Saint Mary's College of California

Saint Mary's College of California is a private Catholic liberal arts college located in Moraga, California, about 20 miles east of San Francisco. Founded in 1863 and administered by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, the college offers undergraduate and graduate programs across four schools: Liberal Arts, Science, Economics and Business Administration, and Education. Saint Mary's College of California competes in NCAA Division I athletics as the Gaels and is a member of the West Coast Conference. The college emphasizes a Lasallian educational tradition focused on intellectual inquiry, social justice, and community engagement. Students are often drawn to its liberal arts foundation, small class sizes, and residential campus environment in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Saint Mary's College of California was founded in 1863 in San Francisco by Archbishop Joseph Sadoc Alemany as a diocesan college for young men during the early years of California statehood. In 1868, administration of Saint Mary's College of California was transferred to the De La Salle Christian Brothers, establishing its enduring Lasallian Catholic identity. The college moved to Oakland in 1889 and later relocated to its present Moraga campus in 1928 after a fire damaged its Oakland facilities. Over the twentieth century, Saint Mary's College of California expanded its academic offerings, developed graduate programs, and strengthened its liberal arts curriculum. It introduced professional schools in business and education and adapted its governance structure in the early twenty-first century to allow lay leadership. Today, Saint Mary's College of California continues to operate in Moraga as a Catholic liberal arts institution serving undergraduate and graduate students.