St. Thomas University Athletics

St. Thomas competes in the NAIA, which offers a middle ground between major college athletics and purely recreational sports programs. The Bobcats field 22 varsity teams with 849 total athletes, meaning roughly 43% of the 1,963 students participate in varsity athletics. This creates an unusually sports-heavy campus culture for a small Catholic university. The school distributes $5.8 million in athletic scholarships across its programs, providing meaningful financial support to student-athletes. St. Thomas has built a reputation for competitive baseball and basketball programs within NAIA circles. The high percentage of student-athletes reflects the university's commitment to athletics as both a recruitment tool and campus identity marker. For a school of this size, having nearly half the student body involved in varsity sports creates a distinctly athletic campus atmosphere.