St. Louis , Missouri , United States
Total Students
National Ranking
It was founded in 1915 by the Sisters of Loretto as Loretto College, a Catholic women's college, one of the first west of the Mississippi River. One of the early founders was Mother Praxedes Carty. The college's name was changed to Webster College in 1924. The first male students were admitted in 1962. The sisters transferred ownership of the college to a lay Board of Directors in 1967; it was the first Catholic college in the United States to be totally under lay control. In 1983, Webster College's name was changed to Webster University.
Webster was involved in the early racial integration battles in St. Louis. During the early 1940s, many local priests, especially the Jesuits, challenged the segregationist policies at the city's Catholic colleges and parochial schools. The St. Louis chapter of the Midwest Clergy Conference on Negro Welfare arranged in 1943 for Webster College to admit a black female student, Mary Aloyse Foster, which would make it the city's first Catholic college to integrate. However, in 1943 Archbishop John J. Glennon blocked that student's enrollment by speaking privately with the Kentucky-based Superior General of the Sisters of Loretto.
The Pittsburgh Courier, an African-American newspaper with national circulation, discovered Glennon's actions and ran a front-page feature on the Webster incident in February 1944. The negative publicity toward Glennon's segregationist policies led Saint Louis University to begin admitting African American students in summer 1944. In the fall of 1945, Webster College responded to the pressure by admitting Irene Thomas, a Catholic African-American woman from St. Louis, as a music major.
The Webster Advantage
As part of our global, interdisciplinary vision, we’re committed to providing a personal educational experience to every student. We offer four-year degrees, accelerated master’s degrees, doctoral programs, certificates, and professional development series'—all with more than 160 program offerings and a variety of flexible study options.
Colleges & Schools
Our five colleges and schools house more than 1,200 experts in the field, teaching various programs curated specially to help you achieve your personal or professional goals.
Plus, our undergraduate and graduate programs are available in-person, online, or a hybrid of both. So, no matter what or where you decide to study, you’ll graduate prepared to tackle life’s obstacles.
Discover What It Means to Be A Gorlok
Our students come to us from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Our work and the work of our leadership team, including the Chancellor, President and Board of Trustees, is to ensure every Webster University student has a high-quality learning experience that prepares them for global citizenship and individual excellence.
THE Ranking::
501
QS Ranking::
N/A
Type of Accommodation::
On Campus
Annual Cost of living:
14000 USD / year
Average Annual UG Fee:
29640 USD
Average Annual PG Fee:
2250 USD
Application Fee:
N/A