Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPrivate nonprofit

Canisius University

Buffalo, New York·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Mid East·canisius.edu
6-yr Graduation
66%
-4.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Total enrollment
2,451
peer median 3,027
Avg net price
$17,940
-$5.0k vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
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AboutAdmissionsOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR OfficeDocumentsGrantsAlumni

About

Canisius University is a private Jesuit university in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in 1870 by Jesuits from Germany and is named after St. Peter Canisius. Canisius offers more than a hundred undergraduate majors and minors, and around thirty-four master's and certificate programs.

Admissions & acceptance rate

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

IPEDS
Applied
4,175
4,175 candidates competed
Admitted
3,021
72.4% acceptance rate
Enrolled
397
13.1% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

IPEDS
Overall completion
66%-4.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
4-year graduation
59%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
66%
Full-time retention
73%

Pell equity

10.9pp gap
Pell recipients
59%93 of 157
Non-Pell (all)
70%227 of 325
Subsidized loan, no Pell
68%96 of 141
No Federal Aid
71%131 of 184

Non-Pell students graduate at a 10.9-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

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

FVT/GE

Of 77 Title IV programs, 26 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 50 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
77
Passing
26
33.8% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
1.3% of portfolio
Fail rate
1.3%
+0.7pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

77programs
  • Passing26 · 33.8%
  • No Data50 · 64.9%
  • Failing1 · 1.3%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
1
At Risk
0
Watch
7
Safe
19
No data
50

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.

27
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
-3.0%
$60,008 vs $61,854
Zoology/Animal Biology
Master's Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+11.2%
$59,671 vs $53,672
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Master's Degree · Education
+11.5%
$51,723 vs $46,391
Radio Television and Digital Communication
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+14.0%
$39,148 vs $34,350
Zoology/Animal Biology
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+17.0%
$40,174 vs $34,350
Special Education and Teaching
Master's Degree · Education
+17.3%
$54,413 vs $46,391
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Master's Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+20.5%
$62,097 vs $51,545
Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language
Master's Degree · Education
+24.0%
$57,530 vs $46,391

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

1
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
-3.0%
−$1,846

Debt vs earnings

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

26
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
93%
$55,641 debt · $60,008 earn
Special Education and Teaching
Master's Degree · Education
65%
$35,202 debt · $54,413 earn
Radio Television and Digital Communication
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
64%
$25,000 debt · $39,148 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Master's Degree · Education
62%
$32,213 debt · $51,723 earn
Zoology/Animal Biology
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
61%
$24,625 debt · $40,174 earn
Zoology/Animal Biology
Master's Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
59%
$35,000 debt · $59,671 earn
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
52%
$25,213 debt · $48,104 earn
Research and Experimental Psychology
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
51%
$26,439 debt · $51,532 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Accredited since 1921Next review Jan 2033

Programmatic accreditations · 1

Action history · 2

  1. Jun 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Middle States Commission on Higher Education
  2. Mar 2019Grant Substantive Change: Degree
    Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$12,781
$30–48k$12,404
$48–75k$16,151
$75–110k$21,341
$110k+$24,170

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

Avg net price (private)
$17,940
-$4,961vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs median $22,902
Federal loans
53.3%
In-state tuition
$34,500
Out-of-state
$34,500

Federal aid volume & trends

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

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 631 students received $3.7M in Pell grants, alongside $17.2M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
631
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$3.7M
$3,679,491 total
Direct Loans
$17.2M
2,044 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
’20
1k
’21
0k
’22
1k
’23
1k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$2.5M
631 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$3.6M
849 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$6.6M
330 loan awards
Parent PLUS$2.5M
165 loan awards
Grad PLUS$2.0M
69 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.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 947 borrowers who entered repayment, 13 (1.3%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.3%
-1.0pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
947
Defaulted
13
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
3.2%
2017
5.6%
2018
3.8%
2019
1.3%
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 Canisius

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs78
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

729 total completions
01Business
17123.5%
02Parks/Recreation
13118.0%
03Education
12817.6%
04Biological Sciences
10013.7%
05Health Professions
486.6%
06Social Sciences
415.6%
07Psychology
385.2%
08Communication
314.3%
09Security/Protective
243.3%
10Computer Sciences
172.3%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

IPEDS
Fall total
2,451
12-mo unduplicated
2,800
Undergraduate
1,841
Graduate
959

Gender split

Men
47%1,304
Women
53%1,496

Race / ethnicity composition

White
63.6%
Black
13.8%
Non-resident
6.2%
Hispanic
5.7%
Asian
3.5%
Two or more
3.5%
Unknown
3.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

EADA
Athletes
418
225 M · 193 W
Women athletes
46.2%
Athletic aid
$4.6M
Total student aid
Budget
$13.6M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$2.4M
$2.2M
Recruiting expense
$168K
$151K
Head-coach salaries
$93K
$72K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 11

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
60 M · 54 W
$419K
Lacrosse
49 M · 30 W
$1.3M
Soccer
34 M · 26 W
$971K
Swimming and Diving (combined)
25 M · 28 W
$496K
Baseball
41 M · —
$690K
Rowing
— · 35 W
$313K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

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

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
1.18
3 offenses · 2,545 students

3-year trend

1.522 yrs ago6.821 yr ago1.18Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
24
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
11
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
3

By location

3total
  • On campus3

VAWA offenses

1
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
0
Stalking
1 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs07
Liquor07

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
11.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
119

Canisius vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Canisius selected for federal comparison reporting.

IPEDS
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
SubjectCanisius University
66%—2,451$17,940Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Iona University
56%86.9%3,958$29,188Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Le Moyne College
73%83.0%3,091$22,277Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Niagara University
74%87.4%4,033$17,248Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Saint Francis University
74%76.8%2,963$23,526Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
St Bonaventure University
67%81.6%2,752$27,074Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Peer group median70%83.0%3,027$22,902

Institutions like Canisius

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

IPEDS

Canisius Institutional Research office

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

Office
Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness
Reports to Office of Academic Affairs

The Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness is the primary resource at Canisius University for accurate, timely, and consistent data on the University and its constituents. We aim to partner with other University leaders to use data as a strategic asset and report institutional data to various agencies.

Visit IR office page
Team
1 member
  • Lauren Young
    Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness

Reports & documents (2)

Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

Grants & funding (1)

Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.

USA Spending

Notable alumni of Canisius (23)

A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.

  • Sister Marion Beiter
    Academia
  • James Demske, S.J.
    Academia
  • Michael Buczkowski
    Business
  • George Mathewson
    Business
  • John W. Rowe
    Business
  • Anne Burrell
    Journalism
  • Elizabeth MacDonald
    Journalism
  • Elaine Sciolino
    Journalism
  • Adam Zyglis
    Journalism
  • Michael Scheuer
    Politics, government, and law
  • Dennis Thomas Flynn
    Politics, government, and law
  • John J. LaFalce
    Politics, government, and law
Showing 1–12 of 23
1 / 2

Frequently asked questions about Canisius University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Canisius.

What is the graduation rate at Canisius University?

Canisius University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 66% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Canisius University?

Canisius University reports a total enrollment of 2,451 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Canisius University?

The average net price at Canisius University is $17,940 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Canisius University?

Canisius University's yield rate is 13.1%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Canisius University located?

Canisius University is located in Buffalo, New York 14208-1098.

Who runs Institutional Research at Canisius University?

Canisius University's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness, which reports to Office of Academic Affairs.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
U.S. Department of Education
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
U.S. Department of Education
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

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