Dominican University
About
Dominican University (DU) is a private Catholic university in River Forest, Illinois, United States. Affiliated with the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters, it offers bachelor's and master's degrees, certificate programs, and PhDs in information studies and Applied Social Justice. Dominican University has more than 50 majors in the Rosary College of Arts and Sciences and 20 programs in five graduate academic divisions. From 1922 to 1997, the institution was named Rosary College.
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 9.7-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 86 Title IV programs, 22 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 64 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing22 · 25.6%
- No Data64 · 74.4%
- 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 · 6
Action history · 12
- Jul 2025Renewal of AccreditationAcademy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIET) - Coordinated Program in Dietetics
- Jul 2025Renewal of AccreditationAcademy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
- Jul 2025Renewal of AccreditationHigher Learning Commission
- Jul 2024Renewal of AccreditationAcademy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
- Jul 2024Renewal of AccreditationAcademy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIET) - Coordinated Program in Dietetics
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, 1,653 students received $10.0M in Pell grants, alongside $21.5M 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 958 borrowers who entered repayment, 19 (1.9%) 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 Dominican
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 · 9
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 campus4
Includes 4 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
Data quality: 3 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Dominican vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Dominican 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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectDominican University | 55% | — | 3,803 | $11,745 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
| 60% | 80.9% | 5,923 | $18,838 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 57% | 71.3% | 2,005 | $24,691 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs | |
| 70% | 73.6% | 3,997 | $24,185 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 54% | 90.7% | 8,045 | $15,404 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 47% | 94.0% | 2,427 | $40,045 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs | |
| 50% | 64.1% | 2,879 | $13,630 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 56% | 86.9% | 3,958 | $29,188 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 48% | 73.1% | 2,312 | $21,413 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 58% | 68.5% | 2,557 | $16,948 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 63% | 81.4% | 3,033 | $25,578 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 58% | 90.3% | 3,572 | $12,199 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 57% | 84.3% | 3,485 | $10,970 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 59% | 97.8% | 3,456 | $21,145 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 63% | 71.2% | 5,021 | $20,161 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 67% | 65.3% | 3,074 | $13,006 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 69% | 89.9% | 4,301 | $19,359 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 50% | 98.1% | 7,047 | $22,775 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| Peer group median | 57% | 81.4% | 3,529 | $19,760 |
Institutions like Dominican
Explore the federal data for institutions in Dominican's comparison group.
- Doctoral/ProfessionalIllinois
Aurora University
Grad rate60%Admit rate80.9%Enrollment5,923Net price$18,838View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium ProgramsNew Jersey
Caldwell University
Grad rate57%Admit rate71.3%Enrollment2,005Net price$24,691View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsIllinois
Elmhurst University
Grad rate70%Admit rate73.6%Enrollment3,997Net price$24,185View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsNew Jersey
Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus
Grad rate54%Admit rate90.7%Enrollment8,045Net price$15,404View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium ProgramsNew Jersey
Felician University
Grad rate47%Admit rate94.0%Enrollment2,427Net price$40,045View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsCalifornia
Fresno Pacific University
Grad rate50%Admit rate64.1%Enrollment2,879Net price$13,630View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsNew York
Iona University
Grad rate56%Admit rate86.9%Enrollment3,958Net price$29,188View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsCalifornia
Mount Saint Mary's University
Grad rate48%Admit rate73.1%Enrollment2,312Net price$21,413View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsIllinois
North Park University
Grad rate58%Admit rate68.5%Enrollment2,557Net price$16,948View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsTexas
Saint Edward's University
Grad rate63%Admit rate81.4%Enrollment3,033Net price$25,578View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsNew Jersey
Saint Peter's University
Grad rate58%Admit rate90.3%Enrollment3,572Net price$12,199View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsIllinois
Saint Xavier University
Grad rate57%Admit rate84.3%Enrollment3,485Net price$10,970View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsTexas
St. Mary's University
Grad rate59%Admit rate97.8%Enrollment3,456Net price$21,145View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalCalifornia
University of La Verne
Grad rate63%Admit rate71.2%Enrollment5,021Net price$20,161View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalIllinois
University of St Francis
Grad rate67%Admit rate65.3%Enrollment3,074Net price$13,006View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalTexas
University of St Thomas
Grad rate69%Admit rate89.9%Enrollment4,301Net price$19,359View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalTexas
University of the Incarnate Word
Grad rate50%Admit rate98.1%Enrollment7,047Net price$22,775View data
Dominican Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
To inform and facilitate continuous improvement across the University by providing a broad array of research and reporting services to internal and external stakeholders.
Visit IR office page- Elizabeth SilkDirector of Institutional Research
- Dan DominDirector of Academic Assessment, Evaluation and Achievement
Common Data Set
Dominican's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.
Selectivity & Admissions
Admissions funnel
C16,525 applied → 5,715 admitted (87.5%) → 601 enrolled.
Selectivity
C1Accessible — 87.5% acceptance rate.
Admit rate by gender
C1Admit rate varies by gender.
SAT range (middle 50%)
C9Middle 50% SAT 870–1120 (median 990).
ACT range (middle 50%)
C9Middle 50% ACT 20–24 (median 24).
High-school class rank
C10Share of enrolled first-years by HS class-rank band.
What matters in admission
C7Relative importance of each admission factor.
Affordability & Value
Cost of attendance
GTotal sticker cost of attendance is $55,708 (2025-2026).
Sticker vs. net price
G+HSticker $55,708 → about $23,034 net for aided students after the average need-based grant ($32,674); 84% of demonstrated need is met.
Where grant aid comes from
H10% of need-based grant dollars come from the institution itself.
Graduate debt
H4/H562% of graduates borrowed; those who did owed $25,903 on average.
Outcomes & Equity
Graduation & retention
B6-year graduation rate 61%; first-year retention 76%.
Equity: Pell graduation gap
B4Pell-grant recipients graduate 4 pts below the overall rate (57% vs 61%).
Academic Experience
Class-size distribution
I354% of classes have under 20 students; 0% have 50+.
Faculty profile
IKey faculty indicators.
Degrees by discipline
JSTEM-dominant: ~17% of bachelor's degrees are in computing, engineering, math & sciences.
Student Body & Diversity
Undergraduate race/ethnicity
B2Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity.
International students
B20% of undergraduates are international (nonresident).
Undergrad vs graduate
B12,642 undergraduates and 1,161 graduate students.
Transfer Path
Transfer admissions
D1577 transfer applicants → 546 admitted (94.6%) → 185 enrolled
Source publications
Reports & documents (3)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- FactbookInstitutional Data | Dominican University2025The Institutional Data page of Dominican University provides a wide range of reports organized by topics such as enrollment, student demographics, academic programs, student outcomes, and benchmarking data. It includes reports on graduation rates, retention rates, degrees awarded, and faculty salary data, among others. The information is part of the offerings by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and is accessible through the DU Analytics Portal for university community members.dom.edu
- Strategic planThe Next Era of Impact | Dominican UniversityDominican University's Strategic Plan, titled 'The Next Era of Impact,' outlines a vision to become a leader in social and economic mobility for graduates, especially those historically marginalized by higher education. The plan focuses on holistic student engagement, rigorous academic and experiential learning, and the institution's positions in social identity. It sets forth four strategic priorities aiming to enhance its destination appeal, ensure student success, foster community relationships, and ensure sustainable resource management through 2028.dom.edu
Grants & funding (5)
Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.
- opportunityURSCI Summer Scholar GrantDominican Universityinstitution_site$3,000
- opportunityURSCI Career Advancement Through Research AwardDominican Universityinstitution_site$1,500
- opportunityURSCI Research or Conference Travel Support GrantDominican Universityinstitution_site
- opportunityURSCI Research or Conference Travel Support GrantDominican Universityinstitution_site
- opportunityURSCI Student Research Assistant GrantDominican Universityinstitution_site
Frequently asked questions about Dominican University
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Dominican.
What is the graduation rate at Dominican University?
How many students attend Dominican University?
What is the average net price at Dominican University?
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Where is Dominican University located?
Who runs Institutional Research at Dominican 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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