Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium ProgramsPrivate nonprofit

Nichols College

Dudley, Massachusetts·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·New England·nichols.edu
6-yr Graduation
63%
+4.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Total enrollment
1,392
peer median 1,330
Avg net price
$31,065
+$1.9k vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
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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
2,296
2,296 candidates competed
Admitted
1,856
80.8% acceptance rate
Enrolled
336
18.1% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
63%+4.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
4-year graduation
61%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
63%
Full-time retention
72%

Pell equity

9.0pp gap
Pell recipients
52%
Non-Pell
61%

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 34 Title IV programs, 11 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 23 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
34
Passing
11
32.4% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

34programs
  • Passing11 · 32.4%
  • No Data23 · 67.6%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
11
No data
23

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.

11
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+33.9%
$52,824 vs $39,449
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+35.7%
$53,531 vs $39,449
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+36.1%
$91,050 vs $66,899
Accounting and Related Services
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+44.1%
$96,385 vs $66,899
Marketing
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+53.0%
$60,365 vs $39,449
Business/Commerce General
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+59.5%
$62,926 vs $39,449
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+60.5%
$63,297 vs $39,449
International Business
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+73.9%
$68,608 vs $39,449

Debt vs earnings

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

8
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
51%
$27,000 debt · $52,824 earn
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
50%
$27,000 debt · $53,531 earn
Marketing
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
43%
$26,000 debt · $60,365 earn
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
36%
$27,000 debt · $75,321 earn
Business/Commerce General
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
34%
$21,580 debt · $62,926 earn
Finance and Financial Management Services
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
31%
$25,261 debt · $81,485 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
31%
$28,040 debt · $91,050 earn
Accounting and Related Services
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
29%
$23,000 debt · $78,894 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

New England Commission of Higher Education

Accredited since 1965Next review Jun 2035

Action history · 2

  1. Apr 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    New England Commission of Higher Education
  2. Apr 2015Renewal of Accreditation
    New England Commission of Higher Education

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$27,176
$30–48k$27,084
$48–75k$28,420
$75–110k$31,323
$110k+$34,586

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

Avg net price (private)
$31,065
+$1,941vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs median $29,125
Federal loans
74.1%
In-state tuition
$40,375
Out-of-state
$40,375

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 365 students received $2.0M in Pell grants, alongside $11.4M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
365
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$2.0M
$1,982,056 total
Direct Loans
$11.4M
1,698 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$2.4M
592 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$3.0M
822 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$837K
60 loan awards
Parent PLUS$5.1M
224 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 482 borrowers who entered repayment, 18 (3.7%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
3.7%
+1.4pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
482
Defaulted
18
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
6.5%
2017
10.8%
2018
7.7%
2019
3.7%
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 Nichols College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs22
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

369 total completions
01Business
26271.0%
02Security/Protective
5113.8%
03Parks/Recreation
277.3%
04Psychology
226.0%
05Multi/Interdisciplinary
41.1%
06Communication
30.8%
07Social Sciences
00.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
1,392
12-mo unduplicated
1,526
Undergraduate
1,223
Graduate
303

Gender split

Men
64%976
Women
36%550

Race / ethnicity composition

White
72.1%
Hispanic
10.2%
Black
8.9%
Two or more
3.6%
Non-resident
2.8%
Unknown
1.2%
Asian
1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
509
342 M · 167 W
Women athletes
32.8%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$4.5M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$45K
$39K
Head-coach salaries
$40K
$37K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 14

Football
121 M ·
$444K
Soccer
32 M · 26 W
$259K
Lacrosse
31 M · 21 W
$333K
Baseball
52 M ·
$321K
Ice Hockey
26 M · 23 W
$427K
Other Sports
26 M · 17 W
$58K

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
6.41
9 offenses · 1,403 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago6.281 yr ago6.41Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
18
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
4
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
1

Criminal offenses by type

Aggravated assault
4
Burglary
2
Fondling
2
Rape
1

By location

9total
  • On campus5
  • Public property4

Includes 3 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
2
Dating violence
0
Stalking
2 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs00
Liquor048

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
15.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
49

Nichols College vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Nichols College 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
SubjectNichols College
63%1,392$31,065Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Anna Maria College
46%50.3%1,202$29,396Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
College of Our Lady of the Elms
68%85.3%1,268$21,436Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Assumption University
75%83.0%2,037$28,853Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Albertus Magnus College
50%59.3%1,239$32,681Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Franklin Pierce University
54%93.5%1,654$26,906Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Peer group median59%83.0%1,330$29,125

Frequently asked questions about Nichols College

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Nichols College.

What is the graduation rate at Nichols College?

Nichols College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 63% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Nichols College?

Nichols College reports a total enrollment of 1,392 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Nichols College?

The average net price at Nichols College is $31,065 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Nichols College?

Nichols College's yield rate is 18.1%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Nichols College located?

Nichols College is located in Dudley, Massachusetts 01571-5000.

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