Santa Clara University

Santa Clara University, founded in 1851 by the Society of Jesus as Santa Clara
College, is California’s oldest operating institution of higher learning. It was established
on the site of the Mission Santa Clara de Asís, the eighth of the original 21
California missions.

The college originally operated as a preparatory school and did not offer courses
of collegiate rank until 1853. Enrollment increased following the Civil War, and by
1875 the size of the student body was 275. One-third of the students were enrolled
in the collegiate division; the remainder attended the college’s preparatory and high
school departments.

Santa Clara experienced slow and steady growth during its first 60 years, becoming
the University of Santa Clara in 1912, when the schools of engineering and law
were added. In 1925, the high school was separated from the University; it took the
name Bellarmine College Preparatory in 1928.

Founded in 1912, the School of Engineering initially granted bachelor’s degrees
only. In 1959, as the Santa Clara Valley transformed from an agricultural area into an
industrial center, the school began offering graduate degrees.

For 110 years, Santa Clara was an all-male school. Then, in the fall of 1961, women
were accepted as undergraduates and Santa Clara became the first coeducational
Catholic university in California. The decision resulted in an admissions explosion—
from 1,500 students to more than 5,000. The size of the faculty tripled, and the
University began the largest building program in school history, building eight
residence halls, a student union, and the athletic stadium.

In the early 1970s, the Board of Trustees voted to limit the size of the undergraduate
population, an action that was intended to preserve the character and ensure the
quality of the University for generations to come. In 1985, the University adopted
Santa Clara University as its official name.