St Mary’s is a welcoming academic community, where everyone is included and valued. Established in 1850 and with a deep heritage in education, St Mary’s has a strong reputation for teaching excellence and a student-centred approach. Our four core values of inclusiveness, generosity of spirit, respect and excellence guide our interactions within the University and with the broader world.

In the 2023 Teaching Excellence Framework, St Mary’s was rated the gold standard for student experience. The University achieved an overall rating of Silver, with student outcomes rated typically very high quality.

The University has also seen great success in other recent independent rankings. St Mary’s was ranked 45^th in the 2024 edition of the prestigious Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide, which also rated the University fifth for Teaching Quality and seventh for Student Experience. Since 2021 SMU has seen a rise of 41 places in the Good University Guide, 25 places in the Complete University Guide and 30 places in the Guardian University Guide.