St. Louis University

St. Louis University (SLU) is a Catholic, Jesuit school that is open to students of any faith. The private research institution, which is located a short distance from the city's famous Gateway Arch, was founded in 1818. It is the oldest university west of the Mississippi River and the second-oldest Jesuit university in the United States. 

Saint Louis University in Missouri has a 12,000-strong student body of whom about 8 per cent are from overseas. 

SLU has a strong service ethic and more than 80 courses combine volunteering with academic study. Between them, staff and students contribute more than 1 million service hours each year. With an acceptance rate of about 61%, SLU is relatively difficult to get in. 

Sport is a big part of life at SLU and the university is represented at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics in 18 sports including baseball, basketball, swimming, tennis, and track and field. The Chaifetz Arena, which is located on campus, can seat 10,000 people.

The university is home to several museums including the Saint Louis University Museum of Art, the Samuel Cupples House, a historic home and gallery, and the Museum of Contemporary Religious Art.

In 2013, the university awarded the world’s first PhD in aviation. Totally, the university is represented by 12 colleges and schools:

• College of Arts and Sciences
• College of Philosophy and Letters
• College for Public Health and Social Justice
• Doisy College of Health Sciences
• John Cook School of Business
• Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology
• School of Education
• School of Law
• School of Medicine
• School of Nursing
• School for Professional Studies
• SLU Madrid

Notable alumni of SLU include Enrique Bolanos, former president of Nicaragua, August Busch IV, former president and CEO of Anheuser-Busch Inc., Gene Kranz, the lead Nasa flight director during the Apollo 11 moon landing and leader of the Apollo 13 rescue mission, and filmmaker James Gunn, writer of Dawn of the Dead.

The 2016 U.S. News National University Rankings placed SLU the 96th nationally. Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) 2016 ranked SLU the 401st worldwide. 

Saint Louis University offers nearly 90 undergraduate programs and about 100 post-baccalaureate programs, with at least 25 percent of them ranked among the best in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report.

The most popular majors by the number of registered students are business administration and management, registered nursing, biological sciences, kinesiology and exercise science, psychology, communications.