When SLUH adopted its Minority Action Plan nearly 30 years ago, approximately 2.7% of students identified themselves as African American, with even fewer identifying as Hispanic, Asian, or other. Today, African Americans represent 7% of  the SLUH student body, Asian Americans 4%, and Hispanics 3%. Total minority enrollment for the 2020-21 school year is 16%. The recently admitted Class of 2024 represents 13% minority enrollment.

Young Men from All Walks of Life

The tradition of SLUH has been — and its vision remains — that Jesuit education be available to talented students from all financial backgrounds. Our students come from 86 different zip codes and 168 middle schools on both sides of the Mississippi river. Their parents range from corporate executives and university professors, to plumbers and bus drivers. While these young men live miles apart, in two-story homes and single-room apartments, they share one common theme: They have great intellectual ability.

A strong financial aid program supports the socioeconomic diversity of our student body. Since 2008, the amount of direct aid has tripled, and the number of students benefiting from that aid has doubled. Today, SLUH offers a total of $4.1 million dollars in aid to 42% of its students. The average amount of aid is roughly half of tuition.

In support of its commitment to serving minority populations, SLUH devotes 25% of its overall financial aid to African Americans, who represent 7% of the student body. About 95% of African American students receive aid, with the average award representing nearly 82% of the cost of tuition.