R1 ResearchPrivate nonprofit

Brandeis University

Waltham, Massachusetts·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·New England·brandeis.edu
6-yr Graduation
86%
-6.5pp vs R1 Research
Total enrollment
5,205
peer median 14,516
Avg net price
$33,885
+$885 vs R1 Research
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
10,462
10,462 candidates competed
Admitted
4,237
40.5% acceptance rate
Enrolled
735
17.3% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
86%-6.5pp vs R1 Research
4-year graduation
77%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
86%
Full-time retention
87%

Pell equity

7.0pp gap
Pell recipients
82%
Non-Pell
89%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 7.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 95 Title IV programs, 23 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 72 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
95
Passing
23
24.2% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

95programs
  • Passing23 · 24.2%
  • No Data72 · 75.8%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
23
No data
72

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

23
Economics
Master's Degree · Social Sciences
+45.3%
$87,354 vs $60,112
Area Studies
Bachelor Degree · Area, Ethnic, Cultural, And Gender Studies
+56.0%
$54,306 vs $34,808
Anthropology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+65.0%
$57,423 vs $34,808
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+67.7%
$58,384 vs $34,808
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+68.6%
$58,676 vs $34,808
History
Bachelor Degree · History
+70.7%
$59,426 vs $34,808
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+71.1%
$102,843 vs $60,112
Public Policy Analysis
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
+73.1%
$79,908 vs $46,158

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

20
Public Policy Analysis
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
57%
$45,865 debt · $79,908 earn
Area Studies
Bachelor Degree · Area, Ethnic, Cultural, And Gender Studies
50%
$27,000 debt · $54,306 earn
Economics
Master's Degree · Social Sciences
45%
$39,484 debt · $87,354 earn
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
44%
$25,484 debt · $58,384 earn
History
Bachelor Degree · History
44%
$25,905 debt · $59,426 earn
Anthropology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
44%
$25,000 debt · $57,423 earn
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
43%
$27,000 debt · $62,291 earn
International/Globalization Studies
Bachelor Degree · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
41%
$27,000 debt · $66,366 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

New England Commission of Higher Education

Accredited since 1953Next review Jun 2027

Action history · 2

  1. Feb 2019Renewal of Accreditation
    New England Commission of Higher Education
  2. Mar 2007Renewal of Accreditation
    New England Commission of Higher Education

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$12,366
$30–48k$15,077
$48–75k$17,974
$75–110k$26,231
$110k+$53,720

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$33,885
+$885vs R1 Research median $33,001
Federal loans
28.3%
In-state tuition
$64,946
Out-of-state
$64,946

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 748 students received $4.9M in Pell grants, alongside $16.9M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
748
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$4.9M
$4,878,197 total
Direct Loans
$16.9M
1,745 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
20
1k
21
1k
22
1k
23
1k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$3.5M
828 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$2.0M
464 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$3.9M
239 loan awards
Parent PLUS$6.0M
159 loan awards
Grad PLUS$1.5M
55 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 774 borrowers who entered repayment, 5 (0.6%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.6%
-1.7pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
774
Defaulted
5
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
2.1%
2017
2.3%
2018
1.2%
2019
0.6%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Brandeis

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs70
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

1,586 total completions
01Social Sciences
29018.3%
02Business
26616.8%
03Biological Sciences
25716.2%
04Computer Sciences
17310.9%
05Public Admin
17110.8%
06Mathematics
1076.7%
07Psychology
1056.6%
08Multi/Interdisciplinary
986.2%
09Area/Ethnic Studies
623.9%
10Physical Sciences
573.6%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
5,205
12-mo unduplicated
5,803
Undergraduate
3,942
Graduate
1,861

Gender split

Men
44%2,530
Women
56%3,273

Race / ethnicity composition

White
42.2%
Non-resident
20.8%
Asian
17.2%
Hispanic
8.2%
Black
5.7%
Two or more
4.0%
Unknown
1.9%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
277
137 M · 140 W
Women athletes
50.5%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$5.5M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$23K
$25K
Head-coach salaries
$58K
$58K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 10

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
87 M · 75 W
$396K
Soccer
26 M · 24 W
$580K
Fencing
21 M · 18 W
$247K
Baseball
32 M ·
$302K
Basketball
16 M · 15 W
$888K
Tennis
10 M · 13 W
$247K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
1.43
8 offenses · 5,581 students

3-year trend

0.742 yrs ago0.901 yr ago1.43Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
17
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
27
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
4
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
6

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
2
Robbery
2
Fondling
2
Burglary
1
Aggravated assault
1

By location

8total
  • On campus8

Includes 3 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

8
Domestic violence
3
Dating violence
3
Stalking
14 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Religion4

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs00
Liquor069

Residence-hall fires

  • Ridgewood C1 fire
    ElectricalDamage $0-$99

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
10.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
381

Brandeis vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Brandeis selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectBrandeis University
86%5,205$33,885R1 Research
96%4.5%11,886$19,813R1 Research
94%11.5%13,599$35,435R1 Research
91%16.4%15,432$39,866R1 Research
98%3.6%30,259$16,816R1 Research
91%5.2%32,553$32,116R1 Research
Peer group median93%5.2%14,516$33,001

Institutions like Brandeis

Explore the federal data for institutions in Brandeis's comparison group.

Brandeis Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Institutional Research
Email
oir [at] brandeis.edu
Phone
781-736-2104
Address
Bernstein-Marcus, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, MS 112, Waltham, MA 02453

The Office of Institutional Research is responsible for providing university leadership with accurate and unbiased information and analyses, supporting data-informed planning and decision-making. The office advocates for data quality, integrity, and timeliness, creating collaborative partnerships with members of the community.

Visit IR office page
Team
3 members
  • Haley Rosenfeld, PhD
    Director of Institutional Research
  • Carrie Robertson, PhD
    Assistant Director of Institutional Research
  • Yige (Claire) Wang, MS
    Institutional Research Data Analyst

Common Data Set

Brandeis's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.

Acceptance rate
45.4%
Selective
Yield
16.7%
of admitted students enroll
Total enrollment
4,742
3,358 UG · 1,384 grad
6-yr graduation rate
81%
First-year retention
86%
Student–faculty ratio
8 to 1
01

Selectivity & Admissions

Admissions funnel

C1
Applied
9,756
Admitted
4,430
Enrolled
744

9,756 applied → 4,430 admitted (45.4%) → 744 enrolled.

Selectivity

C1
Acceptance rate
45.4%

Selective — 45.4% acceptance rate.

Admit rate by gender

C1
men39.9%
women49.6%
unknown80.0%

Admit rate varies by gender.

SAT range (middle 50%)

C9
25th
1370
Median
1430
75th
1470

Middle 50% SAT 1370–1470 (median 1430).

ACT range (middle 50%)

C9
25th
31
Median
32
75th
34

Middle 50% ACT 31–34 (median 32).

High-school class rank

C10
top 10%39%
top 25%76.5%
top 50%97.1%
bottom 50%2.9%

Share of enrolled first-years by HS class-rank band.

Waitlist outcome

C2
Offered
1,717
Accepted spot
771
Admitted
206

1,717 offered a waitlist spot, 771 accepted it, 206 admitted (26.7% of those who stayed on).

What matters in admission

C7
Very Important18
rigor of secondary school recordclass rankacademic GPAstandardized test scoresapplication essayrecommendation(s)interviewextracurricular activitiestalent/abilitycharacter/personal qualitiesfirst generationalumni/ae relationgeographical residencestate residencyreligious affiliation/commitmentvolunteer workwork experiencelevel of applicant’s interest

Relative importance of each admission factor.

02

Affordability & Value

Where grant aid comes from

H1
Institutional80.2%
Federal5.7%
Student loans4.9%
Federal Work-Study2.4%
External2.2%
Parent Loans1.6%
State1.6%
Other Work0.8%
Tuition Waivers0.7%

80% of need-based grant dollars come from the institution itself.

Graduate debt

H4/H5
Grads with debt
33%
Avg debt
$28,880

33% of graduates borrowed; those who did owed $28,880 on average.

03

Outcomes & Equity

Graduation & retention

B
6-yr grad rate
81%
Retention
86%

6-year graduation rate 81%; first-year retention 86%.

Equity: Pell graduation gap

B4
All students81%
Pell recipients81%

Pell-grant recipients graduate 0 pts above the overall rate (81% vs 81%).

04

Academic Experience

Class-size distribution

I3
2-9 students71
10-19 students262
20-29 students116
30-39 students47
40-49 students22
50-99 students34
100+ students10

59% of classes have under 20 students; 8% have 50+.

Faculty profile

I
Student–faculty ratio
8 to 1
Faculty with terminal degree
85%
Women faculty
48%

Key faculty indicators.

Degrees by discipline

J
Social sciences17.95%
Biological/life sciences17.6%
Business/marketing9.12%
Psychology7.63%
Computer and information sciences6.86%
Public administration and social services6.64%
Interdisciplinary studies5.02%
Area, ethnic, and gender studies4.66%

STEM-dominant: ~33% of bachelor's degrees are in computing, engineering, math & sciences.

05

Student Body & Diversity

Undergraduate race/ethnicity

B2
White, non-Hispanic39.7%
Asian, non-Hispanic18.9%
Nonresidents15.8%
Hispanic/Latino10.5%
Black or African American, non-Hispanic6.7%
Two or more races, non-Hispanic4.8%
Race and/or ethnicity unknown3.6%

Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity.

International students

B2
International UG
532
Share
16%

16% of undergraduates are international (nonresident).

Undergrad vs graduate

B1
Undergraduate
3,35871%
Graduate
1,38429%

3,358 undergraduates and 1,384 graduate students.

06

Transfer Path

Transfer admissions

D1
Applied
640
Admitted
243
Enrolled
52

640 transfer applicants → 243 admitted (38.0%) → 52 enrolled — more selective than first-year admission.

Source publications

Frequently asked questions about Brandeis University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Brandeis.

What is the graduation rate at Brandeis University?

Brandeis University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 86% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Brandeis University?

Brandeis University reports a total enrollment of 5,205 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Brandeis University?

The average net price at Brandeis University is $33,885 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Brandeis University?

Brandeis University's yield rate is 17.3%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Brandeis University located?

Brandeis University is located in Waltham, Massachusetts 02454-9110.

Who runs Institutional Research at Brandeis University?

Brandeis University's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research.

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