Skip to main content

Catholic, Marianist Education

Faith. Service. Community.

In three simple words, that's what the University of Dayton is about.

As a Catholic, Marianist university, we educate for service, justice and peace. We readily adapt and change with the times. We build communities of faith and educate in a family spirit. And above all, we provide an integral, high-quality education on a campus that's known for its hospitality and inclusiveness.

The University of Dayton was founded by the Society of Mary in 1850. The brothers and priests of the Society of Mary are part of a worldwide Marianist family of Catholic brothers, priests, sisters and committed lay people.

Since the University's founding, the Marianists have created a welcoming and inclusive campus where faith is best communicated through personal relationships. Every person, no matter their faith or background, is treated with respect and openness.

As part of our Marianist educational philosophy, we educate the whole person: mind, body, heart and spirit. We encourage students to engage the world, developing critical minds and compassionate hearts. We ask big questions and search for answers.

We strongly believe that education can transform society if people work together. Here, you'll find a community of caring individuals who are constantly seeking truth, working for justice, serving others and using their knowledge to improve the world.


Explore our Marianist roots

Based on consultation with educators around the world, an international team of Marianists identified five elements that characterize the Marianist approach to education:

  • Educate for formation in faith
  • Provide an integral, quality education
  • Educate in family spirit
  • Educate for service, justice, peace and integrity of creation
  • Educate for adaptation and change

Read "Characteristics of Marianist Universities"

The Catholic intellectual tradition calls for crossing boundaries. We examine the relationship between faith and reason. We integrate knowledge. We strive for truth. We link our work in the classroom to our lives in the world. 

While the Catholic intellectual tradition can be found in a course devoted to religion and culture or among the stacks in the Marian Library, it's really embedded throughout the curriculum. For us, it's more than a philosophy. It's our way of life.


Discover the Gudorf Chair in Catholic Intellectual Traditions

As Marianists, we are called to live, learn and work together in community. 

You might walk down the hall from your room in Marianist Hall to attend history class, or step off your front porch in ArtStreet into a gallery or performance space. Perhaps you'll learn a thing or two about teamwork while climbing the rock wall at the RecPlex.

And then there are the front porches. We own hundreds of single-family homes in neighborhoods surrounding campus that students call home. You'll play competitive games of cornhole, gather on each other's porches, and share meals and prayers with the Marianist brothers and priests who live right in your neighborhood.


Explore Learning Living Communities
Blessed Chaminade statue

Forever Marianist

The Forever Marianist Initiative ensures that the Marianist values central to UD’s mission and identity will always live on as part of the UD experience for future Flyers.

Forever Marianist

Blessed Chaminade statue

The Forever Marianist Initiative ensures that the Marianist values central to UD’s mission and identity will always live on as part of the UD experience for future Flyers.