For the seventh consecutive year, USM has been named a Best Midwestern College by the Princeton Review—an honor that recognizes colleges for their commitment to academic excellence. Our students told polsters that USM's small class sizes and professors that call you by name are what set Saint Mary apart.

Get your blue and gold on and cheer for the Spires! USM offers 12 varsity men's and women's sports teams in football, men's and women's soccer, baseball, men's and women's basketball, volleyball, softball, and men's and women's cross country and track & field. Saint Mary student-athletes are routinely recognized for their strong performance both in the game and in the classroom. The university has also been named a Five Star Champions of Character School by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

Don't be surprised when a USM professor calls you by name in the halls - personal attention is what USM professors are all about. In fact, our professors will give you the personal attention you need to succeed—because they simply love what they do. Combine that with small class sizes and you'll quickly discover that close, personal attention will be a great benefit for you.

“I love this place. It’s a small and gorgeous campus, and it’s such a positive environment.” — Brittany Clelland, class of 2012

USM and its red brick buildings have been located on this lush, green Kansas hilltop since 1870. Nestled inside a tree line that makes the campus its own little community, the campus is small enough to keep you close to everything-yet big enough to form your own identity.

From athletics to theatre, student government to music, you can showcase your talents and skills in a small, friendly environment where everyone knows your name. As one Saint Mary student said, "I feel that everyone finds a niche here, but it seems like everyone cares for everybody so everyone fits in no matter who they are."

Welcome to the Saint Mary tunnels—quietly one of the most popular amenities on campus. Most buildings at USM are connected via heated underground tunnel, meaning students can avoid inclement weather on their way around campus. It's not uncommon to see students walking the halls wearing summer garb in the middle of winter.

If you enroll as a full-time day-time freshmen student you will get a brand-new laptop loaded with Windows 7 and the complete Microsoft Office Suite. You'll also be able to keep the laptop when you graduate.

All Saint Mary dorms have broadband internet access, and our classrooms, library, student union, and other common areas have wireless internet access.

USM President Sister Diane Steele, Ph.D., knows what you are going through as a student at Saint Mary. Steele is a 1983 graduate of Saint Mary and a former USM theology professor. "I was the first generation in my family to go to college and I came to Saint Mary on the full ride Jubilee Scholarship. The education I received here prepared me, especially in the areas of critical thinking and writing, all the way through my doctorate. The Sisters demanded my best and they got it."

The legendary Sister Madonna Fink is on your side. The inaugural member of USM's athletic hall of fame goes to virtually every USM athletic contest, prays for the athletes, and even bakes cookies for students. For her gratitude, USM's main gym floor inside Ryan Sports Center now bears her name.

Spooky ghost stories haunt the halls of USM. Did the headless nun fall to her fate in an old elevator shaft or did she plummet to her death around an old spiral staircase? No one knows for sure but her legend has frightened a few students enough to lock their doors on Halloween night.

Getting together with your friends after class? The Rock is a popular meet-up spot on the Saint Mary campus. The pink granite boulder is as big as a Volkswagen, and was actually removed from underneath the current USM soccer field behind McGilley Field House. It took a giant crane to install the rock in 1989.