The Nation's Oldest Catholic Women's College,
And a leader in distance education for both women and men.
Founded in 1840 by Saint Mother Theodore Guerin and the Sisters of Providence, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) is the oldest Catholic liberal arts college for women in the United States.
Today, SMWC thrives by offering a rich liberal arts education, scholarships and financial aid opportunities to make college affordable, individual attention, a value-centered education in a Catholic tradition, and a wide variety of student leadership activities. The College also takes pride in its long history of traditions and commitment to academic excellence. In fact, both Princeton Review and U.S.News & World Report consistently rank SMWC as one of the Best Baccalaureate Colleges in the Midwest.
Accreditation
The College is fully-accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and approved for teacher training by the Indiana Department of Education and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. Additionally, many individual programs of various departments are certified by their professional associations.
Learn more about our accreditation.
A peaceful campus
The campus is located on 67 acres of beautiful woodland, creating peaceful and serene college grounds, yet still being close enough to a major metropolitan area to be convenient. The College shares its campus with the Sisters of Providence, Providence Center, the White Violet Center for Eco-Justice, and the Woods Daycare.
Enrollment
SMWC boasts an enrollment of approximately 1,700 students in its campus-based undergraduate, distance-learning undergraduate, and graduate programs.
The traditional campus-based program is for women only, while the Woods External Degree, Woods Online, and graduate programs are open to both men and women.
"I thank you for your interest in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. I encourage you to spend some time on our website to learn about the exciting opportunities The Woods has to offer."
- David G. Behrs, Ph.D., President SMWC
