Saint Xavier University

What Saint Xavier University does

Saint Xavier University is a private Catholic university founded in 1846 by the Sisters of Mercy in Chicago, Illinois, and is the first Catholic college in Chicago. It operates as a not-for-profit institution sponsored by the Conference for Mercy Higher Education and the Sisters of Mercy, holding institutional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission along with programmatic accreditations from AACSB (business), CCNE (nursing), ASHA CAA (speech-language pathology), and NASM (music), and is recognized as a Hispanic Serving Institution.

The university offers 43 undergraduate majors and approximately 30 master's degree programs through three schools: the College of Liberal Arts and Education, the Graham School of Management (offering a one-year MBA), and the School of Nursing and Health Sciences (BSN, accelerated BSN, LPN-to-BSN, MSN with FNP and Nurse Educator tracks). Educational technology assets include an Anatomage Table (a $70,000 life-sized 3D anatomy visualization system purchased in 2018), a high-fidelity Medical Simulation Lab with mannequins and computer-based virtual patient scenarios, and the on-campus Ludden Speech and Language Clinic (established 1959) serving approximately 200 clients per academic year as a training ground for SLP graduate students. The institution also operates a Center for Accessibility Resources for ADA/Section 504 accommodations.

Saint Xavier's business model is tuition-driven: revenue streams include undergraduate and graduate tuition and fees (e.g., $1,025/credit hour for the 51-credit SLP program, totaling approximately $52,275), room and board for residential students, modest clinical services revenue from the Ludden Clinic, and grant funding including a $1.46 million NSF HSI award. The university pursues a direct-to-consumer go-to-market through campus visits, virtual appointments, online applications, and information sessions, and has expanded reach via NC-SARA-approved online programs and a teach-out agreement with Trinity Christian College (announced November 2025) to absorb closing TCC students with automatic admission and net-tuition cost matching. Customer segments include traditional undergraduates, transfer students, graduate students in nursing/SLP/education, teach-out transfers, and students with disabilities. The institution markets affordability ("Most Affordable Catholic University in Illinois"), Mercy heritage, and strong licensure/employment outcomes (100% Praxis and FNP pass rates).

Name

Saint Xavier University

Legal name

Saint Xavier University

Website

https://sxu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1846

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Saint Xavier University is a private Catholic university in Chicago offering 43 undergraduate majors and ~30 master's programs, with accredited strengths in nursing, speech-language pathology, business, and education serving traditional, transfer, and graduate students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Affiliated Private Research Universities (EDAHABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Arts, Humanities & Creative Research Universities (EDAHABAG)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Graduate degree programs
• Nursing education
• Speech-language pathology

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Undergraduate Tuition and Fees: Tuition revenue from undergraduate programs including traditional BSN, accelerated BSN, LPN to BSN, and various liberal arts and sciences majors.
2. Graduate Tuition and Fees: Tuition revenue from graduate programs including MSN (Family Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Educator), M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology, and various education graduate programs.
3. Clinical Services Revenue: Revenue from Ludden Speech and Language Clinic serving nearly 200 clients per academic year with speech-language pathology services.
4. Room and Board: Housing and dining services for residential students on campus.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Saint Xavier University is a private Catholic university in Chicago offering undergraduate programs in 43 major fields and nearly 30 master's degree options through three schools: the College of Liberal Arts and Education, the Graham School of Management (MBA), and the School of Nursing and Health Sciences (BSN, MSN, FNP, Nurse Educator). The university supplements classroom instruction with on-campus clinical training facilities including the Ludden Speech and Language Clinic and a Medical Simulation Lab featuring an Anatomage Table for anatomy education.

Product overview

Saint Xavier University is a Catholic Mercy institution offering undergraduate programs in 43 major fields and nearly 30 master's degree options through the College of Liberal Arts and Education, Graham School of Management, and School of Nursing and Health Sciences. The university's product portfolio centers on academic degree programs and clinical education facilities. Key offerings include accredited nursing programs (BSN, MSN, FNP, Nurse Educator), a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology with on-campus Ludden Speech and Language Clinic, MBA and business programs accredited by AACSB, and education programs approved by ISBE. Technology-enhanced learning is supported through an Anatomage Table for anatomy visualization and Medical Simulation Lab for clinical training. Student support services include the Center for Accessibility Resources providing accommodations for students with disabilities and a Net Price Calculator for financial planning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School of Nursing and Health Sciences Programs Comprehensive nursing education including Traditional BSN, Accelerated BSN, LPN to BSN, and graduate nursing programs (MSN, Family Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Educator). Accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Designed for aspiring registered nurses and nurse practitioners.
• Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology A 51-credit-hour graduate program (approximately 5 semesters) accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of ASHA. Includes 400 supervised clinical hours and prepares students for ASHA certification and Illinois licensure. Designed for graduate students pursuing speech-language pathology careers.
• Master of Business Administration (MBA) One-year graduate business program equipping students with knowledge and skills to advance careers and serve as business leaders. AACSB-accredited. Designed for early-career and mid-career professionals seeking graduate business credentials.
• College of Liberal Arts and Education Programs Undergraduate programs in 20+ majors (Applied Graphic Design, Communication, Criminology, Education, Music, Psychology, Political Science, Spanish, etc.) and graduate programs in Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle Level, Secondary, Special Education (LBS I), and Bilingual/ESL endorsement programs. Education programs approved by ISBE for licensure. Designed for prospective undergraduate and graduate students across liberal arts, sciences, and education.
• Ludden Speech and Language Clinic On-campus clinical facility established in 1959 providing speech and language services to children and adults in the community while serving as a training ground for graduate SLP students. Serves approximately 200 clients per academic year. Designed for community members requiring speech-language therapy and graduate students completing supervised clinical hours.
• Center for Accessibility Resources Department providing academic accommodations and accessibility services for students with documented disabilities under ADA and Section 504. Includes medical, psychiatric, learning, and ADD/ADHD accommodations. Designed for enrolled students with disabilities requiring equal access accommodations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% Praxis Exam pass rate among graduate speech-language pathology students who took the exam
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Trinity Christian CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 November 2025Teach-out agreement for Trinity Christian College students following announcement of TCC's closure at end of 2025-26 academic year. SXU provides automatic admission, accepts all transfer credits, identifies degree completion pathways, and matches students' net tuition and fee costs. Covers 30+ academic programs including education, nursing, business, and liberal arts.
• National Science Foundation - HSI ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018$1.46 million NSF award (NSF 1832511) supporting classroom research and work-readiness programs for STEM students as part of Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic Serving Institutions program.
• Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation programs approved by ISBE for professional educator licensure. Includes recent approval of PK-12 Physical Education program for Trinity Christian College teach-out students.
• Associated Colleges of the Chicago Area (ACCA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity holds membership in ACCA, a consortium of Chicago-area institutions supporting academic collaboration and resource sharing.
• Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity recognized as Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and holds membership in HACU, supporting Hispanic student success initiatives.
• Conference for Mercy Higher EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity sponsored by Conference for Mercy Higher Education and Sisters of Mercy, aligning with Mercy mission and values tradition.
• National Science Foundation - PUMA-STEM AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner1 of 8 Chicago area universities in NSF-funded Promotion of Underrepresented Minorities in Academic STEM (PUMA-STEM) alliance (NSF 19112171) focused on increasing underserved minorities in STEM programs.
• Local Healthcare SystemscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical partnership with local health care systems and school districts providing externship and clinical placement sites for speech-language pathology and nursing students.
• Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR)coreOthersSLP program curriculum meets requirements for professional licensure in Illinois through IDFPR.
• National League for NursingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNursing program holds membership and continuous accreditation by National League for Nursing.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Loyola University Chicago: Larger Jesuit Catholic university in Chicago offering comparable undergraduate and graduate programs including nursing, education, and business. Overlaps directly with SXU on Catholic, urban, mid-major research positioning in the same metro recruitment market.
• Lewis University: Mid-sized Catholic (De La Salle) university in Romeoville, IL with overlapping nursing, education, aviation, and business programs. Direct competitor for Catholic, transfer, and commuter students in the Chicago southwest suburbs.
• North Central College: Comprehensive private liberal arts college in Naperville, IL with overlapping undergraduate programs, similar enrollment scale, and active recruitment in Chicago's western suburbs — though nonsectarian.
• Concordia University Chicago: Lutheran (LCMS) university in River Forest, IL with comparable education, business, and graduate programs. Overlaps on faith-based, private, Chicago-metro recruitment and similar affordability messaging.
• Benedictine University: Catholic (Benedictine) university in Lisle, IL offering comparable undergraduate and graduate programs including nursing, education, and MBA. Similar mid-size, affordable-Catholic positioning and Chicago-area commuter/transfer recruitment.
• Aurora University: Private university in Aurora, IL with comparable size, BSN/MSN nursing programs, and education offerings. Competes head-to-head for transfer and first-generation students in the Chicago western-suburban market.
• Dominican University: Catholic (Sinsinawa) university in River Forest, IL with comparable liberal arts, education, and bilingual/bicultural programs. Especially close peer given shared HSI-adjacent diversity profile and similar tuition-affordability messaging.
• DePaul University: Largest Catholic university in the U.S. (Vincentian), headquartered in Chicago. Competes with SXU for the same Catholic, urban, transfer-friendly, and first-generation student pools across liberal arts, business, and education programs.
• University of St. Francis (Joliet): Mid-sized Franciscan Catholic university in the Chicago metro (Joliet) with comparable BSN/MSN nursing, education, and business programs; very similar size and tuition-affordability positioning, serving the same regional student base.

Emerging players

• Resurrection University: Small Catholic health-sciences-focused university in Chicago with BSN and other nursing/clinical programs. Most direct overlap with SXU's School of Nursing and Health Sciences rather than its liberal arts offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SaintXavier
• Facebookfacebook.com/25360497695
• Instagraminstagram.com/sxucougars
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/saint-xavier-university

Compliance11 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles29 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Saint Xavier University