It’s hard to beat these Saint Mary’s numbers when choosing a college:

The Avenue at Saint Mary's College.
The Avenue at Saint Mary's College.
• A 93 percent graduation rate in four years (not five or six)
• Financial aid to more than 90 percent of students
• 100 percent of courses taught by professors, not teaching assistants
• Average class size of 11 students per instructor

These are just a few reasons to visit Saint Mary’s College during Indiana Private College Week, July 25–29. Along with 30 other private, non-profit institutions across the state, Saint Mary’s is welcoming students and their parents to campus. In addition to experiencing the breathtaking beauty of the grounds, visitors may be surprised to learn how affordable an education at Saint Mary’s can be, oftentimes lower than a public university.

“The ‘sticker price’ of a college education today varies greatly and the actual price paid by individual students varies even more widely,” says Saint Mary’s College President Carol Ann Mooney ’72. “When students and their parents compare college tuitions, they may not realize that private institutions devote a large percentage of their budgets to financial aid. The end result is that, for some students, the cost of attending a private college or university is actually lower than that of attending a public university.”Saint Mary's students study on the lawn.
Saint Mary's students study on the lawn.

That lower cost also may be attributed to the number of years students pay tuition in public institutions versus private colleges. The four-year graduation rate for state institutions is 30 percent. At Saint Mary’s, it’s 93 percent. In many cases, Saint Mary’s students are paying fewer years of tuition costs.

And there’s more at Saint Mary’s than tremendous financial aid opportunities and a beautiful campus, says Mona Bowe, vice president for enrollment management. “What sells them is not just the tree-lined Avenue when they pull onto campus or the manicured lawns or the new and historic buildings,” she says. “It’s the faculty they meet here and the programs that fit their interests, and it’s the heritage of the Congregation of the Holy Cross to educate the minds and the hearts of the women here.”

During Indiana Private College Week, Saint Mary’s will offer tours daily at 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., and admission counselors will be available to meet with students. Saint Mary’s regularly offers a variety of campus visit options, including Fall Day on Campus and Senior Preview Days.