Ave Maria University

Ave Maria University (AMU) is a private Catholic university in Ave Maria, Florida. Ave Maria University shares its history with the former Ave Maria College in Ypsilanti, Michigan, which was founded in 1998 and closed in 2007. The school was founded by Tom Monaghan, the founder of Domino's Pizza.

Ave Maria University offered study abroad programs in Gaming, Austria and in San Marcos, Nicaragua. The instruction was conducted in English. The Austrian program required an additional $1,750 beyond regular tuition, along with the added expense of airfare and ground transportation, while the Nicaraguan program required no additional tuition. The Nicaraguan program was closed in mid-2013.

Dormitories are organized into same-sex communities. There are six dorms on campus: Sebastian, Maria Goretti, St. Joseph, Xavier, and the Megadorm, a building which contains both John Paul II and Mother Teresa dormitories. Not all dormitories are used to house undergraduates; for example, Xavier has been used as a conference centre and guest house. Opposite-sex visitors are permitted in residential common areas during the day, and in individual dorm rooms on specified evenings.

Ave Maria teams, nicknamed the Gyrenes, are part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division II level, primarily competing in the Sun Conference. In 2011, Ave Maria became the first college in southwestern Florida to field a football team.

 The women's lacrosse team competed in the National Women's Lacrosse League (NWLL) in their first varsity season in the spring of 2015. The university sponsors seven men's and nine women's varsity sports.