Student Bridge

Saint Mary's College of California

This is the building where students and their families can meet with the Admissions Team, speak with Financial Aid, and meet with our Center for International Programs.

Assumption Hall is home to the Science Living Learning Community and the Honors Living Learning Community. Double and triple rooms with a limited number of single rooms. Located on the west side of campus near Galileo Hall and the Brousseau Hall. Houses the Science Tech Engineer and Math (STEM) Center on the second floor used for study space and tutoring.

Galileo Hall is home to our Physics, Astronomy, 3+2 Engineering, Mathematics, and Computer Science programs. Directly outside is our myridian plinth.

Statue of Saint John Baptist de La Salle

Saint John Baptist de la Salle, the patron saint of teachers, founded the Christian Brothers in 1680, giving up everything he had as a nobleman in order to dedicate his life to providing education for the poor and working class of France. The Christian Brothers today continue his work in over eighty countries worldwide, from the jungles of Papua New Guinea to the politically unsettled deserts of Palestine, all the way to Saint Mary’s College of California. There are 19 Christian Brothers living on campus and working as administrators, faculty, and staff, so stay alert as you walk around, because you never know when one of them might change your life.

Dante Hall houses academic classrooms on the first and second floors. Faculty offices are mainly concentrated on the third floor of the building. The first floor also houses the dean and associate deans of SOLA (School of Liberal Arts). The Justice, Community, and Leadership program and English Department offices are located on the second floor.

Saint Albert Library houses more than 200,000 volumes, 100,000 print and electronic periodicals, and over 50,000 research bases. We also have Link+ (a consortium of major collections nationwide), which allows our students access to more than 12 million additional items and volumes. For every major, there is a reference librarian to help you with research. The Graduate Commons can be found on the third floor. The first floor features various study rooms and a silent computer lab.

The Rec Center has plenty to offer to Saint Mary’s students and is a great place to exercise and hang out. It features amenities including a pool; rock-climbing wall; three indoor courts for basketball, soccer, and volleyball; a Hydrotherapy spa; a fitness center; and rooms for yoga, dance, lifting, and spin classes. On the weekends, Outdoor Adventures runs excursions to places like Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, and the American River. In addition the center provides more than 150 on-campus student jobs and is the central location of all club and intramural sports. Membership is included in tuition, so all students need to do is bring their ID card to swipe at the front desk.

De La Salle Hall in the middle, Augustine on the right, Aquinas on the left, Mitty beside Aquinas, and Justin behind Mitty; these are the other five of our first year residence halls. Every room comes with the basics: furniture, a personal landline, wifi, and cable. Each floor is staffed by a trained student Resident Advisor as well as a staff or faculty Resident Director. The RAs coordinate community activities, like movie screenings or indoor skydiving, and act as informal mentors. They know the ropes, and they’re great listeners! Brothers, faculty members, coaches, administrators are available as RDs to lend an ear or offer advice. Take a minute to go into the ground floor of De La Salle Hall and check out the student lounge and game room. Campus Activities Board and the Residence Hall Association usually have posters advertising their upcoming events.

Ferroggiaro is the student hang out. Ferroggiaro offers students a variety of things to do. Catch an award winning play at LeFevre Theater or show you Gael pride with one of the sweatshirts from our Barnes & Noble bookstore. Next to our bookstore is Delphine Intercultural Center (The IC), which commits itself to educating the campus about cultural competence, identity development, and social justice. IC programs and services are designed to explore the broad definition of culture and affirm the human worth of all individuals. You can participate by planning, producing, singing, dancing or acting in one of our five Cultural Nights. You can serve in a leadership role or join one of our many clubs. Ferroggiaro also holds the caffeine center on campus, Café Louis, our daytime café where students can get a coffee on their way to class, meet with a professor about homework, or grab a quick time to eat with a friend. On Wednesdays, Ferroggiaro hosts ‘Community Time,’ from 12:30-2:15 which often includes a free BBQ for everyone on campus, entertainment, and no classes scheduled. Saint Mary’s encourages community interaction and Wednesday BBQs offer just that. Imagine a line of students, staff, and faculty, shoulder to shoulder, down Ferroggiaro walkway, tables and chairs filling the quad, and picnic blankets lining our many lawns.

Meeting with Your Financial Aid Counselor

Our Financial Aid Counselors assist students and parents with answering questions, sharing general information about policies and guidelines, and are a resources when collecting required documents during the financial aid process. All counselors assist students in completing their financial aid packaging and assist with overall processes to fund all eligible financial aid to students in order to make a Saint Mary's Education affordable.

Ferroggiaro is the student hang out. Ferroggiaro offers students a variety of things to do. Catch an award winning play at LeFevre Theater or show you Gael pride with one of the sweatshirts from our Barnes & Noble bookstore. Next to our bookstore is Delphine Intercultural Center (The IC), which commits itself to educating the campus about cultural competence, identity development, and social justice. IC programs and services are designed to explore the broad definition of culture and affirm the human worth of all individuals. You can participate by planning, producing, singing, dancing or acting in one of our five Cultural Nights. You can serve in a leadership role or join one of our many clubs. Ferroggiaro also holds the caffeine center on campus, Café Louis, our daytime café where students can get a coffee on their way to class, meet with a professor about homework, or grab a quick time to eat with a friend. On Wednesdays, Ferroggiaro hosts ‘Community Time,’ from 12:30-2:15 which often includes a free BBQ for everyone on campus, entertainment, and no classes scheduled. Saint Mary’s encourages community interaction and Wednesday BBQs offer just that. Imagine a line of students, staff, and faculty, shoulder to shoulder, down Ferroggiaro walkway, tables and chairs filling the quad, and picnic blankets lining our many lawns.

Oliver Hall, our only dining hall on campus, is where the whole community comes together at mealtime. It may look a little Harry Potter-ish, only our tapestries don’t move. People come up to us all the time and ask, “How’s the food?” Well, quite frankly, it’s excellent. From Chef Clarence’s omelets at breakfast and the made to order Buffalo Chicken salads at lunch to the General Tsao’s stir fry at dinner, everything here is made fresh. Stop in for a meal and check out the wide range of options, including the vegetarian station which features food grown in the Legacy Garden right here on campus. Just be careful on the way in, because the bakery is right at the entrance.

Brousseau Hall is home to some unparalleled learning opportunities, like the Advanced Human Anatomy lab. Undergraduate students can get graduate-level experience by completing a full-body dissection. Thanks to lab technology, students’ learning experiences are enhanced by live telesurgeries, where they can ask questions of the doctors as they perform surgical procedures.

Chapel Lawn

Brousseau Hall is home to some unparalleled learning opportunities, like the Advanced Human Anatomy lab. Undergraduate students can get graduate-level experience by completing a full-body dissection. Thanks to lab technology, students’ learning experiences are enhanced by live telesurgeries, where they can ask questions of the doctors as they perform surgical procedures.

On game nights, you’ll know exactly where the pavilion is. Gael Force, our dedicated student spirit section, is loud enough to rattle our rivals. The opposition says Gael Force makes SMC a tough place to compete. We take that as a compliment. The 3,500-seat UCU Pavilion is home to Saint Mary’s men’s basketball and women’s basketball and volleyball teams. Between Gael Force, the spirit team, our mascot, and SMC Sports Band, we provide an unmatched electric atmosphere of support for our teams.

We welcome students and families year-round for a number of different visit opportunities including in-person and virtual options for information sessions, tours, interviews, and special events. We want you to be able to explore campus life as a Gael—get an authentic look at the ins and outs of the college experience. We want to get you connected with current students, alumni, various staff, and faculty members, this way you are able to acquire a glimpse of what our students indulge themselves in nearly year-round.

Services for Study Abroad Students Explore your options with the CIP! We can provide guidance with the following and more: Study Abroad Advising / Counseling Cross-Cultural Counseling Pre-Departure Workshops Visa/Passport Assistance Re-entry Orientation Study Abroad Fairs Cross-Cultural Social Activities

Do you need assistance in a specifc subject outisde of our tutoring hours? Our tutors have developed these self guided study guides for you. Is there a topic you'd like to see? Contact us!

Lasallian education empowers students to become whole persons—intellectually, socially, emotionally and spiritually. This preparation for a full and rewarding life is grounded in the belief that God is a living presence in all our lives and it is guided by the five core principles that influence everything we do.

The Mission and Ministry Center vision is... Grounded in and inspired by our Catholic, Lasallian and Liberal Arts Traditions, Rooted in and striving to fully realize Five Lasallian Core Principles: Faith in the Presence of God, Concern for the Poor and Social Justice, Inclusive Community, Quality Education, and Respect for All Persons; Committed to providing spaces and places where all can explore their faith and questions of human existence, as well as deepen their understanding of & relationship with God; and forming students as leaders in a complex world in great need of visible and radical witnesses of love and solidarity.

The curriculum is based on a tradition of liberal arts. Students read primary texts from the traditions that have shaped our thought. There are no textbooks. Students ask their own questions and work out their own thoughts in a supportive environment. Faculty mentors question, coach, challenge, and encourage students’ wonder. A cohort model of community fosters learning and friendships. Lasallian core principles are reflected in our curriculum and honored in our community.

We are here 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to help maintain a safe and secure environment for our community to work, to teach, and to learn. Feel free to call us any time you have a need for our assistance, or even if you are not certain where to get help.

A small group of students and a professor sit around a table and talk about books. They argue; they theorize; they question. They examine passages closely and connect them to other passages, other books, other experiences. They talk about ideas as living things. They talk about the present as an extension of the past. They see the future in texts that are centuries old. They delight in the process of inquiry, the pleasure of approaching a problem from every possible angle, the thrill of joining an ancient, essential conversation about what we can know and how we ought to live. The Collegiate Seminar is the heart of Saint Mary's core curriculum. It consists of a series of required courses that give every student a firm foundation in the liberal arts. The program comprises four courses that examine major works of Western civilization: works of literature and philosophy, history and political theory, art and science.

Travel Course Learning Objectives: 1) Become informed, open-minded, and responsible people who are attentive to diversity across the spectrum of differences, 2) Seek to understand how their actions affect both local and global communities, 3) Understand the complexity of global systems, 4) Address the world’s most pressing and enduring issues collaboratively and equitably.

Outdoor Study Spaces

Free Printing Across Campus

SMC Pool Party

Indoor Rockwall

Free Weight Section

Fitness Classes

Open Workout Areas

Ferroggiaro Hall

Saint Mary's College strongly believes in the value of the on-campus residential experience for first-year students. Numerous studies have shown students who live on-campus during their first year at college: 1) Earn better grades, have higher GPA's, and finish college sooner, 2) Develop stronger ties to the college and have a greater sense of belonging to the campus community, 3) Report having greater opportunities to interact with faculty and feel more connected to their educational experiences, 4) Build more meaningful and lasting relationships with their peers.

Mitty Hall houses two floors of first-year students and sits next to a sand volleyball court, basketball court, and BBQ pits. Because of its proximity to Justin Hall, these tight-knit communities often participate in hall socials and activities together. All rooms are doubles or triples. This hall is near Ferrogiaro Quad and shares a lounge and laundry rooms with Justin Hall.

Justin Hall houses two floors of first-year students and sits next to a sand volleyball court, basketball court, and BBQ pits. Because of its proximity to Mitty Hall, these tight-knit communities often participate in hall socials and activities together. All rooms are doubles or triples. This hall right across from the Lefevre Theater, with a lounge on the first floor and a front courtyard, that it shares with its residential partner, Mitty Hall.

Student Life

Community Time

At this event, students get information about joining clubs, organizations, sports teams, and much more! The purpose of the event is all about connecting the student with the community outlets we have on campus.

Interactive Classroom Environment

Ferroggiaro Hall

The Fall Dance Concert is typically choreographed by the seniors as part of their capstone final project. The College’s Dance faculty typically choreographs the Spring Dance Concert. Both concerts showcase a variety of different styles of dance, from modern to West African, and are performed by the Saint Mary’s College Dance Company.

The Jan Term Children’s Show is a beloved Saint Mary’s tradition. In just four weeks, Saint Mary’s students (both theatre students and others from across the College) spin magic around a classic fairytale or popular children’s storybook under the direction of a guest or faculty director. The results are always enchanting – delighting more than 2,000 preschool and elementary age children, and their teachers and parents, each year.

The SMC

Café Louis

The Intercultural Center strives to create a safe and supportive learning environment that values diversity and builds an inclusive community. Through our co-curricular programs and services, the IC promotes cultural competence and social justice.

Students spend the summer (typically after their sophomore or junior year) gaining first-hand experience with genuine scientific research. Each participant receives a stipend, housing on campus, and a very rewarding experience! Our Summer Research Program enables students to work for ten weeks in close collaboration with a faculty advisor of his/her choice, on a research project developed by the student.

The 1928 Pub

Campus Beauty Shot

The 1928 Pub

Athletics

Coalition for College Tour

📸 Photo Gallery