Founded in 1877 by the Society of Jesus,[6][7] the university offers more than 120 degrees through three colleges in a variety of subjects, including education, liberal arts, business, nursing, and technology.

[9] In 1877, a group of exiled Italian Jesuits established a small college in Las Vegas, New Mexico.

[10] The Jesuits named this institution Las Vegas College which would ultimately become known as Regis University.

[15] Desmond Tutu spoke at the university in November 1998, following in the footsteps of Betty Williams of Northern Ireland and the Dalai Lama in 1993.

[citation needed] Other speakers have included author Elie Wiesel in 2001, former President of Poland Lech Walesa in 2003, and most recently, David Trimble of Northern Ireland in 2006.

[citation needed] On August 12, 1993, Pope John Paul II visited the Northwest Denver Campus of Regis University, where he met with President Bill Clinton for the first time.

They greeted about 150 visitors, who had been chosen through a lottery system, and met privately for an hour in the President's Dining Room of Carroll Hall.

These programs are designed for recent high school graduates, or transfer students, with little or no professional work experience.