

Mount Mary University is a private Catholic institution in Milwaukee with roots in women's education. The School Sisters of Notre Dame founded it in 1913 as St. Mary's College in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. It moved to Milwaukee in 1928, became Mount Mary College, and adopted the name Mount Mary University in 2013.
Those changes help explain its present identity: Mount Mary retains an undergraduate focus on women's education while offering graduate study as well. Its history is relevant to applicants because the institution's mission and undergraduate admissions policies reflect that longstanding focus.
Mount Mary offers undergraduate and graduate programs across the arts, sciences, business, education, and health and helping professions. Applicants should use the current academic catalog to identify the department, credential, and requirements for a particular program rather than assuming that all majors follow the same admissions or course sequence.
Examples of undergraduate fields include biology, business, education, fashion and other design disciplines, psychology, and social work. Graduate study includes professional fields such as counseling, dietetics, and occupational therapy. Some programs require supervised practice, clinical placements, portfolios, or a prescribed sequence of courses; those requirements can affect both admission and time to completion. Mount Mary reports an 11-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio, which describes institutional staffing rather than a guaranteed class size.
Mount Mary University is at 2900 North Menomonee River Parkway in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its campus has a distinct setting within a large metropolitan area, giving students access to Milwaukee employers and community organizations without placing them in the downtown core.
Commuters should check the time and cost of their actual route, including transit connections or parking arrangements, before choosing a schedule. Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport serves the region, but day-to-day transportation is likely to matter more than airport access for most students.
Mount Mary describes its mission in the tradition of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, emphasizing women's education, social justice, and the development of students as people as well as professionals. Its Catholic affiliation is an institutional identity, not a measure of any individual student's beliefs.
Prospective students can evaluate how that stated mission appears in the curriculum, service activities, and campus programming. A mission statement expresses the university's aims; it does not, by itself, establish what every student's experience will be.
Name of the institution
Mount Mary UniversityLevel of institution
Four or more yearsControl of institution
PrivateSetting type
City: LargeInstitutional Category
Degree - granting, primarily baccalaureate or aboveInstitution size category
1,000 - 4,999Religious affiliation
Catholic (Roman Catholic Church)School type
UniversityMain student body
Undergraduate: women only, graduate: coedCalendar system
SemestersFoundation year
1913Mount Mary University is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Accreditation confirms that the school meets quality standards and is required for students to receive federal financial aid.
Bachelor's degree
Postbaccalaureate certificate
Master's degree
Post-master's certificate
Doctor's degree - research/scholarship
Doctor's degree - professional practiceData last updated on November 2, 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.