St. Francis Xavier University is a primarily undergraduate university located in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university brings together 4,200 students from across Canada and around the world in arts, science, business and information systems. St. Francis Xavier College was a Roman Catholic institution founded at Arichat, NS, in 1853. The university was moved in 1855 from Arichat, NS to its present location in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. In 1866, St.Francis Xavier College was given university status, becoming St. Francis Xavier University and awarding its first degrees in 1868. In 1883, Mount St Bernard Academy, was founded for female education teaching from primary grades to twelve and taught by the Sisters of Notre Dame. In 1894, the academy affiliated with St Francis Xavier University as Mount St Bernard College. In 1897 the school became the first co-educational Catholic university in North America to grant degrees to women. In the early part of this century, professional education expanded beyond the traditional fields of theology, law and medicine.