In the class of 1951 four women students boarded at Marian Hall. Margaret Mulligan, Jerry Robertson and Irene Burge began in 1947. Kay Roche came, as a sophomore, in 1948. Because Stephanie MacDonald lived in town, she commuted to classes.

Marian Hall continued to be the residence for women students attending St. Dunstan's until the University opened a newly constructed residence building in September, 1959. This residence was named Marian College. It was both symbol and reality. Women were accepted at St. Dunstan's.

Marian College accommodated 52 students and provided meal service, (kitchen and dining room) for them and the staff. The building included a chapel. As at Marian Hall, the women students were expected to attend daily Mass. Also part of the building was a convent which housed six sisters of St. Martha (staff and faculty members), student lounges (including one for the day students), and laundry facilities. Home Economics facilities were located in the basement. The first courses in Home Economics, Foods and Food Preparation, and Textiles and Clothing , were offered to women in 1959 as credits for an Arts degree. Irene Burge (then a Sister of St. Martha) taught these courses for ten years. The calendar description of this new offering reads: "courses in Home Economics are offered for ladies who may wish to choose them as electives in the program leading to a Bachelor Degree in Arts." (4)

The enrolment of women students at St. Dunstan's continued to increase over the years. Women from Hong Kong, Guyana, Trinidad, South Africa, Czechoslovakia, other Canadian provinces and the United States boarded at Marian College. By 1969, the last year of St. Dunstan's existence, women accounted for over 30% of the total enrolment. Since St. Dunstan's University first opened its door to women students, 253 (of a total of 1280 for the 1944- 1969 period) received degrees from this institution. Many others attended for one, two, or three years.

In 1969 when UPEI replaced St. Dunstan's, Marian College was retained as a women's residence. It later became a men's and women's residence.

1. MacDonald, Edward.”The History of St. Dunstan’s University.”1855 -

1956. p. 417 2. Ibid, p. 417 3. Ibid, p. 418

4. ‘St. Dunstan’s University Calendar, 1959-60, p. 12