BaccalaureatePrivate nonprofit

Denison University

Granville, Ohio·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Great Lakes·denison.edu
6-yr Graduation
79%
+2.5pp vs Baccalaureate
Total enrollment
2,394
peer median 1,994
Avg net price
$38,111
+$11k vs Baccalaureate
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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
15,012
15,012 candidates competed
Admitted
2,611
17.4% acceptance rate
Enrolled
621
23.8% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
79%+2.5pp vs Baccalaureate
4-year graduation
72%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
79%
Full-time retention
89%

Pell equity

2.0pp gap
Pell recipients
82%
Non-Pell
80%

Pell and non-Pell students graduate at nearly identical rates — a notably small equity gap.

Program outcomes

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

Of 45 Title IV programs, 6 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 39 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
45
Passing
6
13.3% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

45programs
  • Passing6 · 13.3%
  • No Data39 · 86.7%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
6
No data
39

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.

6
Sociology and Anthropology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+40.9%
$49,035 vs $34,808
Romance Languages Literatures and Linguistics
Bachelor Degree · Foreign Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
+41.8%
$49,358 vs $34,808
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+59.9%
$55,654 vs $34,808
Education General
Bachelor Degree · Education
+88.0%
$65,429 vs $34,808
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+91.7%
$66,730 vs $34,808
Economics
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+179.8%
$97,394 vs $34,808

Debt vs earnings

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

6
Sociology and Anthropology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
53%
$25,752 debt · $49,035 earn
Romance Languages Literatures and Linguistics
Bachelor Degree · Foreign Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
49%
$24,375 debt · $49,358 earn
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
46%
$25,723 debt · $55,654 earn
Education General
Bachelor Degree · Education
41%
$26,897 debt · $65,429 earn
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
35%
$23,093 debt · $66,730 earn
Economics
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
26%
$25,000 debt · $97,394 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1913Next review Aug 2030

Action history · 1

  1. Jul 2020Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission

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$15,093
$30–48k$12,775
$48–75k$15,451
$75–110k$29,492
$110k+$46,510

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

Avg net price (private)
$38,111
+$10,537vs Baccalaureate median $27,575
Federal loans
52.4%
In-state tuition
$64,000
Out-of-state
$64,000

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 368 students received $2.2M in Pell grants, alongside $8.8M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
368
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$2.2M
$2,229,134 total
Direct Loans
$8.8M
1,208 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
0k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$1.8M
398 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$3.1M
683 loan awards
Parent PLUS$3.9M
127 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 331 borrowers who entered repayment, 2 (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
331
Defaulted
2
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
3.3%
2017
2.4%
2018
0.8%
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 Denison

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs51
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

505 total completions
01Social Sciences
12825.3%
02Communication
6512.9%
03Business
5510.9%
04Biological Sciences
5110.1%
05Psychology
448.7%
06Multi/Interdisciplinary
418.1%
07Visual/Performing Arts
418.1%
08Computer Sciences
285.5%
09Parks/Recreation
265.1%
10Natural Resources
265.1%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
2,394
12-mo unduplicated
2,518
Undergraduate
2,518
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
47%1,190
Women
53%1,328

Race / ethnicity composition

White
60.3%
Non-resident
17.1%
Hispanic
7.1%
Black
5.4%
Asian
4.3%
Two or more
4.3%
Unknown
1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.0%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
610
360 M · 250 W
Women athletes
41.0%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$8.9M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$63K
$39K
Head-coach salaries
$50K
$48K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 14

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
103 M · 75 W
$476K
Football
111 M ·
$696K
Lacrosse
50 M · 38 W
$792K
Swimming and Diving (combined)
41 M · 42 W
$793K
Soccer
28 M · 26 W
$535K
Baseball
39 M ·
$439K

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
7.45
18 offenses · 2,416 students

3-year trend

13.732 yrs ago9.051 yr ago7.45Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
70
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
36
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
10

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
11
Fondling
5
Burglary
1
Aggravated assault
1

By location

18total
  • On campus18

Includes 15 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
5
Dating violence
9
Stalking
14 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs041
Liquor048

Residence-hall fires

  • Crawford Hall1 fire
    CookingDamage $100-$999
  • Schaff Hall1 fire
    CookingDamage $100-$999

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
9.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
249

Denison vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Denison 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
SubjectDenison University
79%2,394$38,111Baccalaureate
Kenyon College
82%31.0%2,249$29,383Baccalaureate
The College of Wooster
74%59.5%1,738$25,766Baccalaureate
Oberlin College
81%34.2%2,909$39,184Baccalaureate
Ohio Wesleyan University
59%55.6%1,525$21,619Baccalaureate
Wittenberg University
53%72.3%1,285$19,470Baccalaureate
Peer group median77%55.6%1,994$27,575

Frequently asked questions about Denison University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Denison.

What is the graduation rate at Denison University?

Denison University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 79% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Denison University?

Denison University reports a total enrollment of 2,394 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Denison University?

The average net price at Denison University is $38,111 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Denison University?

Denison University's yield rate is 23.8%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Denison University located?

Denison University is located in Granville, Ohio 43023.

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