Saint Mary's College

Saint Mary's College is a less selective private nonprofit college in Notre Dame, Indiana. It admits most applicants, graduates 69% of its students within six years, and its former students earn a median $59,354 ten years after starting college, more than 79% of the Indiana colleges we cover.

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Yearly household income. Saved on this device only. No account needed.

Acceptance rate
76%

More selective than 60% of Indiana colleges we cover.

College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class

What your family pays
$25,292 /yr

Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.

Sticker price $66,478. College Scorecard.

Graduation rate
69%

Higher than 79% of Indiana colleges we cover and 78% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.

Within 6 years · College Scorecard

Earnings after college
$59,354

Higher than 79% of Indiana colleges we cover and 68% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.

Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard

Saint Mary's College acceptance rate & admissions

Of 2,377 applicants, Saint Mary's College admitted 1,928 and 419 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1130–1325 on the SAT or 26–30 on the ACT.

2,377
Applied
1,928
Admitted
419
Enrolled

IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class

SAT total, middle 50% of first-years1130–1325
ACT composite, middle 50% of first-years26–30
First-years who sent SAT scores32%
First-year students who return88%
Pell Grant recipients24%
First-generation students20%
Women / men100% / 0%

Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS

Saint Mary's College tuition, cost & net price

What families actually pay per year, by income

Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.

College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)

Sticker price (before aid)

Tuition & fees$53,230
Housing & meals, on campus$13,850
Books & supplies$250
Total cost of attendance$66,478

IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard

Median debt at graduation$23,199
Loan default rate1.2%3-year rate, 2017 repayment cohort

College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal

Full cost breakdown, in-state vs out-of-state →

What Saint Mary's College costs to finish, and how fast it pays back

Graduates of Saint Mary's College took 4.1 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Indiana. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.

Family incomeNet price / yrCost to finishYears to pay back
$0–30k$16,760$68,5482.9 years
$30–48k$18,152$74,2423.1 years
$48–75k$21,014$85,9473.6 years
$75–110k$23,680$96,8514.1 years
$110k+$30,443$124,5125.2 years

Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.1 years, the average time graduates took (71% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($59,354) minus $35,534 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IN (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $23,820 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method

College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.

Best-value colleges in Indiana for your income →

Saint Mary's College majors, earnings & careers

Saint Mary's College offers 36 bachelor's majors across 8 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.

  • Humanities & Languages · 11
  • Science & Math · 8
  • Business & Finance · 5
  • Social Sciences & Public Service · 4
  • Arts & Design · 3
  • Education · 2
  • Health & Medicine · 2
  • Communications & Media · 1

Highest-earning majors at Saint Mary's College

MajorEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debt
Accounting$98,107$27,000
Nursing$80,396$27,000
Political Science$74,623—
Business Administration$73,449$27,000
Biology$68,409$27,000
Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders$66,587$26,500
Communications$66,335$27,000
Psychology$58,218$27,000
Quick list of all 36 majors
  • Accounting$98,107
  • Applied Mathematics—
  • Biology$68,409
  • Business Administration$73,449
  • Chemistry—
  • Communications$66,335
  • Economics—
  • Education (Elementary / Secondary)$51,665
  • Education (Subject Teaching)—
  • English—
  • English Language and Literature / Letters, Other—
  • Environmental Science / Conservation—
  • Ethnic / Gender Studies—
  • History—
  • International / Global Studies—
  • Liberal Arts / General Studies—
  • Management Information Systems—
  • Marketing—
  • Mathematics—
  • Mathematics and Statistics, Other—
  • Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
  • Music—
  • Neuroscience—
  • Nursing$80,396
  • Philosophy—
  • Physics—
  • Political Science$74,623
  • Psychology$58,218
  • Religious Studies—
  • Social Work$49,555
  • Sociology—
  • Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
  • Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders$66,587
  • Studio Art—
  • Theatre—
  • Writing—

— means too few graduates to report earnings.

College Scorecard field of study, latest release

All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →

Nursing → Registered nurse

$93,540
South Bend
$83,500
Indiana
$97,550
U.S.

Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35

Business Administration → Management analyst

$93,620
South Bend
$95,560
Indiana
$101,860
U.S.

Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35

Living in South Bend

Cost of living
7% below the U.S. average

Overall prices in the South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI area.

BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024

Off-campus rent, 1 bedroom
$1,093/mo

2 bedrooms $1,276. Housing costs 25% below the U.S. average.

HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027

Weather
32° / 83°

January and July average highs. 41 inches of rain a year, 65 inches of snow.

NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020

Natural hazard risk
Relatively Moderate

Highest: tornado (relatively high).

FEMA National Risk Index, St. Joseph County

Campus & students

Total enrollment (incl. graduate)1,518
First-year students from Indiana34%
Next most common home statesIllinois, Michigan, Ohio
Undergraduate degrees awarded, 2023-24100% bachelor's
Campus typeHighly residential
Student bodyWhite 74% · Hispanic 16% · Two or more 3% · Black 2%International 1%

IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute

St. Joseph County at a glance

Population273,040
Median household income$66,868
Adults with a bachelor's degree34%
Median age37

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024

Compare Saint Mary's College with similar schools

Similar private colleges in Indiana by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.

SchoolAcceptanceYou'd payGraduationEarnings, 10 yrsPrice gap
Saint Mary's College76%$25,29269%$59,354This school
University of Evansville78%$18,49964%$53,770
Grace College and Theological Seminary82%$19,93269%$45,411
Huntington University76%$19,31064%$46,672
Earlham College73%$24,71469%$50,797

College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.

Why the price is different

Saint Mary's College would cost you $6,793 more per year than University of Evansville, on average.

  • Higher sticker price at Saint Mary's College, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$9,058).
  • Saint Mary's College gives aided families $2,234 more in grants, on average.
Per year, Indiana residentSaint Mary's CollegeUEDifference
Tuition & fees$53,230$44,172+$9,058
Books & supplies$250$1,200−$950
Housing & meals$13,850$14,270−$420
Personal & travel$1,650$2,140−$490
Living-at-home adjustment−$2,502−$4,331+$1,829
Sticker price$66,478$57,451+$9,027
Average grants−$41,186−$38,952−$2,234
You pay$25,292$18,499+$6,793

“+” means Saint Mary's College costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.

Common questions about Saint Mary's College

What is the Saint Mary's College acceptance rate?

Saint Mary's College accepts 76% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 1,928 of 2,377 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1130–1325 on the SAT or 26–30 on the ACT.

How much does Saint Mary's College cost per year?

The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $66,478 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $25,292 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $16,760 and families earning $110k+ pay $30,443.

How much do Saint Mary's College graduates earn?

Former Saint Mary's College students earn a median $59,354 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.

What is the Saint Mary's College graduation rate?

69% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 88% return for their second year.

How long does a Saint Mary's College degree take to pay off?

For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Saint Mary's College costs about $85,947 after grants ($21,014 a year for 4.1 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $59,354 ten years after starting, $23,820 more than high school graduates in Indiana ($35,534), so the cost is repaid in 3.6 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).

Is Saint Mary's College the right fit for your family?

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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Saint Mary's College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/saint-marys-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).