The University of St. Thomas (UST) is a small, private Catholic liberal arts university founded in 1947 by the Basilian Fathers in the Montrose neighborhood of Houston, Texas. As the only Catholic university in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, UST shapes its identity around the Basilian educational charisms of "goodness, discipline, knowledge, and community" — a formation-focused approach that treats teaching as mentorship rather than mass lecture. With roughly 3,400 undergraduates and a 33-acre campus anchored by Philip Johnson-designed buildings, UST feels closer to a small New England college than to a Texas state school, while sitting minutes from downtown Houston, the Texas Medical Center, and the Museum District. Academically, UST is best known for its strong pre-health pipeline (nursing, biology, and pre-med students benefit from clinical placements in the Texas Medical Center — the largest medical complex in the world), a rigorous Catholic philosophy and theology tradition, and practical professional programs in business, education, and international studies. The 15:1 student-faculty ratio and small class sizes mean international students quickly become known by name to their professors and advisors. Pre-professional tracks in law, dentistry, and pharmacy are supported by a dedicated pre-health office, and the Cameron School of Business offers AACSB-accredited undergraduate and graduate degrees that lean into Houston's global-energy and healthcare economies. For international students, UST's combination of a welcoming Catholic mission, affordable private-school tuition (with active merit scholarship for strong applicants), and a location inside one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the United States is a genuinely rare package. Nearly half of UST undergraduates identify as Hispanic/Latino, with large Asian and Black student communities as well, and Houston itself hosts consulates and cultural organizations for nearly every sending country. The university emphasizes personalized advising, interview-based test-optional admission, and a Catholic community life — while Houston supplies internships, career pipelines, and cosmopolitan weekends in equal measure.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
Test Optional — You can submit scores if they help your case, but they're not required.
Official SourceThe deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Domestic
—
/yr
Out-of-State / Intl
$34,634
/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.
UST's academic core, offering liberal arts foundations plus pre-health sciences, philosophy, theology, and international studies. Small seminars and close faculty contact define the experience.
AACSB-accredited undergraduate and graduate business school. Strong in finance, accounting, and marketing, with a Houston-focused career network in energy, healthcare, and real estate.
Dedicated nursing school offering a traditional BSN and graduate nursing credentials, with clinical partnerships across the Texas Medical Center.
Focused on Catholic-school and public-school teacher preparation in Texas, with bachelor's and graduate pathways leading to state licensure.
UST's graduate school of philosophy, one of very few PhD programs in the US devoted to Thomistic philosophy in the Catholic intellectual tradition.
4 years
A highly sought four-year BSN program with clinical rotations across the Texas Medical Center; among UST's most competitive and fastest-growing majors, with strong NCLEX pass rates.
4 years
A small, lab-intensive biology program that leverages UST's proximity to the world's largest medical complex for shadowing, research, and clinical volunteer placements supporting med school, dental, and PA applications.
4 years
One of the most rigorous undergraduate Catholic philosophy programs in the US, rooted in the Thomistic tradition and supported by a well-known graduate philosophy program; a strong feeder to law school and seminary.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $34,634
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.
