Canisius University
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.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 9.0-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 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.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing26 · 33.8%
- No Data50 · 64.9%
- Failing1 · 1.3%
Severity spectrum
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.
Near the line (±5%)
Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Programmatic accreditations · 1
Action history · 2
- Jun 2025Renewal of AccreditationMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
- Mar 2019Grant Substantive Change: DegreeMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 631 students received $3.7M in Pell grants, alongside $14.4M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
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.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 947 borrowers who entered repayment, 13 (1.3%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* 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.
Academic programs at Canisius
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 11
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus15
- Non-campus2
Includes 2 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Canisius vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Canisius selected for federal comparison reporting.
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 | $18,322 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Iona University | 56% | 86.9% | 3,958 | $27,951 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Le Moyne College | 73% | 83.0% | 3,091 | $21,547 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Niagara University | 74% | 87.4% | 4,033 | $18,740 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Saint Francis University | 74% | 76.8% | 2,963 | $19,173 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
St Bonaventure University | 67% | 81.6% | 2,752 | $27,151 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
| Peer group median | 70% | 83.0% | 3,027 | $20,360 |
Canisius Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
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- Lauren YoungDirector of Institutional Research and Effectiveness
Reports & documents (2)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- Strategic planAnswer The Call: The Strategic Plan for Canisius UniversityThe Strategic Plan for Canisius University outlines a vision to address current global challenges by embracing Jesuit values and community action. It focuses on four main themes: academic excellence, student success, institutional sustainability, and community engagement, aimed at equipping students for leadership and systemic change. Key initiatives include program expansion, mentorship development, fundraising, and fostering inclusive excellence, all to reinforce Canisius University's role as a leader in education and community service.canisius.edu
Grants & funding (1)
Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.
Notable alumni of Canisius (23)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Sister Marion BeiterAcademia
- James Demske, S.J.Academia
- Michael BuczkowskiBusiness
- George MathewsonBusiness
- John W. RoweBusiness
- Anne BurrellJournalism
- Elizabeth MacDonaldJournalism
- Elaine SciolinoJournalism
- Adam ZyglisJournalism
- Michael ScheuerPolitics, government, and law
- Dennis Thomas FlynnPolitics, government, and law
- John J. LaFalcePolitics, government, and law
Frequently asked questions about Canisius University
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Canisius.
What is the graduation rate at Canisius University?
How many students attend Canisius University?
What is the average net price at Canisius University?
What is the yield rate at Canisius University?
Where is Canisius University located?
Who runs Institutional Research at Canisius University?
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