The regular full-time faculty have received professional training at many of the nation's finest universities, and approximately 96 percent hold the Ph.D. or other terminal academic degrees in their fields. St. Mary's professors are unusually active in research and writing. Since 1982, St. Mary's faculty have received 17 Fulbright awards to teach or study abroad. Their major activity and central concern, though, is teaching. Professors serve as academic advisers, work with students in clubs and other extracurricular programs, and involve students in research projects.
Excellence extends to the student body.
In recent years, the College's incoming freshmen have had the highest average SAT I Reasoning Test scores in Maryland's public higher education system. St. Mary's students have distinguished themselves in every academic field and creative pursuit. Taking advantage of the College's liberal arts curriculum and drawing on the help of a supportive faculty, these students have achieved success in graduate schools as well as in the working world. When the State of Maryland surveys the graduates of its public colleges and universities, St. Mary's alumni consistently report higher levels of satisfaction with their education than the alumni of other institutions. The College is small, coed, and residential.