,·Private (Catholic, Liberal Arts)·Est. 1840
“A small Catholic liberal arts college in the Indiana woods, sponsored by the Sisters of Providence and known for equestrian, theology, and education.”
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) is a small Catholic liberal arts college tucked into a 67-acre wooded campus on the western edge of Indiana, founded in 1840 by Saint Mother Theodore Guerin and the Sisters of Providence. It is the oldest Catholic college in Indiana and is widely cited as the first Catholic liberal arts college for women in the United States; the State of Indiana granted it the first charter for the higher education of women in 1846. For 175 years it educated only women, before the Board of Trustees voted unanimously on May 1, 2015 to admit men into the traditional campus undergraduate programs starting Fall 2015 — the college is now fully coeducational while still drawing on its Sisters of Providence heritage. Academically, SMWC is best known for a tightly focused set of distinctive programs rather than breadth: a four-year Bachelor of Science in Equine Studies (the only baccalaureate equine program in Indiana, with ~48 college-owned horses, a Western equestrian team, and study-abroad in Ireland), strong undergraduate Theology and Pastoral Theology programs that reflect the campus's Catholic identity, and well-regarded Education and Nursing tracks. The college organizes its undergraduate work across departments including Arts/Letters/Music, Business and Leadership, Education, Equine Studies, Nursing, Sciences and Mathematics, Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Woods Online (a large distance-learning arm). Life at The Woods is residential and small — about 1,200 students total — with a strong sense of place: students live among the historic buildings of the Sisters of Providence motherhouse, take part in long-running traditions like Ring Day and Foundation Day, and play NAIA athletics as the Pomeroys (named for Sister Mary Joseph Pomeroy). The setting is genuinely rural; Terre Haute is a short drive away for groceries and a regional airport, but the campus itself is quiet, forested, and centered on the Church of the Immaculate Conception.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
Regional Universities Midwest
US News Best Colleges 2026
Top Performers on Social Mobility (Regional Universities Midwest)
US News Best Colleges 2026
Test Optional — You can submit scores if they help your case, but they're not required.
Official SourceRolling Admission
SMWC uses rolling admissions; decisions are issued ~7-10 days after a complete file is received. No fixed Early/Regular deadlines.
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Tuition & Fees (All Students)
$35,270
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
Home to Indiana's only B.S. in Equine Studies. Students train with ~48 college-owned horses on campus, compete on the Western Equestrian Team, can specialize in therapeutic riding, training, or breeding management, and have a study-abroad partnership in Ireland.
Long-standing teacher-prep program offering Indiana licensure pathways from preschool through grade 12, including mild intervention and special education concentrations. Reflects SMWC's heritage as one of the first US institutions to offer degree work in secondary education.
Undergraduate theology rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition and the Sisters of Providence charism. Feeds into a graduate Master of Arts in Pastoral Theology used widely by lay ministers and educators.
BSN and paramedic-to-BSN tracks with clinical placements in the Wabash Valley. Small cohorts and a Catholic ethics emphasis differentiate the program from larger Indiana nursing schools.
Liberal arts core: English, music, art, and the only undergraduate Art Therapy preparation track in the region. Music and theatre activity center on the historic Conservatory and Cecilian Auditorium.
Large distance-learning arm offering 25+ fully online programs to working adults across the US. SMWC is regularly ranked by US News among the top online bachelor's programs.
4 years
Indiana's only baccalaureate equine program. 120-credit four-year hybrid plan with ~48 college-owned horses, Western equestrian team competition, optional Ireland study-abroad, and tracks in training, therapy, breeding management, and pre-veterinary science.
4 years
Theology grounded in the Catholic intellectual tradition and the 185-year heritage of the Sisters of Providence. Strong pipeline into the M.A. in Pastoral Theology and into lay-ministry, chaplaincy, and Catholic-school teaching careers.
4 years
Small-cohort BSN with clinical placements throughout the Wabash Valley and a paramedic-to-BSN bridge for working EMS professionals. Catholic-ethics framing differentiates from larger state-school nursing programs.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $35,270
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
