Saint Louis University

Saint Louis University

Latin: Universitas Sancti Ludovici
Former names	Saint Louis Academy (1818) Saint Louis College
Motto	Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (Latin)
Motto in English	For the greater glory of God
Type	Private Nonprofit Research Coeducational
Established	November 16, 1818 (1818-11-16)
Religious affiliation	Roman Catholic (Jesuit)
Endowment	$1.02 billion
President	Fred Pestello
Academic staff	2,200
Administrative staff	6,000
Students	13,505
Undergraduates	8,687
Postgraduates	4,818
Location	St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. 38°38′11″N 90°14′02″W / 38.636497°N 90.233903°W / 38.636497; -90.233903Coordinates: 38°38′11″N 90°14′02″W / 38.636497°N 90.233903°W / 38.636497; -90.233903
Campus	Urban – 271 acres (109.7 ha)
Colors	Blue and White
Athletics	NCAA Division I – A-10
Nickname	Billikens
Affiliations	Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools
Website	www.slu.edu

Saint Louis University (SLU, /ˈsluː/) is a private Roman Catholic four-year research university with campuses in St. Louis, Missouri, United States and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818 by the Most Reverend Louis Guillaume Valentin Dubourg, It is the oldest university west of the Mississippi River and the second-oldest Jesuit university in the United States. It is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The university is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. SLU's athletic teams compete in NCAA's Division I and are a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. It has an enrollment of 13,505 students, including 8,687 undergraduate students and 4,818 graduate students, representing all 50 states and more than 70 foreign countries. Its average class size is 23.8 and the student-faculty ratio is 12:1.

For nearly 50 years the university has maintained a campus in Madrid, Spain. The Madrid campus was the first freestanding campus operated by an American university in Europe and the first American institution to be recognized by Spain's higher education authority as an official foreign university. The campus has 675 students, a faculty of 110, an average class size of 15 and a student-faculty ratio of 7:1.