University of St. Thomas (MN) (StT)

The largest private university in Minnesota, St. Thomas is big enough to offer 150+ undergraduate majors and minors, yet small enough for professors to know every student's first name. In fact, 100% of classes are taught by faculty (not teaching assistants). As a Catholic university, we develop future leaders of all faiths looking to make a positive impact on the world. St. Thomas emphasizes practical skills and hands-on experience that prepare students for today's workplace, while also preparing them for long-term success by building timeless qualities including leadership, creativity and ethical decision-making. Students have opportunities to conduct research alongside faculty in fields ranging from engineering and environmental science to English.

The university's partnerships (with Fortune 500 companies and its 110,000+ alumni) connect students to internships — 65 percent of undergraduates complete at least one internship. Ninety-three percent of students are employed or enrolled in graduate school within eight months of graduation.

St. Thomas is home to the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship, named for its benefactor and founder of Best Buy, Richard M. Schulze. This nationally ranked (and #1 in Minnesota) entrepreneurship program helps students harness entrepreneurial thinking to create innovative business ideas that impact people's lives. At the Schulze School, students ignite their entrepreneurial passion through experiential learning activities inside and outside the classroom—including the Freshman Innovation Immersion experience, nationally renowned competitions and startup accelerators to help grow their business ideas. St. Thomas also offers the four-year, full-tuition Schulze Innovation Scholarship to nurture students into innovative, entrepreneurial leaders—and to help launch their careers.

Campus life means getting involved. St. Thomas fields 22 varsity teams and has won 15 NCAA national championships in eight sports. Students widely participate in academic and recreational clubs and can live in learning communities with students who share their affinities.

People at University of St. Thomas are first and foremost "friendly and nice" and "very respectful of each other." Here, your peers want you to succeed and are "eager to help each other out." In fact, some even say their student body is one of their "biggest motiving factors." For many, the student body "energy is very supportive and comforting."Despite a lack of diversity on campus, students are focused on "always making connections." Most feel "there are lots of opportunities...for supporting underrepresented identities and magnifying those voices." Many students are "passionate advocates for inclusivity and representation," and in recent years, "creating a culture of love and kindness toward one another has been effective at changing the culture on campus and helping everyone feel more included." Even with the current advancements, some students would like to see further improvement in "diversity and outreach to underrepresented populations," but still acknowledge that it "is getting better."

The greatest strengths of St. Thomas would be [its] dedication to making students feel at home through an "impactful focus on building community" among undergrads. As one transfer student puts it, "As soon as I moved in I felt like I found my home." In their free time, St. Thomas enrollees-affectionately known as "Tommies"-can be found working out at the gym, exploring "neighborhood bars and restaurants" and "[taking] advantage of our numerous coffee shops on campus and off." The school "offers free transportation to locations all around the Twin Cities," making it easy to get off campus even without access to a car. In the warmer months, people leverage the "many open grassy areas that allow students to hang out, hammock, play causal games, and even study," and they're "able to rent out yard games and other activity supplies either at a low cost or for free." If organized fun is more your style, "There are a lot of school-sponsored events" featuring "free goodies around campus (such as crafts, T-shirts, [and] food)." Truly, "You'd have to be actively trying to be bored" at St. Thomas.