
Anna Maria College was founded in 1946 by the Sisters of Saint Anne as a Catholic college for women. It later became coeducational and developed into a college offering undergraduate and graduate programs in Paxton, Massachusetts.
The college's history helps explain its combination of liberal arts study, professional programs, and an emphasis on service. For prospective students, its founding affiliation is part of the institution's identity; it does not mean every student must be Catholic.
Anna Maria College offers undergraduate and graduate study across the liberal arts and several professional fields. Its program mix includes nursing and other health-related subjects, criminal justice and public safety, business, education, social work, psychology, and the arts.
Those fields can lead to quite different kinds of credentials and careers. A student considering nursing, teaching, or social work should check the current catalog for the precise degree, required fieldwork or clinical placements, and any professional licensure requirements. Admission to the college and admission to a particular professional program may involve separate standards.
With a reported student-to-faculty ratio of 12 to 1, Anna Maria is relatively small, but that ratio is not a class-size guarantee. Course availability, faculty contact, and the sequence needed to finish a major are more useful questions when comparing programs.
Anna Maria College is in Paxton, Massachusetts, near Worcester. Its campus setting is distinct from a downtown Worcester campus, so students should consider how they would reach jobs, clinical placements, internships, and off-campus activities.
Worcester provides access to regional employers, health care facilities, and transportation connections. Worcester Regional Airport is the nearby airport, although available flights and ground transportation should be checked before making travel plans. Students who expect to commute should account for their actual route and schedule rather than assuming that proximity to Worcester makes every placement easy to reach.
Anna Maria College's educational identity is rooted in its founding by the Sisters of Saint Anne and its Catholic tradition. Its stated approach connects academic and professional preparation with service, ethical responsibility, and attention to other people's needs.
That mission describes the college's priorities, not a measured outcome for every graduate. Applicants interested in how it shapes their experience can look at a proposed major's curriculum, service opportunities, and general education requirements. Students of different religious backgrounds may also want to examine how Catholic identity appears in campus programming and coursework.
Name of the institution
Anna Maria CollegeLevel of institution
Four or more yearsControl of institution
PrivateSetting type
Rural: FringeInstitutional Category
Degree - granting, primarily baccalaureate or aboveInstitution size category
1,000 - 4,999Religious affiliation
Catholic (Roman Catholic Church)School type
Comprehensive higher education institutionMain student body
CoeducationalCalendar system
SemestersFoundation year
1946
Bachelor's degree
Master's degree
Post-master's certificateData last updated on November 5, 2026
Data sources: IPEDS 2024-25, Peterson 2026, College Scorecard 10/2026, Clery 2024 (2023-24), OpenAlex 2026
Figures on this profile come from federal and third-party datasets in the editions listed above and are refreshed periodically, so they may differ from what the institution currently reports. Confirm costs, deadlines and requirements with the school before making decisions.