Founded in 1885 by the Congregation of Holy Cross, the University provides a culturally diverse student body with an education that achieves a balance among the humanities, the sciences and the professions. St. Edward's is situated on 153 acres that include classroom and laboratory facilities, a theatre, recreation and fitness center, a library with 250,000 volumes, computer labs, residence halls and apartments. A new campus community center opened in 1999. St. Edward's is located just five minutes from downtown Austin, Texas' capital city. Students are helped to understand themselves, clarify their personal values, and recognize their responsibility to the world community.
Faculty encourage students to confront the critical issues of society and to seek justice and peace.
English placement testing is available upon arrival for students planning to study English at St. Edward's. No ESL instruction is available. ISEP participants will be housed in a double-occupancy room in a residence hall and receive a full meal plan in the dining hall. Oldest higher education institution in Texas. Southwestern, a small, Methodist-affiliated, liberal arts college, is Texas' oldest chartered university, dating back to 1840.