St. Paul's College was established in 1926 with Fr. Alphonse Simon, OMI as the first rector. It was initially located in a building on Selkirk Avenue, but the increase in student population thereafter prompted a move to the old Manitoba College location, which was purchased by Archbishop Sinnott in 1931. The direction of the college passed into the hands of the diocesan
clergy and Fr. C. B. Collins was appointed Rector. In the same year, the college became affiliated with the University of Manitoba. On October 27, 1931, at the time of its affiliation, St. Paul's had a staff of 15 (eight
priests and seven
laymen), and a total of twelve students in the university program. The University of Manitoba Yearbook for 1932, The Brown and Gold, displays the photographs of the first two graduates of the college.
Jesuit priests undertook direction of the college in 1933. Fr. John Holland, S.J., was appointed Rector, and Fr. Erle Bartlett, S.J. was appointed Dean of Studies. In 1936, St. Mary's College for Women became the women's division of St. Paul's, until the college opened on the Fort Garry campus in 1957 when it became co-educational and St. Mary's eventually withdrew from university work. Campus construction was largely funded by individual donors and churches of Manitoba. In 1932, a new campus building, Paul Shea Hall (donated by Margaret Shea), was built to house the high school. In 1939, six more classrooms were added and paid for through the
Archdiocese. By the mid-1940s, students were being turned away because of the lack of space. A building fund drive at that time was not particularly successful and attention was turned again to relocating on the University of Manitoba campus with whom ongoing negotiations about relocation had been taking place. In 1957 a 99-year lease for land on the campus was signed and a cornerstone was laid and blessed by Archbishop Pocock. The Canada council contributed $100,000 towards the construction costs. The architect was Mr. Peter Thornton; the contractors were Wallace and Aikens. In the fall of 1958, the basic buildings and administrative offices containing classrooms, library, cafeteria, faculty offices, and the chapel were completed. About 200 students registered that year. In 1962 the Science Wing was added, containing laboratories, an increased number of classrooms, and faculty offices. The student cafeteria was extended in 1964 and the residence of the
Jesuit Fathers was added. The library, along with a theatre with a capacity of 200, more classroom and faculty office space were constructed in 1972. A larger library and a student residence were part of the original plan, but were never constructed. The college has since come under the direction of the St. Paul's Corporation and an 18-person Board of Governors. The
Archbishop of Winnipeg is the College chancellor. The new millennium saw the construction of the Arthur V. Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice - an addition that provides graduate and undergraduate studies in peace-building and conflict-resolution. ==Scholarships and bursaries==