About
Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit is a private Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened as the Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost in October 1878 with an enrollment of 40 students and a faculty of six. In 1911, the college became the first Catholic university-level institution in Pennsylvania. It is named for an 18th-century governor of New France, Michel-Ange Duquesne de Menneville.
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 141 Title IV programs, 49 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 3 fail. 89 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing49 · 34.8%
- No Data89 · 63.1%
- Failing3 · 2.1%
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.
Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Programmatic accreditations · 16
Action history · 18
- Dec 2023Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy (OTD) - Programs leading to a Doctoral Degree
- Aug 2023Warning or Equivalent-Factors Affecting Academic QualityAmerican Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy (OTD) - Programs leading to a Doctoral Degree
- Jul 2023Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs
- May 2023Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar · Law (LAW) - Professional schools
- Nov 2022Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation · School Psychology (SCPSY) - PhD Doctoral 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, 1,418 students received $8.1M in Pell grants, alongside $104.5M 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 1,933 borrowers who entered repayment, 24 (1.2%) 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 Duquesne
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 campus11
- Public property2
Includes 5 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
- Brottier Hall1 fireCookingDamage $50,000-$99,999
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Duquesne vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Duquesne 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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectDuquesne University | 77% | — | 8,234 | $34,978 | R2 Research |
Boston College | 91% | 16.4% | 15,432 | $39,866 | R1 Research |
Creighton University | 83% | 79.8% | 8,581 | $32,380 | R2 Research |
DePaul University | 68% | 75.9% | 21,210 | $29,141 | R2 Research |
Fordham University | 82% | 59.3% | 16,150 | $42,581 | R2 Research |
Georgetown University | 95% | 12.9% | 20,031 | $39,433 | R1 Research |
Gonzaga University | 86% | 81.7% | 7,470 | $36,371 | Doctoral/Professional |
Loyola Marymount University | 79% | 45.1% | 10,179 | $45,723 | R2 Research |
Loyola University Chicago | 75% | 81.6% | 17,384 | $35,196 | R2 Research |
Marquette University | 83% | 81.3% | 11,746 | $29,237 | R2 Research |
Saint Louis University | 80% | 75.0% | 17,059 | $27,075 | R2 Research |
Santa Clara University | 88% | 48.0% | 9,728 | $50,959 | Doctoral/Professional |
Seton Hall University | 69% | 73.3% | 9,571 | $28,921 | R2 Research |
The Catholic University of America | 79% | 82.8% | 5,243 | $32,798 | R2 Research |
University of Dayton | 80% | 65.4% | 10,506 | $31,236 | R2 Research |
University of Notre Dame | 95% | 11.3% | 13,042 | $27,823 | R1 Research |
University of San Diego | 84% | 52.4% | 9,714 | $31,265 | R2 Research |
University of San Francisco | 70% | 61.7% | 8,913 | $39,495 | Doctoral/Professional |
University of St Thomas | 77% | 85.4% | 9,410 | $30,525 | Doctoral/Professional |
Villanova University | 92% | 27.0% | 10,041 | $44,876 | R2 Research |
| Peer group median | 81% | 65.4% | 10,110 | $33,888 |
Duquesne Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The Office of Institutional Research and Planning provides analytical support services to University management and employees, including enrollment forecasting, analytics, and research support.
Visit IR office pageCommon Data Set (6)
The institution's official annual Common Data Set publications — the most detailed reference for enrollment, admissions, and outcomes.
Reports & documents (6)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DashboardDashboardservices.duq.edu
- Data definitionInstitutional Research ResourcesThe Institutional Research Resources page at Duquesne University provides information about various resources and organizations related to institutional research, including federal and state resources, and major associations. It defines key terms important for understanding the data and systems used in higher education institutions.duq.edu
- Data dictionaryDuquesne University Fact Book2026Duquesne University's Fact Book is a comprehensive resource providing detailed data across various institutional aspects, such as student enrollment, graduation rates, academic programs, completions, employee demographics, and financial information. It includes historical and current data on enrollment figures, degrees awarded, faculty and staff demographics, and financial statements. The Fact Book also presents official university data through interactive dashboards aligned with IPEDS standards.duq.edu
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- FactbookDuquesne University Fact Book2026Duquesne University's Fact Book for 2025-2026 provides comprehensive data on various institutional metrics, including student enrollment, graduation rates, degrees awarded, employee demographics, and financial information. The Fact Book also includes interactive dashboards and other resources, offering an in-depth overview of the university's operations and outcomes.duq.edu
- GlossaryInstitutional Research ResourcesThe Institutional Research Resources page at Duquesne University is a comprehensive guide to the terms and resources related to university data and statistics. It provides definitions and explanations for various institutional and federal data resources, including the National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS Data Center, College Navigator, and College Scorecard. It also covers support and governance organizations such as the Pittsburgh Council on Higher Education, the American Association of University Professors, and the Association of Institutional Research, among others. These resources are vital for data analysis, policy formulation, and ensuring educational excellence and institutional effectiveness.duq.edu
Grants & funding (4)
Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.
- opportunityCharles Henry Leach II FundDuquesne Universityinstitution_site$25,000
- opportunityFaculty Development Fund (FDF) AwardDuquesne Universityinstitution_site$20,000
- opportunityHunkele Dreaded Disease AwardDuquesne Universityinstitution_site$10,000
- opportunityPresidential Faculty Summer Writing AwardDuquesne Universityinstitution_site$5,000
Notable alumni of Duquesne (19)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Bill HillgroveMedia
- John ClaytonMedia
- Terry McGovernMedia
- Pat DudleyBusiness
- Daniel DiNardoReligion
- Adam Joseph Cardinal MaidaReligion
- David ZubikReligion
- Donn ClendenonSports
- Chuck CooperSports
- Art RooneySports
- Dan RooneySports
- Dwayne WoodruffSports
Frequently asked questions about Duquesne University
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Duquesne.
What is the graduation rate at Duquesne University?
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What is the average net price at Duquesne University?
What is the yield rate at Duquesne University?
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Who runs Institutional Research at Duquesne University?
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