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Former names | Santa Clara College (1851), University of Santa Clara (1912–1984) |
|---|---|
| Motto | Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (Latin) |
Motto in English | For the Greater Glory of God |
| Type | Private university |
| Established | 1851; 174 years ago (1851) |
Religious affiliation | Catholic Church (Jesuit) |
Academic affiliations | AJCU NAICU ACCU Space-grant |
| Endowment | $1.54 billion (2022)[1] |
| President | Julie Sullivan |
| Provost | James M. Glaser |
Academic staff | 911 (564 full-time)[2] |
| Students | 9,635 (Fall 2024)[3] |
| Undergraduates | 6,484 |
| Postgraduates | 3,151 |
Other students | 281 |
| Location | , U.S. |
| Campus | Suburban 106 acres (43 ha) |
| Newspaper | The Santa Clara |
| Colors | Red and white[4] |
| Nickname | Broncos |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division I –West Coast Conference |
| Mascot | BuckyBronco |
| Website | scu |
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Santa Clara University is aprivateJesuit university inSanta Clara, California, United States. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California.[5] The university's campus surrounds the historicMission Santa Clara de Asís which traces its founding to 1777. The campus mirrors the Mission's architectural style and containsMission Revival architecture and otherSpanish Colonial Revival styles. The university isclassified as a "Doctoral/Professional" university.[6]
The university offersbachelor's degrees,master's degrees, anddoctoral degrees through its six colleges, theCollege of Arts and Sciences,School of Education and Counseling Psychology,Leavey School of Business,School of Engineering,Jesuit School of Theology, andSchool of Law. It enrolls 6,484 undergraduate students and about 3,151 postgraduate students as of Fall 2024.
Santa Clara's sports teams are called theBroncos. Their colors are red and white. The Broncos compete at theNCAA Division I levels as members of theWest Coast Conference in 19 sports. Broncos have won NCAA championships in both men's and women's soccer. Santa Clara's student athletes include current or former 58MLB,[7] 40NFL,[8] and 12NBA players and 13Olympicgold medalists.
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Inheriting the grounds ofMission Santa Clara de Asís, Santa Clara University's campus, library holdings, art collection, and many of its defining traditions date back to 1777, almost 75 years before its founding. In January of that year, SaintJunipero Serra, a SpanishFranciscanfriar, established Mission Santa Clara as the eighth of 21Alta California missions. Fray Tomás de la Peña chose a site along theGuadalupe River for the future church, erecting a cross and celebrating the first Mass a few days later.[9] The campus was built on the land of theOhlone people[10] who relocated after suffering a decline in population due to epidemics and a loss of natural resources in the area.[11]
Natural disasters forced early priests to relocate and rebuild the church on several occasions, moving it westward and away from the river. Built of wood, the first permanent structure quickly flooded and was replaced by a larger adobe building in 1784. This building suffered heavy damage in an 1818 earthquake and was replaced six years later by a new adobe edifice.[9]
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The mission flourished for more than 50 years despite these setbacks. Beginning in the 1830s, however, the mission lands were repossessed in conjunction with government policy implemented via theMexico's secularization, and church buildings fell into disrepair. The bishop of Monterey, DominicanJoseph Sadoc Alemany, offered the site to Italian JesuitsJohn Nobili and Michael Accolti in 1851 on condition that they found a college for California's growing Catholic population when it became part of the United States following theMexican–American War (1846–48).[12]
Two colleges were organized during 1851 in the small agricultural town ofSanta Clara, at the height of theGold Rush, less than a year after California was granted statehood. Santa Clara College, forerunner of Santa Clara University, was the first to open its doors to students and is the state's oldest operating institution of higher education. Shortly after Santa Clara began instruction, the Methodist-run California Wesleyan College (now known asUniversity of the Pacific) received a charter from the State Superior Court on July 10, 1851—the first granted in California—and it began enrolling students in May of the following year.[13] Santa Clara's Jesuit founders lacked the $20,000 endowment required for a charter, which was eventually accumulated and a charter granted on April 28, 1855.[14]
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Santa Clara bears the distinction of awarding California's first bachelor's degree, bestowed upon Thomas I. Bergin in 1857, as well as its first graduate degree granted two years later.[15]
TheCalifornia Historical Society, the official state historical society of California, was founded in June 1871 on the campus of the College of Santa Clara by a group of prominent Californian politicians and professors, led by Californian AssemblymanJohn W. Dwinelle (an influential founder of theUniversity of California).[16][17]
In 1912, theCollege of Santa Clara became theUniversity of Santa Clara, with the addition of theSchool of Engineering andSchool of Law.
In 1923 theLeavey School of Business was founded.
Women were first admitted in 1961 to what had been an all-men's university, making Santa Clara University the first Catholic university in California to admit both men and women.
In 1985, in part to avoid confusion with theUniversity of Southern California (USC), the University of Santa Clara, as it had been known since 1912, changed its name toSanta Clara University. Diplomas were printed with the new name beginning in 1986.
In 2001 theSchool of Education and Counseling Psychology was formed to offer Master's level and other credential programs.
In 2012, Santa Clara University celebrated 50 years of having women attend Santa Clara University.[18]
The university address is inSanta Clara, California, though a significant part of the campus lies over the border intoSan Jose, California. Over the last century and a half, the Santa Clara University campus has expanded to more than 106 acres (43 ha).
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In the 1950s, after the university constructed Walsh Hall and thede Saisset Museum on two of the last remaining open spaces on the old college campus, Santa Clara began purchasing and annexing land from the surrounding community. The first addition, which occurred slightly earlier,[when?] brought space for football and baseball playing fields. Thereafter, particularly in the 1960s when women were admitted to the school, more land was acquired for residence halls and other new buildings and facilities.
In 1989 the Santa Clara University campus was unified whenThe Alameda (California State Route 82), a major thoroughfare that had bisected the university, was rerouted. Several interior roads were also closed and were replaced by sparsely landscaped pedestrian malls and plazas. The current five-year campus plan calls for integration of these areas with the gardens of the campus core.[19]
The 1990s brought a number of campus additions, including the Music and Dance Building, a new science wing, the Arts and Sciences Building, theMalley Fitness Center, the Sobrato Residence Hall, and the first on-campus parking structure. Santa Clara carried out all deferred maintenance, including the renovation of Kenna Hall, the Adobe Lodge, and many other historic buildings. One unique feature of Santa Clara University's undergraduate education is the Residential Learning Community program. Eight Residential Learning Communities (RLCs), each with a distinct theme, integrate the classroom and resident life experience.[20]
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Recently completed expansion projects include a new baseball field (Stephen Schott Stadium, 2005), a renovated basketball arena (Leavey Center, 2000), Kennedy Mall – the campus' first "green building" (2005),[21] a Jesuit community residence (2006), a 194,000-square-foot (18,000 m2; 1.80 ha) library (2008), a new 85,000-square-foot (7,900 m2; 0.79 ha) building for the Leavey School of Business (2008), a new residence hall, Graham (2012), a new Admission and Enrollment Services building (2012), and a new Art and Art History Building (2016). The new Charney Hall (2018) replaces and consolidates Bannan Hall and the Heafey Law Library into the new Law School.[22]
The university's main entrance, Palm Drive, was closed to automobiles in 2013 to create a new gateway to Santa Clara's campus. The new pedestrian mall was designed to "highlight the Mission Church as the centerpiece of the campus." In 2014, Alviso Street between Franklin and Market was also closed to cars and remodeled.[23]
In 2022, Santa Clara University completed construction of the $300 million dollar, 270,000 square foot Sobrato Campus for Discovery and Innovation.[24] Spanning three buildings, SCDI is one of the largest STEM educational facilities in the country. It is home to 13 academic departments from theSchool of Engineering and theCollege of Arts & Sciences, the Innovation Zone, Robotics Systems Lab, Latimer Energy Lab, and Imaginarium virtual reality lab. It also features natural science and flex labs, collaboration hubs, and multidisciplinary project spaces.[25]
In 2025, the university began to relocate theJesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University from its current location inBerkeley to the main campus inSanta Clara.[26]
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In 2014, Santa Clara University received theSTARS Gold Rating byAssociation for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). In 2015, Santa Clara University ranked No.19 on the Princeton Review's new "Top 50 Green Colleges" list and is also featured in The Princeton Review Guide to 353 Green Colleges as one of the most environmentally responsible colleges.[27]
In 2013, the Center for Sustainability was established to advance academic and public understanding of the ways in which social justice and sustainability intersect by integrating principles of social, environmental, and economic sustainability into campus operations, academic and student life, and outreach programs.[28]
Santa Clara University is a member of The Green Building Council, the overseeing body of the LEED rating system. In the fall of 2011, Paul Locatelli, S. J. Student Activities Center was certified LEED Gold. In addition, Schott Admission and Enrollment Services, Donohoe Alumni House, and Graham Residence Hall have all been designed to LEED gold standards and are pending certification. All new buildings are designed with the Sustainable Building Policy, adopted in May 2014.[29]
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Santa Clara University is a private corporation owned and governed by a privately appointedboard of trustees composed of 44 members. Built around historicMission Santa Clara, the present university is home to a population of approximately 5,435 undergraduate and 3,335 master's,Juris Doctor, and PhD students.[30] The institution employs 522 full-time faculty members, who are divided between four professional schools and the College of Arts and Sciences, all of which are located on the 106-acre (43 ha) mission campus.[31] In July 2009 theJesuit School of Theology at Berkeley (JST), formerly an independent institution, legally merged with the university, taking the name "Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University." Although a division of SCU, it retains its campus inBerkeley, California. JST is one of two Jesuitseminaries in the United States with ecclesiastical faculties approved by theVatican'sCongregation for Catholic Education.[32] The other,Weston Jesuit School of Theology, completed a similar affiliation withBoston College in June 2008, becomingBoston College School of Theology and Ministry.[33]
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Santa Clara University is civilly chartered and governed by a board of trustees, which appoints the president. By internal statute, the president must be a member of the Jesuit order, although the members of the board are primarily non-Jesuits.[34] About 42 Jesuit priests and brothers are active teachers and administrators in various departments and centers located on the main campus in Santa Clara. An additional 15 Jesuits currently hold faculty positions at the university's Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley.[31] Jesuits comprise around 7% of the permanent faculty and hold teaching positions in biology, computer engineering, counseling psychology, economics, English, history, law, philosophy, physics, political science, psychology, religious studies, and theater arts in addition to theology. They also serve in campus and residence-hall ministry, and some act as faculty directors in residential learning communities (RLC's).
On March 18, 2021, Santa Clara University Board of Trustees Chairman John M. Sobrato announcedKevin F. O'Brien had been placed on leave pending an inquiry into "exhibited behaviors in adult settings, consisting primarily of conversations, which may be inconsistent with established Jesuit protocols and boundaries".[35] On May 12, 2021, John M. Sobrato announced to students and faculty thatKevin F. O'Brien resigned May 9, 2021 at the conclusion of this inquiry, coinciding with his enrollment in a therapeutic outpatient program to address "related personal issues, including alcohol and stress counseling". As of June 30, 2021, Santa Clara University's endowment was $1.54 billion.[36]
Julie H. Sullivan, Ph.D., the first layperson and first woman to serve as president, began her term on July 1, 2022. She was formerly the president of the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota.[37]
In 2024, Santa Clara announced the Santa Clara University California Promise and the Santa Clara University Cristo Rey Promise, committing the university to meeting the full demonstrated financial need of admitted first-year students who qualify for Cal Grants and graduates from national Cristo Rey Network high schools.[38]
Santa Clara University is organized into six professional schools, theSchool of Arts and Sciences,School of Education and Counseling Psychology,SCU Leavey School of Business,School of Engineering,Jesuit School of Theology, and theSchool of Law. The university's professional schools are all led by an academic dean.
The College of Arts and Sciences offers Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees.
The Leavey School of Business was founded in 1923 and accredited by theAssociation to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business thirty years later. Students can earn aBachelor of Science in Commerce,Master of Business Administration,Executive Master of Business Administration, andMaster of Science in Information Systems (MSIS).
Drew Starbird has been Dean of the school since 2010.[39] Starbird is to be replaced by Caryn Beck-Dudley starting in the 2015–16 school year.[40]
The School of Education, Counseling Psychology, and Pastoral Ministries was created in fall 2001, bringing togethergraduate programs inCounseling Psychology, Education, and Pastoral Ministries. Approximately 800graduate students are enrolled in the school, with 200 studying psychology, 400 studying education, and the remainder studying pastoral ministries.
The School of Engineering was founded and began offering bachelor's degrees in 1912. Over the next century, the school added Master's and doctoral programs designed to meetSilicon Valley's growing need for expert engineers. Today, the Valley provides opportunities for the school's students and faculty, particularly those in electrical engineering and information technology, to work closely with high-tech companies and government institutions. This ranges from individual internships to larger partnerships with projects such asO/OREOS.
The Jesuit School of Theology is a Divinity School of Santa Clara University located in Berkeley, California, and one of the member colleges of the Graduate Theological Union. The school was founded in 1934 and merged with Santa Clara University in 2009. Prior to its merger with Santa Clara University, it was known as the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley.
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The School of Law was founded in 1911. The school offers theJuris Doctor degree. It also offers severaldouble degree programs, including JD/Master of Business Administration and JD/Master of Science in Information Systems offered in conjunction with Santa Clara University's Leavey School of Business.
The school offersMaster of Laws degrees in Intellectual Property. Santa Clara Law features specialized curricular programs inHigh Tech andIntellectual Property law,International law, andPublic Interest andSocial Justice law.
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| Race and ethnicity[41] | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 40% | ||
| Asian | 21% | ||
| Hispanic | 19% | ||
| Other[a] | 11% | ||
| Foreign national | 6% | ||
| Black | 3% | ||
| Economic diversity | |||
| Low-income[b] | 11% | ||
| Affluent[c] | 89% | ||
As of 2024, Santa Clara has an enrollment of 6,484 undergraduate students and 3,151 graduate students (total of 9,728 students).[30] The undergraduate gender ratio is approximately 50:50.[41]
Santa Clara offers undergraduates the opportunity to pursue 45 majors in its three undergraduate schools and colleges: the College of Arts and Science, the School of Engineering, and the Leavey School of Business. Santa Clara University also has six graduate and professional schools, including the School of Law, School of Engineering, the Leavey School of Business, the School of Education and Counseling Psychology, and the Jesuit School of Theology (campus located in Berkeley, California).
The student to faculty ratio is 11:1 with 99.5% of all classes being fewer than 50 students.[30]
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U.S. News & World Report categorizes Santa Clara University as 'more selective'. For the Class of 2027 (enrolled Fall 2023), Santa Clara received 18,839 applications, accepting 42% of applicants.[42] As of 2025, SCU receives over 20,000 applications for its incoming class.[43]SCU's freshman retention rate is 95%, with 86% going on to graduate within six years.[30]
The enrolled first-year class of 2023 had the following standardized test scores: the middle 50% range (25th percentile-75th percentile) ofSAT scores was 630–700 for SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and 650–740 for SAT Math, while the middle 50% range of ACT scores was 28–32. The middle 50% high school grade point average (GPA) was 3.56–3.87 (unweighted 4-point scale).
For SCU's 2024–2025 school year, undergraduate tuition and fees were $62,760, room and board cost $19,446, a university enhancement fee cost $753, and total indirect costs (including books, transportation, and personal expenses) estimated at $5,691, totaling $88,650.[44]
SCU maintains its Catholic and Jesuit affiliation and supports numerous initiatives intended to further its religious mission. Students are encouraged, but not required, to attend the Sunday evening student Masses in the mission church and are also encouraged to participate in campus ministry programs and lectures. All bachelor's degrees require three religious studies courses as part of the academic core. An emphasis onsocial justice is furthered through thePedro Arrupe Partnership andKolvenbach Solidarity programs, which offer service opportunities in the community and immersion opportunities throughout the world.[45]
| Academic rankings | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Forbes[46] | 61 |
| U.S. News & World Report[47] | 59 |
| Washington Monthly[48] | 132 |
| WSJ/College Pulse[49] | 38 |
In 2024, theWall Street Journal/College Pulse ranked SCU 38th on the list of "2025 Best Colleges in the US."[50]
InU.S. News & World Report's 2026 ranking of national universities, Santa Clara University tied for 59th overall and tied for 17th for best undergraduate teaching.[51] US News also listed SCU as one of its 22 "Colleges with the Best Return on Investment."
Forbes ranked Santa Clara University 61st out of the top 500 rated private and public colleges and universities in America for the 2024–25 report. Santa Clara was also ranked 43rd among private colleges and 15th in the West.[52] In 2008, the first year of the list, Santa Clara was ranked No. 318 out of 569.
In 2025, Santa Clara was ranked 7th in "Best Universities For a Bachelor's Degree" byPayScale, up from 9th in 2023. Santa Clara was ranked 2nd for Engineering majors, 3rd for Communications majors, and 6th for Business majors. It also ranked highly for Humanities, Social Science, Computer Science, and Art majors.[53]
Kiplinger's Personal Finance ranked SCU 39th on the 2019 Best Values in Private Universities list, 123rd overall, and fifth in California.[54]
On College Factual's list of Best Catholic Colleges, SCU ranked 5th. On its list of Best Colleges nationwide, SCU ranked 50th.[55]
In 2017, Money Magazine ranked the Leavey School of Business tenth in the nation.
Graduate programs withinLeavey School of Business,School of Engineering,School of Law rank nationally onU.S. News & World Report. As of 2025, SCU's Part-time MBA Program ranked 19th, Business Analytics MBA Program ranked 5th, and the Finance MBA Program ranked 6th. SCU's Intellectual Property Law program ranked 4th.[56]
Santa Clara University was named to the 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for community service programs and student involvement.[57]
Newsweek in 2012 ranked Santa Clara University as the second most beautiful college in America.[58]
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Three Centers of Distinction:
Santa Clara offers its students the opportunity to engage in over 125 registered student organizations (or clubs).[67] RSO's are partially funded by the university via the student government, ASG. These Organizations span from Athletic/Recreational, Careers/Pre-professional, Community Service, Ethnic/Cultural, Business Fraternities, Health/Counseling, Media/Publications, Music/Dance/Creative Arts, Political/Social Awareness to Religious/Philosophical.
RSO groups include:
SCU also has nine Chartered Student Organizations (CSO's), including:
Finally, SCU has several organizations that are not linked to the RSO or CSO structure, including:
The Center for Sustainability hosts the Sustainability Liaison Network. The Network consists of over 150 Sustainability Liaisons that act as peer educators for sustainability and experts on how sustainability interplays with their respective groups. The Network is a resource and collaborative space for people who are interested in working/living more sustainably in their life on and off campus.[73]
At the start of the 2015 academic year, Santa Clara University announced the creation of the Campus Sustainability Investment Fund (CSIF) as a revolving green fund to support sustainability projects on the SCU campus. Similar green funds at other college campuses have netted projects like installing motion-sense lights in classrooms or information campaigns to encourage the use of re-usable water bottles.
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The Associated Student Government of Santa Clara University (ASGSCU) is Santa Clara University's student government, an elected representative body for undergraduate students. The Associated Student Government is made up of the executive board, the Senate, Community Development, and the Judicial Branch.
The Santa ClaraUS ArmyROTC Battalion was established in 1861 due to the outbreak of theAmerican Civil War. The unit was known as the Senior Company of Cadets. On September 10, 1863,Leland Stanford, thenGovernor of California, presented the Corps of Cadets with forty Springfield rifles, Model 1839. Today, the rifles are preserved in the University Museum. In return for his generosity, an armory was built in his honor in 1936. The armory was located southwest of the athletic field with the pistol range located below the stage of the auditorium.[74]
Paul Locatelli, (former) president of Santa Clara, was a cadet at the university prior to his military service and his entrance into the Jesuit Order. Two Jesuits from Santa Clara, McKinnon and McQuaide, volunteered as chaplains in theSpanish–American War. Both were part ofTheodore Roosevelt's American Expeditionary Force that attackedSan Juan Hill on July 1, 1898.[75]
On February 2, 2010, the Santa Clara University ROTC "Bronco Battalion" won the MacArthur Award granted by the U.S. Army's Cadet Command and the General Douglas MacArthur Foundation. In 2011 the Santa Clara ROTC once again won the MacArthur Award. The award, named after late GeneralDouglas MacArthur, is granted to the year's most excellent Reserve Officers' Training Corps program among 33 battalions in the West Coast eighth Brigade. The award takes into consideration factors such as the battalion's physical fitness, navigation skills, leadership, and success in commissioning officers after ROTC.[76]
Santa Clara participates in NCAA's Division I and is a member of the West Coast Conference. It also participates in the West Water Polo Association for both men's and women's waterpolo. Santa Clara has 19 varsity sports (10 female, 9 male) and 18 club sports. The school colors are Santa Clara red and white (the school's football team uniforms featured gold trim) and the team mascot is the "Bronco," in past illustrations depicted as a "bucking bronco." The school is renowned for its successful men's and women's soccer programs in addition to historically successfulmen's basketball teams. Santa Claraathletes have participated in 12 different Olympic Games.
On February 2, 1993, Santa Clara presidentPaul Locatelli, S.J. announced the discontinuation of football at the university.[77] For many years, Santa Clara participated in NCAA Division II in football, including reaching the NCAA Division II Championship semi-finals in 1980, because of an NCAA bylaw that allowed Division I schools to participate in lower divisions in football; however, the rule was changed in the mid-1990s, and the program was forced to move into Division I-AA (now FCS). Other teams were Division I, including the men's and women's soccer teams, both of which are past NCAA Division I National Champions. The basketball teams have made regular appearances in NCAA Division I playoffs.
Sports include boxing, cycling, equestrian, paintball, men's lacrosse, women's lacrosse, men'srugby, women'srugby, men's Ultimate, women's Ultimate, men's volleyball, women's volleyball, men's ice hockey, sailing, Shotokan karate, swimming, triathlon, and women's field hockey.
Santa Clara'sfaculty and alumni include U.S. Senators and House representatives, a Pulitzer Prize winner, billionaires and U.S. governors, adirector of the CIA, aU.S. secretary of defense, aU.S. secretary of agriculture, aWhite House press secretary and aUnited States secretary of homeland security. Santa Clara hasFulbright Scholars as well as 4Rhodes Scholars.[80]
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