DeSales University
About
DeSales University (DSU) is a private Catholic university in Center Valley, Pennsylvania, United States. The university offers traditional, online, and hybrid courses and programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Named for St. Francis de Sales, the university was founded in 1964 as Allentown College of Saint Francis de Sales by the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales.
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 4.0-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 75 Title IV programs, 19 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 56 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing19 · 25.3%
- No Data56 · 74.7%
- 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.
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 · 9
Action history · 6
- Aug 2023Grant Substantive Change: OtherMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
- Oct 2022Accreditation Reaffirmed: Probation RemovedAmerican Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education · Physical Therapy (PT) - Professional programs for the physical therapist
- 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
- Sep 2020Renewal of AccreditationCommission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNDNP) - Nursing education programs at the doctorate degree levels
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, 717 students received $3.7M in Pell grants, alongside $23.7M 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 781 borrowers who entered repayment, 8 (1.0%) 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 DeSales
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
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.
DeSales vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions DeSales 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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectDeSales University | 72% | — | 2,972 | $30,465 | Doctoral/Professional |
Arcadia University | 67% | 80.2% | 3,404 | $25,866 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Drew University | 70% | 67.8% | 2,232 | $25,644 | Baccalaureate |
Elizabethtown College | 76% | 77.9% | 2,283 | $26,198 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs |
Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus | 66% | 95.2% | 2,885 | $24,415 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Gettysburg College | 83% | 38.9% | 2,812 | $30,086 | Baccalaureate |
Juniata College | 74% | 78.9% | 1,321 | $27,663 | Baccalaureate |
King's College | 60% | 93.1% | 1,939 | $23,281 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
La Salle University | 58% | 96.6% | 3,153 | $21,409 | Doctoral/Professional |
Lebanon Valley College | 65% | 83.8% | 2,146 | $28,132 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs |
Loyola University Maryland | 79% | 75.5% | 4,897 | $29,633 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Messiah University | 75% | 79.0% | 3,373 | $27,686 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Moravian University | 72% | 54.2% | 2,745 | $29,843 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs |
Mount St. Mary's University | 65% | 73.8% | 2,408 | $24,987 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Muhlenberg College | 82% | 72.0% | 1,788 | $30,314 | Baccalaureate |
Saint Joseph's University - Lancaster | 69% | 41.2% | 1,439 | $37,208 | — |
Susquehanna University | 82% | 81.4% | 2,255 | $26,539 | Baccalaureate |
University of Scranton | 80% | 81.2% | 4,724 | $30,528 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Ursinus College | 73% | 91.8% | 1,502 | $30,485 | Baccalaureate |
Villanova University | 92% | 27.0% | 10,041 | $44,876 | R2 Research |
| Peer group median | 73% | 78.9% | 2,577 | $27,909 |
DeSales Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The Office of Institutional Effectiveness & Research (OIER) serves the entire University community in achieving its mission by collecting, coordinating, analyzing, and disseminating data for University decision-making.
Visit IR office page- Louisa EismannAssistant Director of Effectiveness and Research
- Lisa Plummer, Ed.D.Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Research
Common Data Set (5)
The institution's official annual Common Data Set publications — the most detailed reference for enrollment, admissions, and outcomes.
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 planStrategic Plan 2025-20282025DeSales University's Strategic Plan 2025-2028, titled Onward!, sets a focused vision underpinned by its Catholic, Salesian mission. The plan highlights four main pillars: Academic Excellence & Innovation, Student Experience, Visibility & Growth, and Stewardship. Progress will be monitored through specific goals, actions, and outcomes with annual reports to track the university's advancements.desales.edu
Notable alumni of DeSales (19)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Lisa Banta
- Steve Burns
- Jim Chern
- Jennifer Davenport
- Ilia Delio
- Alexie Gilmore
- Michele Knotz
- Bryan Kohberger
- Peter LawlerAcademia
- Joseph F. Leeson Jr.Law
- Roger MacLean
- Alexander MacNicoll
Frequently asked questions about DeSales University
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about DeSales.
What is the graduation rate at DeSales University?
How many students attend DeSales University?
What is the average net price at DeSales University?
What is the yield rate at DeSales University?
Where is DeSales University located?
Who runs Institutional Research at DeSales University?
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