Saint Leo University

saint leo university accreditation

Degrees Offered at Saint Leo University

Saint Leo University appears in our ranking of the 50 Most Affordable Master’s in Theology Degree Programs Online.

With 144 degree programs to choose from, including online associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs, Saint Leo University offers a wide range of educational options to students all over the country. Degree programs are offered online, from the main campus and from over 40 education centers located throughout the U.S. Most students attend classes online, and several degree programs can be taken only online or from an education center. Some degree programs are available only on the main campus, including the Bachelor of Arts in Communication Management, Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Bachelor of Arts in English and many other B.A. programs in the liberal arts.

Distance education programs at Saint Leo do not require any campus attendance, but students who wish to visit the campus can take advantage of a wealth of learning resources. Faculty members are always available for consultations with students, and the library on the old main campus contains modern, high-end computers, scanners, printers and commercial software applications such as Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Office.

As Saint Leo is primarily a distance education university, most degree programs are available online, including bachelor’s programs in psychology, religion, sociology, computer science, information systems, cybersecurity and many other subjects in the social and natural sciences. The most popular online undergraduate degrees at Saint Leo are the Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering, Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity, Bachelor of Arts in Counseling and Psychology and Bachelor of Arts in Human Resource Management. The most popular graduate degrees available online at Saint Leo include the Master of Business Administration in Accounting, Master of Education in Education Leadership, Master of Science in Emergency and Disaster Management and Master of Science in Criminal Justice.

Since 2013, several online doctorates have been added to the curriculum, including the Doctor of Business Administration, Doctor of Criminal Justice Education and several other Doctor of Education degrees. The most popular degrees available only on campus include the Bachelor of Science in Biomedical and Health Sciences and the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science bridge to the master’s program. Counselors and faculty members are always available to help students choose the right program for their needs.

About Saint Leo University

Saint Leo University is a private Catholic liberal arts college and online university. It was created by Edmund Dunne in 1881 as part of a Roman Catholic colony in St. Leo, Florida. The colony was built on 100,000 acres of land, and the school was originally intended to be a college preparatory school for Catholic Americans and immigrants. The Mary Help of Christians Abbey acquired the colony from its original owner, and Leo Haid, the abbot of Maryhelp Abbey, became involved in developing the school in its early years. Leo Haid was given a 36-acre parcel of land to create a Benedictine school, St. Leo’s College, which would later become the main campus of Saint Leo University.

St. Leo’s College opened its doors in 1890 and began its operations with a class of 32 students. In 1893, the first graduating class of five students earned Master of Accounts degrees although St. Leo’s College was not accredited at the time and the degrees awarded were not post-secondary degrees. Between the years of 1890 and 1999, the school underwent 11 name changes, being designated as a U.S. military college on three separate occasions. In 1999, the name of the school became Saint Leo University, and it has remained the same ever since. It became officially accredited in 1967, and it awarded its first proper bachelor’s degrees that year. Of the first students to earn accredited bachelor’s degrees at Saint Leo, 51 were men and 13 were women.

The U.S. Military continued to request educational services from Saint Leo, and over the years, the school has opened more than 40 education centers around the country. In 1998, the Center for Online Learning became the primary distance education system for Saint Leo. Students from all 50 states are enrolled in distance education programs at Saint Leo. Since the early 1970s, Saint Leo has provided distance education services via correspondence to active-duty military members, which it continues to do today.

Saint Leo offers 144 degree programs from its physical and online campuses. In 2013, the school’s first doctoral program was created, and the Saint Leo University Polling Institute began performing nonpartisan surveys on political and cultural views of Americans. The faculty at Saint Leo consists of 219 full-time scholars and 1,157 competent adjunct scholars and researchers. The student body consists of 16,207 students across all campuses and education centers, including 2,088 students enrolled at the main Saint Leo University campus.

Saint Leo University Accreditation Details

Saint Leo is a regionally accredited university, which means that credits earned at Saint Leo can be transferred to other institutions without any problems. Institutional accreditation of Saint Leo is provided by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. The federal government has approved the SACSCC to accredit universities throughout the southern U.S. Several specialized programs at Saint Leo are independently accredited. The Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology has accredited the medical dosimetry programs. The International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education has accredited the business administration programs at the undergraduate and graduate level. The Council on Social Work Education Office of Social Work Accreditation has accredited the various social work programs available on campus and online.

Saint Leo University Application Requirements

The acceptance rate at Saint Leo is 70 percent, and typical SAT and ACT scores of admitted students are average for all universities in the U.S. The application deadline for fall enrollment is March 1 while the deadline for spring enrollment is November 1. All applications must be accompanied by official transcripts with information about cumulative GPA, class size and graduation ranking. Freshmen applicants without high school transcripts must submit proof of a GED. Once approved, students can enroll in any online or campus-based program.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Tuition costs at Saint Leo are about $21,440 per year for all students. When books and living expenses are included, the cost of education increases by about $16,000 per year. Students can apply for financial aid through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid website, which offers access to government-backed loans and grants to students with financial need. Saint Leo University offers financial aid opportunities to all students in the form of scholarships, loans, grants, and work-study programs.