1872 – 2007
Maryville University was founded as an academy for young women in 1872, by the Religious of the Sacred Heart. Now, as a private, four-year university offering 90 + degree programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels, Maryville still stands firmly on our heritage: we provide education focused on the whole person, and offer rigorous academics and professional programs grounded in the liberal arts.
In 1961, a visionary decision made by the Religious of the Sacred Heart relocated campus from south St. Louis to a large parcel of land located 22 miles west—in rapidly-expanding St. Louis County. Even more big changes would come. Male students first arrived on campus in 1969, and in 1972, the same year Maryville University celebrated its Centennial, the first lay Board of Trustees was appointed. In 1991, Maryville College officially became Maryville University.