Webster University is located in Webster Groves, Missouri, a suburb of Saint Louis, Missouri. It was founded in 1915 by the Sisters of Loretto as Loretto College, and it was one of the first Catholic women's colleges located west of the Mississippi River. The first male students were admitted in 1962. Due to financial difficulties, the Sisters of Loretto transferred the university to a Board of Directors in 1967. The current president of the university is Richard Meyers.

Webster has many campuses nationwide, located on military bases and in many metropolitan areas. There are also international campuses in Geneva, Switzerland, Vienna, Austria; Leiden, the Netherlands; London in the UK; Hamilton, Bermuda; Shanghai, China; and Cha-am, Thailand.

Webster has about 5,000 enrolled students at the main campus in Webster Groves and 15,000 worldwide.

The university's mascot is the Gorlok. It was created by students in 1984 and is said to have "the paws of a speeding cheetah, horns of a fierce buffalo, and the face of a dependable Saint Bernard."

Webster's Loretto-Hilton Center is home to the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and the Opera Theatre of St. Louis.