During the first third of the 20th century, many American Catholic women began to seek out educational opportunities beyond the high school level. In addition, there was a need to train teaches for the rapidly growing Catholic elementary and secondary school system. To respond to these issues, American Catholic leaders developed various strategies to include women in the colleges and universities. Ultimately, this "inclusion" would mean complete co-education in Catholic schools at all levels.

The history of women attending Saint Louis University began in 1908 when five women enrolled in the newly reorganized School of Law. They received their law degrees in 1911. Besides the law school, women were enrolled from the beginning at the School of Commerce and Finance, and in 1924 when the Graduate School was formally established, women were not excluded. Yet the Jesuit Father General in Rome would not permit women to enroll in the “College” (College of Arts and Sciences) with the men. It was not unusual even for public colleges and universities at that time to exclude women.

In 1925, in an attempt to provide young women with a solid undergraduate education in the liberal arts and sciences, while still obeying the Father General in Rome, Saint Louis University opened the School of Education. The students in this school fulfilled the same requirements and underwent the same examinations as those students in the College of Arts and Sciences, but they were registered in a different program. Later this School of Education would be renamed the University College. Finally, in 1949, women were “officially” permitted to register and attend classes with the men in Saint Louis University’s College of Arts and Sciences. Today, women are enrolled in virtually every program of every school within the University, comprising more than 53 percent of Saint Louis University’s total enrollment. In addition, women occupy key leadership positions within University administration.