At St. Jerome’s University, we steward each student’s unique talents, nurture their ability to think critically and inspire them to become lifelong learners who seek knowledge and truth, act with compassion and advocate for human dignity for all. St. Jerome’s offers courses in Honours Arts and Honours Arts and Business, and students graduate with a University of Waterloo degree.
- As a Catholic institution, we welcome students of all faiths or no faith, all backgrounds and lived experiences.
- Our faculty and staff are committed to Integral Human Formation—the education of the whole person—mind, body, spirit and to fostering outstanding student experiences inside and outside of the classroom.
- All Honours Arts and Honours Arts and Business (28 majors) are eligible for co-op
- You can take classes at St. Jerome’s or the University of Waterloo and over half of St. Jerome’s first- and second-year courses have fewer than 30 students per class
- Our dedicated Student Advisors can assist you with goal setting, academic program requirements, course enrolment and connecting you to campus resources and supports.
- Our dedicated Wellness Coordinator provides a stepped-care approach to wellness which involves both preventative and proactive support – including the individual's physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects.
- Exclusive entrance scholarships and bursaries
- Our central residence location on the Waterloo Campus is steps away from Campus Wellness and the Student Life Centre. Students from all six faculties live in our residences. As a co-registered student in the Faculty of Arts, you will be given priority when applying to live at St. Jerome’s. Our residence fees include your all-you-can-eat meal plan.
Events
The Reading Series Presents...Kate Gies
Kate Geis is a writer and educator living in Toronto, where she teaches creative nonfiction, expressive arts, and other trauma-informed courses at George Brown Polytechnic. Her writing has appeared in The Globe and Mail, The Walrus, The Malahat Review, The Humber Literary Review, Hobart, and the Best Canadian Essays 2026 Anthology. In 2025, she was named a CBC Writer to Watch. Her memoir, It Must Be Beautiful to Be Finished, about her childhood medical experiences related to a missing ear, was listed as a best book of 2025 by CBC Books and the Winnipeg Free Press, and is nominated for the 2026 OLA Evergreen Award.
Dr. Christian Smith | Religious Decline and Cultural Re-Enchantment: The Ongoing Transformation of the American Religious Field
Religious Decline and Cultural Re-Enchantment: The Ongoing Transformation of the American Religious Field
Christian Smith, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Sociology Emeritus, University of Notre Dame
The Reading Series Presents...Nicholas Herring
Nicholas Herring's head-spinning debut novel, Some Hellish, won the prestigious Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. Critics described it as "heart-wrenchingly beautiful," "irreverent, screwball, and inspired," and "a winding, raucous ride." His writing has also appeared in The Puritan, and The Fiddlehead.
Herring graduated from St. Jerome's University with an honours degree in English Literature and attended the University of Toronto, where he completed an MA in Creative Writing. He lives in Murray Harbour, Prince Edward Island, where he works as a fisherman and a carpenter. Herring's second novel Your Breath in Charcoal has recently been shortlisted for the Giller Prize.
The Journey Presses On: Pope Francis’s Apology to Residential School Survivors in Canada
Diverse and discerning reflections on Pope Francis’s 2022 apology to Indian residential school survivors.
Indigenous Spiritualities in Canada: Opening and Closing Relations
John Borrows (in a video presentation), along with Paul Bramadat and David Seljak (both in person) will discuss their new co-edited book, Opening and Closing Relations: Indigenous Spirituality in Canada (University of Toronto Press, 2027).
Dr. Adrian Ciani | Contesting Zion: the Vatican, American Catholics, and the partition of Palestine
Examining the relationship between the Vatican and the international Zionist movement from the Balfour Declaration of 1917 through the first decade of Israeli statehood, set against the background of centuries of Catholic hostility toward Judaism and papal claims upon the Holy Land.
Fr. Paolo Benanti | The Ethical Challenges of Artificial Intelligence
Fr. Paolo Benanti will speak on the topic "The Ethical Challenges of Artificial Intelligence"
News
Nicholas Herring Shortlisted for 2026 Giller Prize
Nicholas Herring, an Honours English Literature graduate (BA ’09) from St. Jerome’s University, was shortlisted as a finalist for the 2026 Giller Prize for his second novel, Your Breath in Charcoal.
St. Jerome's University joins global network of Jesuit institutions
On the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, St. Jerome's University is formally recognizing its relationship with the Jesuits of Canada.
Professor Steven Bednarski Elected as Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London
Professor Steven Bednarski was elected as Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in recognition of his significant contributions to the understanding of the past.
The Pope Francis Institute
To honour Pope Francis on the first anniversary of his death, St. Jerome’s University is announcing the creation of a new hub for learning, dialogue and leadership formation. The Pope Francis Institute will be the world’s first initiative of its kind dedicated to advancing the legacy of the late pontiff.
Centred on the St. Jerome’s campus, yet with a global reach, the Institute will be guided by the core themes of Francis’ pontificate. These include amplifying voices on the peripheries, advocating for migrants and refugees, caring for our common home, and healing the social fragmentation of our digital age.
St. Jerome’s celebrates another Distinguished Teacher Award
St. Jerome's University proudly announces that one of our exemplary faculty members, Professor Chad Wriglesworth, department of English, has received a 2025 Distinguished Teacher Award.
Dr. Mark McGowan receives the Chancellor John R. and Kay Sweeney Award
St. Jerome's University is honoured to announce this year's recipient of the Chancellor John R. and Kay Sweeney Award for Catholic Leadership is Dr. Mark McGowan - a Professor of History and Celtic Studies and Principal Emeritus at St. Michael's College in the University of Toronto. A renowned historian, researcher, and university administrator, his dedication to Catholic higher education, both as a professor and in his research, has culminated around the study of the Catholic Church in Canada and the Irish Famine.
2024 Betty G. Headley senior essay award winners announced
The Betty G. Headley Senior Essay Award was established in memory of alum Sara Elizabeth Headley's (BA' 04) mother. This annual award honours upper-year undergraduate students' essays in the categories of Best Course Essay and Best Personal Essay.