| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Private, nonprofit Catholic university; not a trade school. Campus, online and evening/weekend centers |
| Locations | Residential University Campus in St. Leo, FL, plus five education centers and offices: Key West, MacDill AFB, Pasco Hernando (Spring Hill), Tampa (not named in Saint Leo’s August 2026 center list) and Savannah, GA |
| Online | Enrolls students in 49 states; not open to California residents (NC-SARA) |
| Credentials | Associate, bachelor’s, master’s, specialist and doctoral degrees; most bachelor’s degrees are 120 credits |
| Students | 9,692 in fall 2024 (7,516 undergraduate, 2,176 graduate); 68% of undergraduates studied only at a distance |
| Accreditation | Commission on Colleges and Universities (named SACSCOC until 1 Sep 2026); on Probation for Good Cause from Dec 2023, which Saint Leo says was removed in Dec 2024 |
| Federal aid | Yes (Title IV); GI Bill approved; Yellow Ribbon participant |
| Owner | Saint Leo University Inc, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
A Catholic university that teaches mostly online
Saint Leo University is a nonprofit Catholic university whose residential campus is in Pasco County, north of Tampa. It is a four-year and graduate university rather than a trade school: its degrees are in business, computing, criminal justice, health care administration, nursing, education, social work and the liberal arts. Most students study entirely online. In fall 2024, 68% of its 7,516 undergraduates and 75% of its 2,176 graduate students studied only at a distance, through the online division Saint Leo now runs as the Lionova Institute. The university has shrunk sharply: enrollment fell from 15,564 to 9,523 in the decade to fall 2021, and its network of military-base and city education centers, 14 strong in early 2023, is down to five sites in Florida and Georgia.
Programs on campus, online and at the centers
Saint Leo says it offers more than 60 majors and minors. Center and online courses run in 8-week terms with six starts a year; the University Campus follows a semester calendar. Program pages advertise the education centers in general terms, so ask a center which courses meet in person there.
| Program | Credentials | Delivery | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accounting | BS, MS | Campus, online; MS also at centers | Saint Leo calls the BS a “foundation” for the CPA and CMA |
| Business administration | AA, BA, MBA, DBA | All modes; DBA online | ACBSP-accredited business programs |
| Marketing | BS, BA specialization, MBA track | BS on campus; BA online and at centers | 3+1 accelerated BS option |
| Human resource management | Bachelor’s, MBA track | Online, centers | Aligned with SHRM guidance; prepares for the PHR exam |
| Health care administration | BS; MBA–Healthcare Management | Online, centers; MBA in all modes | Senior-year internship |
| Criminal justice | AA, BA, MS, DCJ | Campus, online, centers; DCJ online | Homeland security and criminalistics specializations |
| Computer science | BS, MS | Campus, online, centers; MS also hybrid | Programming in C/C++, Java and Python |
| Computer information systems | BS | Campus, online, centers | Networking, systems analysis, security |
| Software engineering | BS | Campus, online | ABET accreditation not mentioned |
| Cybersecurity | AA, BS, MS | Campus, online, centers; MS online | Virtual labs; executive MS track |
| Nursing | BSN; Direct-Entry MSN | BSN: University Campus only; Direct-Entry MSN: hybrid | CCNE; prepares for the NCLEX-RN |
| Communication | BA | Communication Studies online or campus; other tracks campus only | Two internships |
| Music | BA | University Campus only | Placement audition |
| Elementary education, psychology, social work | Elementary Ed (K-6), Psychology; BSW, MSW | Centers; MSW also online | BSW and MSW accredited by CSWE; teacher education approved by the Florida DOE |
New for 2026–27, according to Saint Leo, are more than 10 programs, including a BS in Finance, a BS in Business Analytics, a BS in Exercise and Sport Science, an online MSW, the hybrid Direct-Entry MSN and the cybersecurity executive track. The MS in Computer Science moved online in fall 2025.
What the main programs cover
Nursing (BSN)
The BSN is a pre-licensure degree for students who are not yet nurses, taught in day classes on the University Campus only. Students do not enter the nursing major straight from high school: they apply through NursingCAS in the sophomore year, and need a GPA of at least 3.30 to be considered. Graduates sit the NCLEX-RN licensing exam. The program is accredited by CCNE and approved by the Florida Board of Nursing. Licensed nurses should look elsewhere, as there is no RN-to-BSN; a hybrid Direct-Entry MSN started in 2026–27.
Criminal justice
The BA in Criminal Justice has a 39-credit major, with specializations in criminalistics and homeland security, and is taught on campus, online and at the education centers; the Key West and MacDill offices both highlight it. Students can do internships with federal and state agencies, and Saint Leo is an approved partner of the FBI National Academy Associates. The degree does not include police academy training or lead to any certification; a career in policing still needs a state academy.
Cybersecurity
The 120-credit BS in Cybersecurity teaches penetration testing and ethical hacking, using virtual labs. Programming in C/C++, Java and Python is part of the degree, and the program page lists internships with named employers. An AA (campus or online) is also offered, and the online MS adds an executive track. An MBA option in cybersecurity management is offered too. The university does not say which industry certifications, such as CompTIA exams, the courses prepare for, or whether it holds NSA Center of Academic Excellence status.
Computer information systems
Saint Leo has no computer technician program; the BS in Computer Information Systems is its closest offering. Over 120 credits it covers application development, networking, programming, systems analysis and information security, and it lists internships with named employers. It is taught on the University Campus, online and at education centers. The two related degrees are the BS in Computer Science and the BS in Software Engineering, which covers specification, design, implementation and quality assurance; programming in C/C++, Java and Python is taught in Computer Science and Software Engineering.
Health care administration
The BS in Health Care Administration is a management degree, not clinical training. Its courses cover health policy, health care finance, law and ethics, and every student completes a health care internship in the senior year. A minor in health care administration is also offered to students in other majors. The program page describes it as an online degree, and it is also listed at education centers. Graduates who want to go further can take the MBA with a Healthcare Management specialization, offered in every format.
Human resource management
Saint Leo’s bachelor’s in Human Resource Management is built around the curriculum guidance of SHRM, the main HR professional body, and the university says it prepares students for the PHR certification exam. The degree is 120 credits and is offered online and at education centers in 8-week terms, so it can be taken part time around a job. Students who want HR as a sideline can take the HR minor instead, and graduates can continue to the MBA with a human resource management track, taught under the business school’s ACBSP accreditation.
What Saint Leo costs in 2026–27
Campus and online students pay very different rates. Figures are from Saint Leo’s 2026–27 tuition sheets, effective 1 July 2026.
| Item (2026–27) | Rate |
|---|---|
| University Campus undergraduate tuition, full time (12–18 credits) | $17,500 a semester ($35,000 a year) |
| Campus mandatory fees | $940 a semester ($1,880 a year) |
| Campus housing | $3,660–$6,880 a semester |
| Campus meal plans | $1,300–$3,760 a semester |
| Online and education-center bachelor’s courses | $425 a credit |
| Military rate, online and center undergraduate courses | $320 a credit (active duty, reserve and guard members and spouses) |
| Graduate courses | $750 a credit |
| Online and center fees | $45 technology fee per online course; $30 a credit for course materials |
At these rates, the 120 credits of an online bachelor’s come to about $51,000 in tuition, or about $38,400 at the military rate, before fees and transfer credit, against about $140,000 in tuition for four years on campus (our calculation). The average net price after grants was $22,599 in 2023–24, according to College Navigator. Student health insurance costs $1,937 a year unless waived.
Saint Leo takes federal student aid and GI Bill benefits and follows the VA’s Principles of Excellence. As a Yellow Ribbon school it contributes up to $3,000 per student for undergraduates, $2,000 for graduate students and $1,000 for doctoral students, with no limit on the number of students and distance learning included (VA GI Bill Comparison Tool, October 2026). A graduate military rate applies only to the online MBA and the MS in Cybersecurity. Veterans must have all earlier college credit evaluated.
Admissions and starts
- College Navigator reports a 78% admission rate (fall 2024).
- Online and education-center admission is rolling, with six start dates a year. Applicants send an application, government ID, proof of high-school graduation, official college transcripts, test scores where they apply and any documentation of professional training.
- The campus fall semester began on 24 August 2026.
- Nursing has a second step: a NursingCAS application in the sophomore year, with a GPA of 3.30 or higher.
- Online programs are open to residents of 49 states. Saint Leo’s state authorization page says it is recognized by every state except California, so Californians cannot enroll online.
Accreditation, probation and outcomes
Saint Leo is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), which renamed itself the Commission on Colleges and Universities on 1 September 2026, to award associate through doctoral degrees. On 3 December 2023 the accreditor placed Saint Leo on Probation for Good Cause for not complying with Standard 13.3 (Financial responsibility). Saint Leo states that in December 2024 the accreditor’s board found it in compliance with all standards and removed the probation, and that it is now in good standing. We could not open the accreditor’s December 2024 action list to confirm the removal independently; its December 2024 disclosure statements include none for Saint Leo, which is consistent with a removal. In December 2021 the same accreditor had rejected Saint Leo’s plan to acquire Marymount California University, saying it lacked an acceptable plan on financial capacity, and the deal collapsed.
Program accreditation: business degrees by ACBSP, the BSN by CCNE (with Florida Board of Nursing approval), the BSW and MSW by CSWE, and teacher education by the Florida Department of Education.
College Navigator (checked October 2026) reports a 44% six-year graduation rate for students who started in fall 2018, 59% retention of full-time students and a student-to-faculty ratio of 25 to 1. The VA’s comparison tool, drawing on federal data, shows median earnings of $48,364. Saint Leo reports that its first BSN class to take the NCLEX-RN, in 2025, had a 100% pass rate; it does not give the class size.
Cuts, deficits and a new online division
Saint Leo has spent several years cutting back. In May 2020 it announced it would close 17 facilities, and in February 2023 it said it would close 8 of its remaining 14 education centers within six months, eliminate 111 positions (27% of them vacant), drop 6 of its 23 sports and end three degrees: the BA in International Hospitality, the BA in Human Services and the MS in Human Services. In April 2022 S&P had cut its roughly $66 million of debt to speculative grade.
Its federal tax filings (Form 990, years ending in June) show the deficits narrowing: $11.3 million in fiscal 2023, $2.0 million in fiscal 2024 and $1.6 million in fiscal 2025, when revenue was $145.7 million and expenses $147.3 million (ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer). In January 2026 the university launched the Lionova Institute, a division for online, health care and nursing, doctoral, international and workforce programs. For 2026–27 it reported nearly 850 new University Campus students and $1.8 million in state funding for cybersecurity and nursing.
Before you enroll
- Check the accreditor’s records yourself. Saint Leo was on probation over its finances from December 2023 and says it was removed in December 2024; the accreditor’s own action list for that meeting could not be checked for this page.
- Californians cannot enroll online. Saint Leo’s state authorization covers 49 states, not California.
- Centers mix in-person and online courses. Classes run on evenings and weekends alongside online courses, and program pages list centers generically. MacDill is closed to civilians, and Tampa was left out of Saint Leo’s August 2026 list of centers, so confirm what meets in person before you apply.
- Nursing is campus-only and has a separate application. A place in the BSN depends on a sophomore-year application and a 3.30 GPA, and there is no RN-to-BSN for working nurses.
- Campus and online cost very different amounts. Four years on campus cost about $140,000 in tuition at 2026–27 rates, against about $51,000 for 120 online credits.
Where Saint Leo teaches
- University Campus, 33701 State Rd. 52, St. Leo, FL: residential campus with day classes and the Center for Adult Learning (evening and weekend).
- Key West Education Center, Naval Air Station Key West: open to civilians.
- MacDill Education Office, MacDill AFB, Tampa: civilians cannot attend classes on the base.
- Pasco Hernando Education Office, Spring Hill: classes at Pasco-Hernando State College in Brooksville, New Port Richey and Spring Hill.
- Tampa Education Center, 1403 N. Howard Ave.: page still live in October 2026 but not named in Saint Leo’s August 2026 center list.
- Savannah Education Center, 401 Mall Blvd., Savannah, GA: the only site outside Florida.
Centers that have closed
Older listings, including earlier versions of this page, show Saint Leo centers that no longer operate:
- Closed in 2020: San Diego, CA, at Naval Base San Diego (18 October 2020); Lakeland, FL, and Duluth (Gwinnett), GA, both among the 17 closures announced in May 2020.
- Closure announced February 2023: Jacksonville (Oakleaf), Lake City, Mayport and Ocala, FL; North Charleston, SC; Columbus AFB, MS; and NAS Corpus Christi, TX.
- Closed; closure date not confirmed: Madison and Tallahassee, FL; Marietta and Morrow, GA; Shaw AFB and Sumter, SC; and Chesapeake, Fort Eustis, Fort Lee (now Fort Gregg-Adams), Langley AFB, Newport News and Virginia Beach, VA.
The Tampa center, which Saint Leo’s August 2026 center list did not name, moved to Howard Avenue in December 2020, and the Savannah center has moved to Mall Boulevard.
Military benefits and internships
Saint Leo’s Office of Military Affairs and Services runs Military Resource Centers at the University Campus, Tampa (a center Saint Leo’s August 2026 list did not name) and Savannah, and the university still has offices on two bases, NAS Key West and MacDill AFB. Military Times ranked it No. 53 of 357 schools in its 2025 “Best for Vets” list, according to Saint Leo. Campus housing is available at the University Campus only.
Internships are built into several degrees: two in the communication BA, a senior-year placement in health care administration, agency internships in criminal justice, and employer internships in computer information systems and cybersecurity. For fall 2026 Saint Leo announced an IBM digital-skills partnership and a plan to build internships into every student’s program.
What students say
On Niche, Saint Leo University has 3.75 out of 5 from 1,905 reviews and an overall grade of C (checked October 2026).
- Praise: professors who know students by name and small classes; flexible, asynchronous online courses; a supportive community.
- Complaints: campus housing, with repeated reports of mold, broken fixtures and air-conditioning problems; cost compared with value, and unexplained fees; slow or unresponsive advisors and offices.
How much to trust them: about 61% of the Niche reviews give four or five stars, but recent reviews from June to September 2025 lean heavily to five stars, which probably reflects an end-of-year survey cycle rather than a change at the school. Online students tell a mixed story elsewhere: Niche’s separate Saint Leo Online page has 4.67 from 49 reviews, while on OnlineU 62% of 154 reviewers, writing between 2020 and 2023, would recommend Saint Leo, and some mention transcript holds and uneven online graduate courses.
Sources
Checked October 2026: Saint Leo tuition and fees · Saint Leo accreditation status update · SACSCOC disclosure statement, December 2023 · College Navigator · ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · Saint Leo restructuring announcement, February 2023 · Saint Leo state authorization · Niche reviews
Programs & Courses
Business
- Accounting (BS; MS; MBA track)
- Business Administration (AA, BA, MBA, DBA; online BA specializations in Logistics, Management, Marketing and Project Management)
- Marketing (BS on campus; BA Business Administration–Marketing online and at centers)
- Human Resource Management (bachelor's; MBA track)
- Health Care Administration (BS)
- Healthcare Management (MBA track)
- Finance (BS, new 2026–27)
- Business Analytics (BS, new 2026–27)
Computing and cybersecurity
- Computer Science (BS, MS)
- Computer Information Systems (BS)
- Software Engineering (BS)
- Cybersecurity (AA, BS, MS including an Executive Track; MBA–Cybersecurity Management)
- Artificial Intelligence (MS)
Criminal justice
- Criminal Justice (AA, BA, MS, Doctor of Criminal Justice)
- Homeland Security (BA Criminal Justice specialization; DCJ track)
Nursing
- Nursing (pre-licensure BSN, University Campus only)
- Direct-Entry MSN (hybrid, new 2026–27)
Communication and the arts
- Communication (BA: Communication Studies, Digital Communication, Digital Media Influencer)
- Music (BA, University Campus only)
Education, psychology and social work
- Elementary Education (K-6)
- Psychology
- Social Work (BSW; MSW, including online)
Campus Locations
Tampa Bay (St. Leo), FL 33701 State Rd. 52, St. Leo, FL 33574
Key West, FL Naval Air Station, A-718 Essex Circle, Key West, FL 33040
Tampa (MacDill AFB), FL 8102 Condor Street, Albert B. Arrighi Education Center, Suite 116, MacDill AFB, FL 33621
Spring Hill, FL 450 Beverly Ct., Building E, Room 203, Spring Hill, FL 34606
Tampa, FL 1403 N. Howard Ave., Tampa, FL 33607
Savannah, GA 401 Mall Blvd., Suite 202A, Savannah, GA 31406