St. Mary’s University College (SMUC) is an outgrowth of St. Mary’s Language School which was established in 1991 in Addis Ababa. The Language school was upgraded to a language center in 1995 and has solely been devoted to the imp rovement of the English language proficiency of students, establishing itself as a leading language center in the capital. It was in this language center that the University College was born. St. Mary’s College was established in 1998 under St. Mary's General Educational Development PLC with its head office in Awassa and a branch in Addis Ababa.