In 1865, two years before Canada achieved nationhood, St. Jerome's College was founded by the Congregation of the Resurrection to meet the demand for higher education in Waterloo County.
Over the years, the College grew in size and occupied various locations in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. In 1959, through an Act of the Ontario Legislature, St. Jerome's College was granted independent university status. The name was changed to the University of St. Jerome's College to reflect new university powers and the authority to grant degrees.
As an independent university, St. Jerome's College entered into federation with the newly established University of Waterloo, and a series of College buildings were constructed in the heart of the UW campus. In the federation agreement, St. Jerome's waived its degree-granting rights so that its students earn a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Mathematics degree of the University of Waterloo.
In 1998, the University of St. Jerome's College officially and legally changed its name to St. Jerome's University, a change that clarifies St. Jerome's status as a federated university. Students registering at St. Jerome's enjoy all the benefits of being part of a small, comfortable community at the heart of a world-renowned university, and still graduate with a University of Waterloo degree.
Today, St. Jerome's provides students with a contemporary Catholic context in which the Christian tradition serves as the basis for a rich academic, liturgical, and community life. With approximately 1,000 full- and part-time students, two residences – a men's and a women's – accommodating 286 students, and a faculty and staff of over 40 men and women, St. Jerome's is a dynamic community. At St. Jerome's, community is at the centre of the academic enterprise; all first-year students are part of a small group mentoring program and all students have the opportunity to take part in an international experience where they will live and work with people from different countries and contexts.
St. Jerome's teaches courses in English; French; History; Human Sciences; Italian language, literature, and culture; Legal Studies and Criminology; Mathematics; Medieval Studies; Philosophy; Psychology; Religious Studies; Sexuality, Marriage and Family Studies; and Sociology. Students registered at St. Jerome's take courses from all across the University of Waterloo campus.
From its local roots in Waterloo County, St. Jerome's has grown and today serves a much wider constituency, teaching undergraduate students from high schools throughout the province of Ontario and beyond. Educators, health care professionals, pastoral care workers, and others take advantage of special programs for professional upgrading and development.
St. Jerome's brings its campus to the community in many ways, most notably through lectures and mini-courses sponsored by the St. Jerome's Centre for Catholic Experience. The Centre works to heighten public awareness and understanding of the major social and religious issues of the day.