAE202E1862573D90017AE3B?OpenDocument |title=Burke would deny Majerus holy Communion |author1=Tim Townsend |author2=Deirdre Shesgreen |author3=Tom Timmermann |publisher=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=2008-01-23 |access-date=2008-01-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080124065044/http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/religion/story/30545D6CFAE202E1862573D90017AE3B?OpenDocument |archive-date=2008-01-24 }}</ref> In 2015, the Catholic SSM Health system assumed operation of Saint Louis University Hospital. Renovations were completed in 2020.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/st-louis-university-hospital-set-to-begin-first-major-construction/article_d2960cf3-9326-52d0-9170-e352e4c2166a.html|title=St. Louis University Hospital set to begin first major construction project in decades|last=Liss|first=Samantha|work=stltoday.com|access-date=2017-06-25|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160616144834/http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/st-louis-university-hospital-set-to-begin-first-major-construction/article_d2960cf3-9326-52d0-9170-e352e4c2166a.html|archive-date=June 16, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2022, Saint Louis University sold its medical practice, SLUCare, to the SSM Health System as well.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/local/business-journal/ssm-health-acquire-slucare-physician-group/63-7f9fecb8-5194-4ba7-bd5c-7fe4f4a01487|title=SSM Health acquiring SLUCare Physician Group this summer |author1=James Drew|publisher=St. Louis Business Journal |date=2022-05-01 |access-date=2023-04-28 }}</ref>

As of 2023, 40 Jesuits taught, studied, and ministered at SLU.<ref>{{cite web |title=Saint Louis University Profile |url=https://www.slu.edu/about/key-facts/slu-profile.pdf |website=slu.edu |access-date=28 April 2023}}</ref>

=== Slavery, history, memory and reconciliation ===
In 2016, the institution revealed names and stories of [[African Americans|Black Americans]] who had been enslaved by the university and its founders and who contributed to the cultivation and building of the institution. Direct descendants include [[Louis Chauvin]] and [[St. Louis Black Stockings]] player [[Sylvester Chauvin]], whose burial site was marked by a headstone in 2022 through the [[Negro Leagues Baseball Grave Marker Project]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-10 |title=A Black St. Louis baseball star finally receives a headstone as descendants honor his life and legacy |url=https://www.stlpr.org/culture-history/2022-06-10/a-black-st-louis-baseball-star-finally-receives-a-headstone-as-descendants-honor-his-life-and-legacy |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=STLPR |language=en}}</ref> Contemporary descendants formed the organization Descendants of the Saint Louis University Enslaved and are petitioning for a physical monument on campus to acknowledge the history of their ancestors.<ref>{{Cite web |last=American |first=Ashley Winters {{!}} The St Louis |date=2023-09-11 |title=SLU's Jesuit history tied to descendants of slaves |url=http://www.stlamerican.com/news/slu-s-jesuit-history-tied-to-descendants-of-slaves/article_e4f6774e-4be1-11ee-8d71-83bfb321a320.html |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=St. Louis American |language=en}}</ref> The group has estimated the contemporary value of labor performed by enslaved workers to be between 361 million to 74 billion dollars.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-02-09 |title='We're asking for that debt to be paid': Descendants of slaves who built Saint Louis University demand recognition and compensation |url=https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/local/black-history/descendants-of-slaves-who-built-saint-louis-university-demand-compensation/63-d52f559a-83da-47b3-a5d2-219f33edafc8 |access-date=2024-02-15 |website=ksdk.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Timeline of notable events===
[[File:Slu_dubourg_1888.jpg|thumb|DuBourg Hall, as it appears today]] 
* 1818 – First institution of higher learning west of the Mississippi River<ref name="timeline"/>
* 1832 – First graduate programs west of the Mississippi River<ref name="timeline"/>
* 1836 – First medical school west of the Mississippi River<ref name="timeline"/>
* 1843 – First in the West to open a school of law<ref name="timeline"/>
* 1906 – First forward pass in football history<ref name="timeline"/>
* 1908 – First female students admitted<ref name="timeline">{{cite web |title=Timeline of Saint Louis University |url=https://www.slu.edu/timeline/ |website=Saint Louis University |access-date=8 July 2020 |archive-date=July 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200711015459/https://www.slu.edu/timeline/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* 1910 – First business school west of the Mississippi River<ref name="timeline"/>
* 1925 – First department of geophysics in the Western Hemisphere<ref name="timeline"/>
* 1927 – First federally licensed school of aviation<ref name="timeline"/>
* 1929 – First woman Ph.D. graduate, Mother Marie Kernaghan<ref>{{Cite web |last=Prince |first=Emma |title=Mother Kernaghan's Collections |url=https://www.maryville.edu/mpress/mother-kernaghan-collections/ |website=maryville.edu|date=February 4, 2017 }}</ref>
* 1944 – First university in Missouri to establish an official policy admitting African-American students<ref>{{cite book| title =Lift Every Voice and Sing| publisher =U.of Missouri| date =1999| location =Columbia| pages =[https://archive.org/details/lifteveryvoicesi00unse/page/12 12]| isbn =9780826212535| url=https://archive.org/details/lifteveryvoicesi00unse| url-access =registration | quote =st. louis university, post dispatch. |access-date=4 June 2016 }}</ref>
* 1949 – First co-ed classes, in the College of Arts and Sciences<ref name="timeline"/>
* 1955 – Marguerite Hall, first women's hall of residence, opens.<ref name="timeline"/>
* 1967 – First major Catholic university to give lay and clergy people combined legal responsibility for institutional policy on its board of trustees.<ref name="timeline" />
* 1972 – First human heart transplant in the Midwest<ref name="timeline"/>
* 2013 – First [[Doctor of Philosophy]] (Ph.D.) degree in aviation in the world awarded<ref name="slu.edu"/><ref name="timeline" />

==Campus==
{{See also|Saint Louis University Madrid Campus}}
[[File:Slu northeast quarter.jpg|thumb|Northeastern quarter of campus]]
SLU's campus in [[Midtown, St. Louis]] consists of over {{convert|273|acre|ha|1|abbr=}} of land, with 129 buildings on campus. This area is split between two locations along [[Grand Boulevard (St. Louis)|Grand Boulevard]].<ref name="Maps and Directions" /> The north campus (or Frost Campus), located just north of [[I-64 (MO)|I-64]], is the site of most undergraduate learning and is also home to the university's [[residence hall]]s.<ref name="Maps and Directions" /> The south campus, located just south of Chouteau Avenue, is the site of the [[Saint Louis University Hospital]], the Doisy Research Center, and some athletic facilities.<ref name="Maps and Directions" /> Most health science instruction takes place on the south campus.<ref name="Maps and Directions">{{cite web |title=Maps and Directions: SLU |url=https://www.slu.edu/about/maps-directions.php |website=slu.edu |publisher=Saint Louis University |access-date=28 March 2022 |archive-date=March 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320082708/https://www.slu.edu/about/maps-directions.php |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Saint Louis University School of Law]] is located in downtown St. Louis in Scott Hall.<ref name="Maps and Directions" />

Fr. Raymond L. Sullivant launched the campus in [[Madrid]], Spain in 1967.<ref>{{cite web |title=Our History: SLU |url=https://www.slu.edu/madrid/about/our-history.php |website=slu.edu |publisher=Saint Louis University |access-date=28 March 2022 |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328212053/https://www.slu.edu/madrid/about/our-history.php |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Saint Louis University Madrid Campus|Saint Louis University Madrid]] has nearly 1,000 students from more than 70 countries.<ref>{{cite web |title=About SLU-Madrid |url=https://www.slu.edu/madrid/about/index.php |website=slu.edu |publisher=Saint Louis University |access-date=28 March 2022 |archive-date=March 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320063532/http://www.slu.edu/madrid/about/index.php |url-status=live }}</ref> The campus has a faculty of 125, an average class size of 17 and a student-faculty ratio of 12:1.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://spain.slu.edu/about_slu_madrid/madrid_campus_profile.html|title=Saint Louis University, Madrid Campus : Saint Louis University Madrid Campus : SLU|website=spain.slu.edu|access-date=2017-06-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905200051/http://spain.slu.edu/about_slu_madrid/madrid_campus_profile.html|archive-date=September 5, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Major campus construction and renovation===

====Jesuit Center====
In 2022, Saint Louis University opened a new residence for Jesuits living and working on campus. The 25-bedroom apostolic center also has a chapel where student Masses are held and community meeting rooms. The building replaces Jesuit Hall, which had been home to Saint Louis University Jesuits since 1973. Retired Jesuits moved to a Delmar Gardens facility in north St. Louis County.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fink Meyerhoff |first1=Therese Fink Meyerhoff |title=New Jesuit Communities Underway in St. Louis |url=https://www.jesuitscentralsouthern.org/stories/new-jesuit-communities-underway-in-st-louis/ |website=Jesuits of the Central and Southern Province |access-date=28 April 2023}}</ref>

====Sinquefield Science and Engineering Center====
In the fall of 2020, the university opened the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building a new, 90,000-square-foot, three-story building featuring "innovative teaching environments and flexible lab spaces."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.slu.edu/interdisciplinary-science-and-engineering-building.php|title=Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building|website=www.slu.edu|language=en|access-date=2019-12-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191206163826/https://www.slu.edu/interdisciplinary-science-and-engineering-building.php|archive-date=December 6, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The building is home to bioinformatics, biology, biomedical engineering, chemistry, neuroscience and computer science courses that support all science, engineering, nursing and health science majors at SLU. It was renamed the Sinquefield Science and Engineering Center in 2025.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.slu.edu/give/news/sinquefield-naming.php | title=Sinquefield Science and Engineering Center }}</ref>

====Saint Louis University School of Law====
{{main|Saint Louis University School of Law}}
Saint Louis University School of Law, founded in 1843, is the oldest law school west of the Mississippi River.<ref name="Law History">{{Cite web|url=http://www.slu.edu/school-of-law-home/about-us|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140318003108/http://www.slu.edu/school-of-law-home/about-us|url-status=dead|title=School of Law History|archivedate=March 18, 2014}}</ref> Law students attend classes in Scott Hall, which is in downtown [[St. Louis]]. Scott Hall was bought and renovated by the university between 2012 and 2013, as the law school had outgrown its former site on SLU's midtown campus. The newly renovated building opened in 2013.<ref>{{cite web |title=History: SLU |url=https://www.slu.edu/law/about/history.php |website=slu.edu |publisher=Saint Louis University |access-date=28 March 2022 |archive-date=October 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029195548/https://www.slu.edu/law/about/history.php |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Edward A. Doisy Research Center====
In 2007, SLU completed a 10-story research center on its Medical Campus Building, a [[green building]] named for [[Edward Adelbert Doisy]], [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine|Nobel laureate]] of 1943 and a long-time faculty member at SLU.<ref name="Doisy">{{cite web |title=Edward A. Doisy Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology |url=https://www.slu.edu/medicine/medical-education/graduate-programs/biochemistry-molecular-biology/index.php |website=slu.edu |publisher=Saint Louis University |access-date=25 March 2022 |archive-date=January 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124205343/https://www.slu.edu/medicine/medical-education/graduate-programs/biochemistry-molecular-biology/index.php |url-status=live }}</ref> The building contains 80 labs that are used in the development of [[vaccines]] and in research initiatives studying cancer, liver disease, and other health conditions.<ref name="Clayco">{{cite web |title=Edward A. Doisy Research Center at Saint Louis University |url=https://claycorp.com/project/edward-doisy-research-center-saint-louis-university |website=claycorp.com |publisher=Clayco |access-date=25 March 2022 |archive-date=May 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525232248/https://claycorp.com/project/edward-doisy-research-center-saint-louis-university/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The building is home to the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.<ref name="Doisy" />

====Chaifetz Arena====
{{main|Chaifetz Arena}}
[[File:Chaifetz_arena.jpg|thumb|[[Chaifetz Arena]], viewed from the air]]
The multi-purpose [[Chaifetz Arena]], built in 2008, is a 10,600-seat stadium located on-campus. The arena also contains training facilities, locker rooms, and a practice facility that can house 1,000 spectators. It is on the eastern end of the north campus. The arena replaced [[Enterprise Center]] as the university's primary location for large events, notably [[Graduation|commencement]] celebrations and varsity sports. The arena is named for alumnus [[Richard Chaifetz]].<ref>{{cite web|title=SLU Arena Named for Alumnus Richard Chaifetz|url=http://www.slu.edu/x13954.xml|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070714200357/http://www.slu.edu/x13954.xml|archive-date=2007-07-14|access-date=2007-10-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slu.edu/x21663.xml |title=SLU Arena Named for Alumnus Richard Chaifetz |access-date=2007-10-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080321141157/http://www.slu.edu/x21663.xml |archive-date=2008-03-21 }}</ref>

===Housing===
Saint Louis has residence halls and student apartment space on campus.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.slu.edu/housing-and-residence-life/residence-halls-and-apartments|title=Housing and Residential Life : SLU|website=www.slu.edu|language=en|access-date=2017-06-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160530101914/http://www.slu.edu/housing-and-residence-life/residence-halls-and-apartments|archive-date=May 30, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> As part of the university's [[FYE (education)|First Year Experience (FYE)]] program, students are required to live on campus for their first four semesters at SLU, unless they are a commuter from the [[St. Louis metropolitan area]].<ref name="Housing Requirements">{{cite web |title=Housing Selection |url=https://www.slu.edu/housing/sign-up/index.php#:~:text=Saint%20Louis%20University%20requires%20undergraduate,for%20their%20first%20four%20semesters. |website=slu.edu |publisher=Saint Louis University |access-date=28 March 2022 |archive-date=March 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220325172019/https://www.slu.edu/housing/sign-up/index.php#:~:text=Saint%20Louis%20University%20requires%20undergraduate,for%20their%20first%20four%20semesters. |url-status=live }}</ref>

===St. Francis Xavier College Church===
{{main|St. Francis Xavier College Church}}
Located at the corner of Grand Boulevard and Lindell Boulevard is the university's official parish, [[St. Francis Xavier College Church]].<ref name="College Church">{{cite web |title=About College Church |url=https://www.slu.edu/about/catholic-jesuit-identity/college-church.php |website=slu.edu |publisher=Saint Louis University |access-date=28 March 2022 |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328212053/https://www.slu.edu/about/catholic-jesuit-identity/college-church.php |url-status=live }}</ref> Built between 1888 and 1894 by architect Thomas Walsh, who also designed DuBourg Hall, the church was the first English-speaking parish in the city of [[St. Louis]].<ref name="College Church" /> The church has held a weekly Sunday Evening [[Mass (catholic church)|Mass]] for SLU students since 1990.<ref name="College Church" />

===Clock tower===
[[File:Slu clock tower.jpg|thumb|Joseph G. Lipic Clock Tower Plaza]]
Built in 1993, Saint Louis University's clock tower closed off the campus from West Pine Avenue from Spring Street to Vandeventer Avenue.<ref>{{cite web |title=Saint Louis University Timeline |url=https://www.slu.edu/timeline/index.php |website=slu.edu |publisher=Saint Louis University |access-date=10 May 2024}}</ref> The surrounding plaza is host to social gatherings, demonstrations, and philanthropic events.

In 2011, the clock tower and the area around it were renamed the Joseph G. Lipic Clock Tower Plaza.<ref>Hasamear, J. (2011, June 9). Clock Tower Plaza Named for Prominent SLU Alumnus. Retrieved November 17, 2014, from {{cite web|url=http://www.slu.edu/nl-an-clock-tower-dedication-69 |title=Clock Tower Plaza Named for Prominent SLU Alumnus : Saint Louis University : SLU |access-date=2014-11-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129023706/http://www.slu.edu/nl-an-clock-tower-dedication-69 |archive-date=2014-11-29 }}</ref> The amphitheater adjacent to the plaza was renamed in 2021 honor of Jonathan Smith.<ref name="Jonathan Smith">{{cite web |title=Remembering Dr. Jonathan Smith |url=https://www.slu.edu/remembering-jonathan-smith.php |website=slu.edu |publisher=Saint Louis University |access-date=25 March 2022 |archive-date=January 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120222416/https://www.slu.edu/remembering-jonathan-smith.php |url-status=live }}</ref>

In October 2014, the clocktower plaza became the focal point for a student-led demonstration known as OccupySLU.<ref name="SLU on Clocktower accords">{{cite web |title=Clock Tower Accords |url=https://www.slu.edu/diversity/occupy-slu/clock-tower-accords.php |website=slu.edu |publisher=Saint Louis University |access-date=28 March 2022 |archive-date=March 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320063648/http://www.slu.edu/diversity/occupy-slu/clock-tower-accords.php |url-status=live }}</ref> Hundreds of students descended on the plaza to engage in teach-ins, peaceful protest, and conversation in the aftermath of the [[shooting of Michael Brown]] and the [[Ferguson unrest#Vonderrit Myers Jr.|shooting of Vonderrit Myers Jr.]]<ref name="SLU on Clocktower accords" /> Students and community leaders peacefully occupied the plaza for six days.<ref name="SLU on Clocktower accords" /> During this time, university president [[Fred Pestello]] negotiated with demonstrators to end the occupation.<ref name="SLU on Clocktower accords" /><ref name="RFT on OccupySLU">{{cite web |last1=Wicentowski |first1=Danny |title=Here's the Agreement that Ended the Occupation of Saint Louis University |url=https://www.riverfronttimes.com/stlouis/heres-the-agreement-that-ended-the-occupation-of-saint-louis-university/Content?oid=2581407 |website=riverfronttimes.com |publisher=The Riverfront Times |access-date=28 March 2022 |archive-date=January 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115025736/https://www.riverfronttimes.com/news/heres-the-agreement-that-ended-the-occupation-of-saint-louis-university-2581407 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Libraries and museums===
{{main|Pius XII Memorial Library|Knights of Columbus Vatican Film Library|Saint Louis University Museum of Art|Samuel Cupples House}}
Saint Louis University has three libraries in [[St. Louis]], and one on its campus in [[Saint Louis University Madrid Campus|Madrid, Spain]]: the [[Pius XII Memorial Library]] on the north campus, the Medical Center Library on south campus, the Vincent C. Immel Library at the [[Saint Louis University Law School|law school]] in downtown [[St. Louis]], and the library in San Ignacio Hall in [[Madrid]].<ref name="Madrid Library About">{{cite web |title=Library: SLU - Madrid |url=https://www.slu.edu/madrid/services-and-departments/library/index.php |website=slu.edu |publisher=Saint Louis University |access-date=30 March 2022 |archive-date=March 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331171139/https://www.slu.edu/madrid/services-and-departments/library/index.php |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="About libraries">{{cite web |title=About Pius XII Library |url=https://www.slu.edu/library/about/index.php |website=slu.edu |publisher=Saint Louis University |access-date=30 March 2022 |archive-date=March 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331170914/https://www.slu.edu/library/about/index.php |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Pius XII Memorial Library]] is the general academic library. It houses over 2.2 million [[books]] and [[e-books]].<ref name="About libraries" /> Housed within Pius XII Memorial Library is the [[Knights of Columbus Vatican Film Library]], which holds a unique collection of microfilm focusing on the manuscripts housed in the [[Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana]].<ref name="Vatican Film Library SLU">{{cite web |title=Knights of Columbus Vatican Film Library |url=https://www.slu.edu/library/special-collections/vatican-film-library/index.php |website=slu.edu |publisher=Saint Louis University |access-date=25 March 2022 |archive-date=March 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220325172016/https://www.slu.edu/library/special-collections/vatican-film-library/index.php |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1964, SLU president [[Paul C. Reinert|Paul Reinert]] established the Saint Louis University Library Associates.<ref name="Lib Associates about" /> The Associates are a group of "civic-minded [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louisans]]...dedicated to the growth of the university libraries."<ref name="Lib Associates about">{{cite web |title=Saint Louis University Library Associates |url=https://www.slu.edu/library/library-associates/index.php |website=slu.edu |publisher=Saint Louis University |access-date=30 March 2022 |archive-date=March 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331171223/https://www.slu.edu/library/library-associates/index.php |url-status=live }}</ref> Since 1967, the organization has presented the [[St. Louis Literary Award]] to a distinguished figure in [[literature]]. Notable recipients of the award include [[Sir Salman Rushdie|Salman Rushdie]], [[E.L. Doctorow]], [[Joan Didion]], and [[R. Buckminster Fuller]].<ref name="Lit Award">{{cite web |title=St. Louis Literary Award |url=https://www.slu.edu/library/library-associates/literary-award/index.php |website=slu.edu |publisher=Saint Louis University |access-date=30 March 2022 |archive-date=April 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200430082254/http://lib.slu.edu/about/associates/literary-award.php |url-status=live }}</ref>

The university also has three museums: the [[Museum of Contemporary Religious Art|Museum of Contemporary Religious Art (MOCRA)]], the [[Saint Louis University Museum of Art|Saint Louis University Museum of Art (SLUMA)]], and the [[Samuel Cupples House]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.slu.edu/museums/index.php|title=The Arts at Saint Louis University|website=www.slu.edu|language=en|access-date=2019-12-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191206163823/https://www.slu.edu/museums/index.php|archive-date=December 6, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{Gallery
|width=160 | height=170
|align=center
|File:slulib.jpg
 |[[Pius XII Memorial Library]]
|File:Museum_of_Contemporary_Religious_Art.jpg
 |[[Museum of Contemporary Religious Art]]
|File:Saint_Louis_University_Museum_of_Art.jpg
 |[[Saint Louis University Museum of Art]]
|File:Cupples House.png
 |[[Samuel Cupples House]]
}}

===Administrative Offices===
The [[Saint Louis University Office of Admissions Building]] was built in 1890 and had a number of different owners until it was acquired by the University in 1988.

==Academics and rankings==
{{Infobox university ranking
| name = Saint Louis University
| ARWU_W = 501–600 |ARWU_W_year = 2026 |ARWU_W_ref = <ref name="Shanghai Ranking">{{cite web |title=2026 Academic Ranking of World Universities |url=https://www.shanghairanking.com/institution/saint-louis-university|publisher=Shanghai Ranking |access-date=23 September 2025}}</ref>
| ARWU_N = 112–135 |ARWU_N_year = 2026 |ARWU_N_ref = <ref name="Shanghai Ranking" />
| Forbes_N = 203 |Forbes_N_year = 2025 |Forbes_N_ref = <ref name="Forbes ranking">{{cite web |title=#203 Saint Louis University |url=https://www.forbes.com/colleges/saint-louis-university-main-campus/?list=top-colleges |work=Forbes |access-date=23 September 2025 }}</ref>
| THE_W = 401–500 |THE_W_year = 2025 |THE_W_ref =<ref name="THE SLU">{{cite web |title=Saint Louis University |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/saint-louis-university |date=October 9, 2024 |publisher=Times Higher Education |access-date=9 October 2024 |archive-date=March 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220308012059/https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/saint-louis-university |url-status=live}}</ref>
| USNWR_N = 102 |USNWR_N_year = 2026 |USNWR_N_ref =<ref>{{cite web |title=Saint Louis University |url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/saint-louis-university-2506 |publisher=U.S. News & World Report |access-date=23 September 2025 |archive-date=April 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220406170341/https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/st-louis-university-2506 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| USNWR_W = 623 |USNWR_W_year = 2025–2026 |USNWR_W_ref =<ref>{{cite web |title=Saint Louis University |publisher=U.S. News & World Report | url=https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/saint-louis-university-179159 |access-date=20 August 2025 |archive-date=April 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220406170342/https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/saint-louis-university-179159 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| Wamo_N = 235 |Wamo_N_year = 2022 |Wamo_N_ref =<ref>{{cite web |title=2022 National University Rankings |url=https://washingtonmonthly.com/2022-college-guide/national/ |website=washingtonmonthly.com |publisher=Washington Monthly |access-date=16 September 2022 |archive-date=September 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220917093850/https://washingtonmonthly.com/2022-college-guide/national/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
| THE_N=113 |THE_N_year = 2022 |THE_N_ref = <ref name="THE SLU" />
}}
SLU offers 94 undergraduate majors and 88 graduate disciplines.<ref name= "Academics">{{cite web |title=Academics : SLU |url=https://www.slu.edu/academics/index.php |website=slu.edu |publisher=Saint Louis University |access-date=6 April 2022 |archive-date=April 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220406170349/https://www.slu.edu/academics/index.php |url-status=live}}</ref> The student-faculty ratio is 9:1.<ref name="USNWR Academics">{{cite web |title=Saint Louis University Academics |url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/st-louis-university-2506/academics |website=usnews.com |publisher=U.S. News & World Report |access-date=28 March 2022 |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328212052/https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/st-louis-university-2506/academics |url-status=live}}</ref>

The university operates 12 schools and colleges:<ref name="Academics" />
* College of Arts and Sciences
* College of Philosophy and Letters
* Doisy College of Health Sciences
* [[Saint Louis University School of Medicine|School of Medicine]]
* Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing
* [[Saint Louis University College for Public Health and Social Justice|College for Public Health and Social Justice]]
* [[Saint Louis University School of Social Work|School of Social Work]]
* [[Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business]]
* School of Education
* [[Saint Louis University School of Law|School of Law]]
* School of Science and Engineering
* School for Professional Studies
* [[Saint Louis University Madrid Campus|Saint Louis University Madrid]]. 
In addition, the university also operates a campus in Spain, [[Saint Louis University Madrid Campus|Saint Louis University—Madrid]], and the degree-granting Center for Advanced Dental Education.<ref name="Academics" />

===Research===
Saint Louis University's long research history includes the work of [[Edward Adelbert Doisy]] who discovered the lifesaving properties of [[Vitamin K]] and is the namesake of the university's research center, as well as its college of health sciences. One of only nine Catholic universities with a "higher" or highest" research activity designation from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, SLU's current research spans science, technology, law, and the humanities and is funded by the federal government, private foundations, and partnerships.<ref>{{cite web |title=Research Impact |url=https://www.slu.edu/research/research-impact/index.php |website=www.slu.edu |access-date=6 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230514020811/https://www.slu.edu/research/research-impact/index.php |archive-date=May 14, 2023 |language=en |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2018 became home to the Saint Louis University Research Institute, established through a $50 million gift from [[Rex Sinquefield]] and his wife, Jeanne. The SLU Research Institute performs research on geospatial, water, health data, translational neuroscience, and global Catholicism, among other topics.<ref>{{cite web |title=Research Institute |url=https://www.slu.edu/research/research-institute/index.php |website=www.slu.edu |access-date=6 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230509182951/https://www.slu.edu/research/research-institute/index.php |archive-date=May 9, 2023 |language=en |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Athletics==
{{main|Saint Louis Billikens}}
[[File:SLU_Billikens_wordmark.png|thumb|200px|Saint Louis athletics wordmark]]
The [[Saint Louis Billikens]] are the collegiate athletic varsity teams of Saint Louis University. This [[NCAA Division I]] program fields teams in [[Saint Louis Billikens men's soccer|men's soccer]], [[Saint Louis Billikens women's soccer|women's soccer]], [[Saint Louis Billikens men's basketball|men's basketball]], [[Saint Louis Billikens women's basketball|women's basketball]], [[Saint Louis Billikens baseball|men's baseball]], women's softball, women's volleyball, men's swimming and diving, women's swimming and diving, men's cross country, women's cross country, men's tennis, women's tennis, men's track and field, women's track and field, and women's field hockey.<ref>{{cite web |title=Saint Louis Billikens |url=https://slubillikens.com/ |website=slubillikens.com |publisher=Saint Louis University |access-date=6 April 2022 |archive-date=April 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401024051/https://slubillikens.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The university competes in the [[Atlantic 10 Conference]].<ref name="Atlantic 10 Website" /> In 2023, the [[Saint Louis Billikens women's basketball|women's basketball team]] made their first trip to the NCAA Tournament.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.slu.edu/news/2023/march/womens-basketball.php/|title=Women's Basketball Makes SLU History with First Conference Championship, NCAA Tourney Bid|date=2023-03-15|work=slu.edu|access-date=2023-04-24|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Student life==
===Demographics===
Saint Louis University has a residency requirement, 3,895 students lived on campus in fall 2023 including 89% of first- year students. More than 60% of students at SLU in 2021 identified as female and 33% identified as Black, Hispanic, Asian, or two or more races.<ref>{{cite web |title=Saint Louis University |url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/saint-louis-university-2506 |website=Best Colleges |publisher=US News and World Report |access-date=28 April 2023}}</ref> According to the university's profile, 99% of first-time freshmen and 92% of all students receive aid with a $45,343 average aid award for freshmen in 2023–24. The university reports that 43% of students graduate without student loan debt.

===Student organizations===
Saint Louis University has over 215 student organizations.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://groups.sluconnection.com/Organizations |title=SLU Groups – Organizations |publisher=Groups.sluconnection.com |date=1932-11-12 |access-date=2015-12-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222100535/https://groups.sluconnection.com/Organizations |archive-date=2015-12-22 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Students at SLU ranked third among U.S. universities in community engagement in 2023.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rankings and Honors |url=https://www.slu.edu/about/key-facts/rankings.php |website=www.slu.edu |access-date=6 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230424210446/https://www.slu.edu/about/key-facts/rankings.php |archive-date=April 24, 2023 |language=en |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=SLU Community Partners Database |url=https://www.slu.edu/center-for-social-action/community-partners-database/index.php |website=slu.edu |publisher=Saint Louis University |access-date=30 March 2022 |archive-date=March 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331170810/https://www.slu.edu/center-for-social-action/community-partners-database/index.php |url-status=live }}</ref> The free speech watchdog group FIRE ranks SLU as a "warning" school due to its history of censoring both left and right wing speakers that disagree with the administration.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Saint Louis University {{!}} The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression |url=https://www.thefire.org/colleges/saint-louis-university/free-speech-rankings |access-date=2024-03-24 |website=www.thefire.org |language=en}}</ref> The university's Policy on Speech, Expression and Civil Discourse is based on Ignatian principles.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Policy on Speech, Expression and Civil Discourse |url=https://www.slu.edu/speech-expression-civility/index.php |access-date=2024-03-24 |website=www.slu.edu |language=en}}</ref>

====Greek life====
Saint Louis has more than 20 [[College fraternities and sororities|fraternities and sororities]] on campus.<ref name ="IFC" >{{cite web |title=Interfraternity Council Fraternities |url=https://www.slu.edu/life-at-slu/student-involvement/greek-life/ifc-fraternities.php |website=slu.edu |publisher=Saint Louis University |access-date=28 March 2022 |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328212054/https://www.slu.edu/life-at-slu/student-involvement/greek-life/ifc-fraternities.php |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Panhellenic Council Sororities |url=https://www.slu.edu/life-at-slu/student-involvement/greek-life/panhellenic-sororities.php |website=slu.edu |publisher=Saint Louis University |access-date=28 March 2022 |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328212054/https://www.slu.edu/life-at-slu/student-involvement/greek-life/panhellenic-sororities.php |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Notable alumni, faculty, and school presidents ==
{{Main article|List of Saint Louis University people}}

==See also==
* [[Education in St. Louis]]
* [[List of Jesuit sites]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website}}
* [http://www.slubillikens.com/ Saint Louis Athletics website]
* [https://dslue.org/ Descendants of the St. Louis University Enslaved]

{{Saint Louis University}}
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[[Category:Saint Louis University| ]]
[[Category:Jesuit universities and colleges in the United States]]
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