Capital University
About
Capital University is a private university in Bexley, Ohio, United States. Capital was founded as the Theological Seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Ohio in 1830 and later was associated with that synod's successor, the American Lutheran Church. The university has undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as a law school and seminary. Capital University is the oldest university in central Ohio and is one of the oldest and largest Lutheran-affiliated universities in North America.
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 15.0-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.
Of 50 Title IV programs, 21 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 29 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing21 · 42.0%
- No Data29 · 58.0%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
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.
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.
Higher Learning Commission
Programmatic accreditations · 4
Action history · 4
- Jan 2023Renewal of AccreditationHigher Learning Commission
- Sep 2020Renewal of AccreditationCommission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
- Sep 2020Renewal of AccreditationCommission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the graduate degree levels
- Aug 2014Change in Agency recognitionNational Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation · Music (MUS) - Institutions and units within institutions offering degree-granting and/or non-degree-granting programs
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, 724 students received $4.2M in Pell grants, alongside $24.6M 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 1,019 borrowers who entered repayment, 18 (1.7%) 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 Capital
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 campus5
- Public property13
Includes 3 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
- Capital Commons1 fireCookingDamage $0-$99
- Saylor Ackermann Hall1 fireOtherDamage $100-$999
- Schaaf Hall1 fireElectricalDamage $100-$999
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Capital vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Capital 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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectCapital University | 60% | — | 2,263 | $22,576 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
| 67% | 75.7% | 3,305 | $27,603 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 73% | 83.0% | 3,091 | $22,277 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 58% | 96.9% | 2,557 | $31,152 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 54% | 93.2% | 4,060 | $29,137 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 72% | 60.6% | 2,530 | $23,388 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 73% | 74.7% | 2,401 | $29,357 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 72% | 74.4% | 3,140 | $24,478 | Baccalaureate | |
| 65% | 77.0% | 2,966 | $22,857 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 68% | 84.5% | 2,332 | $19,237 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs | |
| 73% | 84.5% | 1,323 | $25,239 | Baccalaureate | |
| 62% | 83.4% | 2,261 | $24,488 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 74% | 71.9% | 2,599 | $30,587 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 74% | 66.4% | 3,693 | $28,945 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 71% | 93.0% | 2,930 | $27,846 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 56% | 66.5% | 5,000 | $21,602 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 57% | 43.0% | 2,316 | $22,235 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 70% | 89.4% | 2,579 | $18,578 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 63% | 90.6% | 5,381 | $27,743 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| Peer group median | 68% | 80.0% | 2,599 | $24,488 |
Institutions like Capital
Explore the federal data for institutions in Capital's comparison group.
- Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsOhio
Baldwin Wallace University
Grad rate67%Admit rate75.7%Enrollment3,305Net price$27,603View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsNew York
Le Moyne College
Grad rate73%Admit rate83.0%Enrollment3,091Net price$22,277View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalMassachusetts
Lesley University
Grad rate58%Admit rate96.9%Enrollment2,557Net price$31,152View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalVirginia
Marymount University
Grad rate54%Admit rate93.2%Enrollment4,060Net price$29,137View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPennsylvania
Marywood University
Grad rate72%Admit rate60.6%Enrollment2,530Net price$23,388View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsNew York
Nazareth University
Grad rate73%Admit rate74.7%Enrollment2,401Net price$29,357View data - BaccalaureateOhio
Ohio Northern University
Grad rate72%Admit rate74.4%Enrollment3,140Net price$24,478View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalOklahoma
Oklahoma City University
Grad rate65%Admit rate77.0%Enrollment2,966Net price$22,857View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium ProgramsOhio
Otterbein University
Grad rate68%Admit rate84.5%Enrollment2,332Net price$19,237View data - BaccalaureateVermont
Saint Michael's College
Grad rate73%Admit rate84.5%Enrollment1,323Net price$25,239View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalWashington
Seattle Pacific University
Grad rate62%Admit rate83.4%Enrollment2,261Net price$24,488View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalMassachusetts
Springfield College
Grad rate74%Admit rate71.9%Enrollment2,599Net price$30,587View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalNew York
St. John Fisher University
Grad rate74%Admit rate66.4%Enrollment3,693Net price$28,945View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalMinnesota
The College of Saint Scholastica
Grad rate71%Admit rate93.0%Enrollment2,930Net price$27,846View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalIndiana
University of Indianapolis
Grad rate56%Admit rate66.5%Enrollment5,000Net price$21,602View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalVirginia
University of Lynchburg
Grad rate57%Admit rate43.0%Enrollment2,316Net price$22,235View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalIndiana
Valparaiso University
Grad rate70%Admit rate89.4%Enrollment2,579Net price$18,578View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalPennsylvania
Wilkes University
Grad rate63%Admit rate90.6%Enrollment5,381Net price$27,743View data
Capital Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The mission of the Office of Institutional Research (OIR) is to support decision-making, planning and evaluation activities of Capital University leadership by conducting studies related to ongoing academic affairs and institutional effectiveness.
Visit IR office page- Jens Hemmingsen, Ph.D.Director, Office of Institutional Research
Reports & documents (1)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
Notable alumni of Capital (23)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Hanif AbdurraqibLiterature
- Ron AmstutzPolitics
- Tim AyersPolitics
- David F. BowersPhilosophy
- C.C. FinlayLiterature
- Robert S. GraetzReligion
- Jay HottingerPolitics
- Arnett HowardMusic
- Chris JamisonMusic
- Theodore E. LongEducation
- Louis H. MackeyPhilosophy
- Fernando Malvar-RuizMusic
Frequently asked questions about Capital University
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Capital.
What is the graduation rate at Capital University?
How many students attend Capital University?
What is the average net price at Capital University?
What is the yield rate at Capital University?
Where is Capital University located?
Who runs Institutional Research at Capital University?
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.
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