St. Lawrence University
St. Lawrence University is a private liberal arts college in Canton, New York, United States. It has roughly 2,100 undergraduate and 100 graduate students.
Though St. Lawrence today is nonsectarian, it was founded in 1856 by leaders of the Universalist Church, who were seeking to establish a seminary west of New England and were enthusiastically courted by the citizens of Canton. The church almost did not place the school in Canton, however, as they felt students might be exposed to too much "excitement" within the village limits in 1856. The denomination, which has since merged with the Unitarian faith, was part of the liberal wing of Protestantism, championing such ideas as critical thinking and sex equality — attributes that surfaced in the new Theological School of St. Lawrence University, which was progressive in its teaching philosophy and coeducational from the beginning.
History
The university as it exists today was created as a "Preparatory Department" to provide a foundation for theological study. That department became today's liberal arts university, while the seminary closed in 1965 with the Unitarian/Universalist consolidation.Early in the 20th century, the university's graduate program in education came into being; it has since served hundreds of North Country school teachers and administrators. Following a difficult period during the Great Depression and World War II that included the decision to shut down the Brooklyn Law School, the student population increased quickly, and with it, the physical plant. A four-building campus serving around 300 students in the early 1940s, became a 30-building campus serving 2000 students within 25 years, partly through acquisition of the adjacent state school of agriculture campus when that facility relocated across town. The mid-1960s, also saw the birth of one of St. Lawrence's nationally known programs: its international programs. In 1974, two early campus buildings, Richardson Hall, and Herring-Cole Hall, were listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1984, structures built before 1930 were listed on the National Register of Historic Places as St. Lawrence University-Old Campus Historic District.
During World War II, St. Lawrence University was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program which offered students a path to a Navy commission.
In the 2000s, the university undertook several construction projects. The Newell Field House was completed in 2001. The campus student center was completed in the spring of 2004, and serves as the school's hub at the center of campus. The Johnson Hall of Science opened in the fall of 2007, and expanded learning and lab space in several science disciplines, notably biology, chemistry, biochemistry, neuroscience, and psychology. Johnson Hall received LEED Gold certification for its sustainable design; it was the first Gold science building in New York State. Additionally, the Noble Center underwent major renovations to double the space available for the arts. A new Center for Arts Technology opened in January 2007. In 2020, the university completed an extensive renovation of the Appleton Arena.
Undergraduate admissions
In 2024, St. Lawrence accepted 63.5% of undergraduate applicants, with admission standards considered very high, applicant competition considered average, and with those admitted having an average 3.6 high school GPA. The college does not require submission of standardized test scores, St. Lawrence being a test optional school. Those accepted that submitted test scores had an average 1330 SAT score or average 30 ACT score.For the class of 2022, St. Lawrence received 6,458 applications and accepted 2,975. The number enrolling was 643; the yield rate was 21.6%. In terms of class rank, 36% of enrolled freshmen were in the top 10% of their high school classes; 73% ranked in the top quarter. The average GPA for entering freshmen was 3.55, the average SAT score was 1260, and the average ACT score was 28.
The class of 2018 included 34.2% from New York State, 56.2% from 31 other states, and 9% international students representing 63 countries. Of the 643 matriculants in 2018, 52% were female, 48% were male.
Academics
Majors and programs
In total there are 40 majors available and 36 minors. St. Lawrence has 3+2 engineering programs run jointly with five other colleges, and a 4+1 MBA at Clarkson University. Students are also free to take classes at nearby Clarkson University, SUNY Potsdam, and SUNY Canton. Its most popular undergraduate majors, based on 2021 graduates, were:- Economics
- Psychology
- Political Science & Government
- Biology/Biological Sciences
- Social Sciences
- Speech Communication & Rhetoric
- English Language & Literature
International studies
Libraries
The Owen D. Young Library is a multilevel building. A six-million-dollar renovation of the library was recently completed. It includes more than 500,000 volumes, over 370,000 government documents, 1986 periodicals, 550,000 micro text units, recipient of 10,000 to 20,000 reports and documents annually and access to over 70 databases through Internet.In addition to ODY, which houses the college's major collections in the social sciences and humanities, the J. Harold and Ruth C. Launders Science Library opened in January 1994. Home of the major science and technology collections at St. Lawrence, the Launders Science Library occupied the upper two floors of Madill Hall, and tripled the space available for science resources and services. In early 2025, a fire in the lower floor of Fox Hall resulted in the closure of the Launders Library and the relocation of its materials to the ODY Library.
The library's collection of primary scholarly resources may be viewed and used in the Frank and Anne Piskor Special Collections Reading Room, located directly across the atrium from the main entrance of ODY. Each semester the teaching librarians offer instruction to classes from a variety of academic departments and programs, including fine arts, French, English, history, environmental studies, economics and the outdoor studies program. In addition, the special collections program includes a book arts collection and a laboratory press. Highlights of St. Lawrence's special collections include the William Rose Benet Collection of American Poetry, the Milburn Collection of Hawthorniana, the Edwin Arlington Robinson Collection, and the Frank P. Piskor Collection on Robert Frost. Other special collections include manuscripts devoted to Frederic Remington, the Adirondacks, the St. Lawrence Seaway and other aspects of northern New York history.
Student life
Arts and cultural offerings
The opportunities described below are augmented by frequent concerts, exhibits, performances and shows provided by outside performers.Music
The music department supports three vocal and two instrumental ensembles. Laurentian Singers, an undergraduate chorus that tours each spring, University Chorus and the Early Music Singers provide vocal opportunities for St. Lawrence students. Instrumentalists may choose between participation in the String Orchestra, Concert Band, Improv Lab, Early Music Ensemble and Special Productions. The Early Music Ensemble uses the Emily Romer Collection of medieval and Renaissance instruments to perform music of the 12th through 18th centuries. Each semester the department offers a Special Production, focusing on a particular repertory. Recent productions have included a Latin Dance Party, Music for Louis XIV and Traditional Irish Music. Private instruction is available in voice and on keyboard, guitar, brass, woodwinds and strings. Three informal student-directed collegiate a cappella groups, The Saints, The Sinners, and The Upbeats are active both on and off campus. Most students that participate in the Music Ensembles are not Music Majors, but rather have a strong interest in pursuing their musical capabilities.St. Lawrence University is also home to the Java Barn, an on-campus music venue run by a dedicated group of SLU students. The Java Barn hosts live bands every weekend; shows are open to all SLU students and admission is free.