Located in beautiful southwest Florida, Ave Maria University was the first new Catholic university established in over 40 years in the United States when it opened in 2003.

As a student at Ave Maria, you will have independence within a network of support. Ave Maria students are taught by professors who love teaching. As the average class size is only 20 students, you will have the opportunity to talk with your professors not only in classrooms and offices but over lunch, coffee or visits to their homes.

The University's acclaimed liberal arts program provides instruction in theology, philosophy, literature, mathematics, natural science, history, politics and foreign languages. Students choose from 30 majors, including elementary education, nursing, biology, psychology and business.

The cost to attend Ave Maria is among the lowest of any private university in America; scholarships can reduce that figure significantly. The University is surrounded by a small town with a European feel that provides students with a safe community of living and learning. Ave Maria offers more than 50 student-led clubs, 16 intercollegiate athletic teams, campus ministry and service learning opportunities.

There's no better way to learn about life at AMU than to experience it first-hand. We invite you to come, tour our gorgeous campus and residence halls, sit in on a class, meet your admissions counselor, attend an athletic event and gather more information to make your decision easier.

About Ave Maria University

Ave Maria University is a Catholic, liberal arts institution of higher learning devoted to Mary the Mother of God, inspired by St. John Paul II and St. Teresa of Calcutta, and dedicated to the formation of joyful, intentional followers of Jesus Christ through Word and Sacrament, scholarship and service.

Mission Statement

Founded in fidelity to Christ and His Church in response to the call of Vatican II for greater lay witness in contemporary society, Ave Maria University exists to further teaching, research, and learning at the undergraduate and graduate levels in the abiding tradition of Catholic thought in both national and international settings. The University takes as its mission the sponsorship of a liberal arts education curriculum dedicated, as articulated in the apostolic constitution Ex Corde Ecclesiae, to the advancement of human culture, the promotion of dialogue between faith and reason, the formation of men and women in the intellectual and moral virtues of the Catholic faith, and to the development of professional and pre-professional programs in response to local and societal needs. As an institution committed to Catholic principles, the University recognizes the importance of creating and maintaining an environment in which faith informs the life of the community and takes expression in all its programs. The University recognizes the central and indispensable role of the Ordinary of the Diocese of Venice in promoting and assisting in the preservation and strengthening of the University-s Catholic identity.