A Semester of Success at St. Edward’s
Fall 2025 was filled with significant achievements and meaningful moments. Our Hilltopper community’s commitment to academic excellence, civic engagement and making a positive impact has fueled another season of progress and prosperity.
Incoming Class Signals a Strong Year Ahead
We welcomed an academically strong and diverse Fall 2025 incoming class.
Enrollment highlights include a 15% increase in students with the highest academic rankings, 24% increase in Honors Program participation, 6% increase in transfer students and a greater number of students joining us from Catholic high schools. In addition, 12% of incoming students joined us from more than 20 countries — one of the highest percentages of international students in university history.
New Toppers and Timeless Traditions
Students began their St. Edward’s journey by embracing some of the university’s most iconic traditions during Welcome Days and Anchors Weekend.
At the Medallion Ceremony, students received a medallion engraved with the university seal — an emblem they carry throughout their time here and wear again at graduation. Students continued their celebrations with the first Legacy Walk, entering through the historic Red Doors of Main Building. This symbolic passage marks the start of their academic journey, which will come full circle when they walk back through those same doors as graduates.
This year, a cherished tradition returned with the reinstallation of “The Big E” — giving students a chance to leave a lasting mark on the hilltop. This structure, which represents the letter E in SEU, is on the northwest end of the Lewis-Chen Family Soccer Field near St. Joe's Lawn. Each student painted a small stone, which will be placed around The Big E as a symbol of their time at St. Edward’s. With each incoming class adding their own stones, our community will watch this living legacy grow for the years to come.
Anchors Weekend celebrations kept the energy high with a vibrant Block Party packed with carnival games, vibrant music and delicious treats and eats from iconic local food trucks! Did we mention there was a mechanical bull?!
The fun didn’t stop there. Athletics also hosted a block party by the Lewis-Chen Family Field, where student athletes and incoming students created lasting memories through similar fun activities.
Our first-generation students and their loved ones gathered in Moody Hall for a First To Goat reception, honoring their achievements for being the first members in their families to pursue a college degree.
Anchors Weekend concluded with a Mass of Welcome at the Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel. Hilltoppers of all faiths gathered on Sunday to ask God's blessings on the efforts of educating minds and forming hearts in the Holy Cross tradition, with emphasis on praying for the newest students on campus.
A Homecoming to Remember
Blue and Gold spirit shone brighter than ever at this year’s Homecoming weekend.
Students, alumni, faculty, staff and families celebrated the 140th anniversary of St. Edward’s by cheering on a lively parade along Moody Drive, eating tasty barbecue on Andre Lawn and enjoying a magical drone show that illuminated the night sky in front of Main Building.
Season’s Greetings from the Hilltop
The 45th annual Festival of Lights filled our campus with Christmas spirit and togetherness. Members of the community gathered at the heart of St. Edward’s to commence the holiday season with a candle light ceremony, music and Las Posadas — celebrating the journey of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem in search of a safe refuge.
December Graduates Take Center Stage
Fall 2025 came to a triumphant close at December Commencement. More than 200 students earned their bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in the presence of faculty, staff, family and friends.
Congratulations to the December Class of 2025!
Highlights from the Fall
St. Edward’s was again recognized among the top regional institutions in the nation, earning No. 5 in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Regional Universities in the West rankings.
For the second consecutive year, the university also ranked No. 2 for Best Undergraduate Teaching. Additional notable rankings include No. 3 in the Best Value Schools in the West category and No. 4 in the Best Colleges for Veterans category.
The Kozmetsky Center of Excellence celebrated a ribbon cutting ceremony for its new Carriage House space.
The new workspace is being utilized to host civic forums, speaking engagements with elected officials and livestream viewings of Austin City Council meetings. The building is also home to multiple podcast booths utilized for the production of The Civics Lab podcast, a student-and-faculty-led podcast providing a public platform for storytelling through interviews with political experts and sharing research or public engagement experiences.
The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) granted five-year accreditation to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program under the School of Health Sciences. CCNE, a national accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education, ensures the quality and integrity of baccalaureate, graduate and residency/fellowship programs in nursing.
Nicole and Ramzi Al-Rashid ’98 generously contributed $1,309,000 to establish The Nicole and Ramzi Al-Rashid Endowed Scholarship and The Nicole and Ramzi Al-Rashid Endowed Professorship of Health Sciences, advancing academic excellence and professional development for students and faculty in this field of study.
At the 2nd Annual White Coat Ceremony, more than 30 nursing students received their white coats — marking a rite of passage as they begin their journey entering clinical patient care.
Family, friends and fellow Hilltoppers came together in Jones Auditorium to celebrate as the Traditional and Accelerated BSN students took a Pledge of Dedication to provide compassionate care and devote themselves to the well-being of all patients.
St. Edward’s and Austin Community College (ACC) hosted a celebration at ACC’s Eastview Campus to commemorate transfer student success stories and the future of ACComplish @ St. Edward’s. St. Edward's President Montserrat Fuentes and ACC Chancellor Russell Lowery-Hart engaged in a thoughtful conversation with three transfer students whose educational journeys have been strengthened by the innovative partnership.
Since launching ACComplish @ St. Edward’s, more than 50 students have successfully transferred directly from ACC for the Fall 2025 semester.
The Common Ground Oak was named Austin’s Tree of the Year in the Large Tree category by TreeFolks and the City of Austin Parks and Recreation. The Common Ground Oak, located behind Teresa Hall, sits near the Students for Sustainability Garden, the Food Forest and the "Three Sisters" garden.
Top 10 Reasons for Hilltop Pride
From innovative programs to global learning and a community-driven mission, discover why St. Edward’s is consistently ranked among the nation’s top universities for transformative student experiences and outcomes.
