Saint Francis University
About
Saint Francis University (SFU) is a private Catholic university in Loretto, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1847 and conducted under the tradition of the Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular. The university is situated on 600 acres (243 ha) in the forests and farmland of Loretto.
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 16.5-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 102 Title IV programs, 17 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 85 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing17 · 16.7%
- No Data85 · 83.3%
- 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.
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Programmatic accreditations · 5
Action history · 10
- Nov 2025Accreditation Reaffirmed: Probation RemovedAmerican Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education · Physical Therapy (PT) - Professional programs for the physical therapist
- Jun 2025Renewal of AccreditationMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
- Apr 2025Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: Show CauseAmerican Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education · Physical Therapy (PT) - Professional programs for the physical therapist
- Jun 2024Grant Substantive Change: OtherMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
- Apr 2024Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: ProbationAmerican Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education · Physical Therapy (PT) - Professional programs for the physical therapist
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, 490 students received $2.7M in Pell grants, alongside $14.2M 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 600 borrowers who entered repayment, 9 (1.5%) 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 Saint Francis
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 · 14
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 campus6
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
Data quality: 1 report was 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.
Saint Francis vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Saint Francis 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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectSaint Francis University | 74% | — | 2,963 | $23,526 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
| 75% | 83.0% | 2,037 | $29,498 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs | |
| 66% | 72.4% | 2,451 | $17,940 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 72% | 77.1% | 2,972 | $31,643 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 67% | 74.2% | 4,189 | $22,553 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 72% | 75.3% | 6,331 | $38,707 | Baccalaureate | |
| 56% | 86.9% | 3,958 | $29,188 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 60% | 93.1% | 1,939 | $23,093 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs | |
| 58% | 96.6% | 3,153 | $19,409 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 72% | 60.6% | 2,530 | $23,388 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 64% | 81.0% | 2,632 | $19,444 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs | |
| 72% | 70.9% | 2,200 | $37,485 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 72% | 89.0% | 4,767 | $30,988 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 65% | 73.8% | 2,408 | $22,655 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs | |
| 74% | 87.4% | 4,033 | $17,248 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 49% | 89.5% | 7,812 | $14,578 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 61% | 78.6% | 4,003 | $24,792 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 66% | 89.9% | 5,275 | $23,003 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 67% | 79.5% | 1,927 | $22,204 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs | |
| 67% | 81.6% | 2,752 | $27,074 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs | |
| Peer group median | 67% | 81.0% | 2,968 | $23,241 |
Institutions like Saint Francis
Explore the federal data for institutions in Saint Francis's comparison group.
- Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium ProgramsMassachusetts
Assumption University
Grad rate75%Admit rate83.0%Enrollment2,037Net price$29,498View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsNew York
Canisius University
Grad rate66%Admit rate72.4%Enrollment2,451Net price$17,940View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalPennsylvania
DeSales University
Grad rate72%Admit rate77.1%Enrollment2,972Net price$31,643View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalPennsylvania
Gannon University
Grad rate67%Admit rate74.2%Enrollment4,189Net price$22,553View data - BaccalaureateNorth Carolina
High Point University
Grad rate72%Admit rate75.3%Enrollment6,331Net price$38,707View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsNew York
Iona University
Grad rate56%Admit rate86.9%Enrollment3,958Net price$29,188View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium ProgramsPennsylvania
King's College
Grad rate60%Admit rate93.1%Enrollment1,939Net price$23,093View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalPennsylvania
La Salle University
Grad rate58%Admit rate96.6%Enrollment3,153Net price$19,409View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPennsylvania
Marywood University
Grad rate72%Admit rate60.6%Enrollment2,530Net price$23,388View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium ProgramsPennsylvania
Mercyhurst University
Grad rate64%Admit rate81.0%Enrollment2,632Net price$19,444View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalPennsylvania
Misericordia University
Grad rate72%Admit rate70.9%Enrollment2,200Net price$37,485View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsNew Jersey
Monmouth University
Grad rate72%Admit rate89.0%Enrollment4,767Net price$30,988View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium ProgramsMaryland
Mount St. Mary's University
Grad rate65%Admit rate73.8%Enrollment2,408Net price$22,655View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsNew York
Niagara University
Grad rate74%Admit rate87.4%Enrollment4,033Net price$17,248View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalVirginia
Radford University
Grad rate49%Admit rate89.5%Enrollment7,812Net price$14,578View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsNew Jersey
Rider University
Grad rate61%Admit rate78.6%Enrollment4,003Net price$24,792View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalPennsylvania
Robert Morris University
Grad rate66%Admit rate89.9%Enrollment5,275Net price$23,003View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium ProgramsPennsylvania
Seton Hill University
Grad rate67%Admit rate79.5%Enrollment1,927Net price$22,204View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium ProgramsNew York
St Bonaventure University
Grad rate67%Admit rate81.6%Enrollment2,752Net price$27,074View data
Saint Francis Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The mission of Institutional Research & Effectiveness is to supply accurate, meaningful information in support of administrative and academic decision making. This includes developing and maintaining procedures for data collection and dissemination, assisting with financial analysis and reporting; coordinating the dissemination of information to both internal and external communities, providing data support for the budget planning process, maintaining an information clearinghouse for pertinent statistical data and strategic reports, and providing data support for the institutional assessment process.
Visit IR office page- Mrs. Tammy K GraessleDirector
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 planFrancis 2026: Thy Will Be Done2022Saint Francis University's strategic plan, Francis 2026: Thy Will Be Done, aligns with its mission and Franciscan values to guide the University's actions through 2026. The plan emphasizes deepening faith, supporting student transformation into ethical leaders, and enhancing financial and operational sustainability. Key strategies include growing the University's endowment, enhancing academic programs, and fostering a welcoming community that nurtures body, mind, and spirit.francis.edu
Notable alumni of Saint Francis (32)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Kwame Adjeman-PamboeAthletics
- Mubarak AwadPolitics
- Jeff BowerAthletics
- Paul BoytonEntertainment
- James CasorioPolitics
- Kent John ChabotarEducation
- Aaron ClaphamAthletics
- Robert ConwayMilitary
- London FletcherAthletics
- Ed HaydenAthletics
- Michael L. HessPolitics
- Maja KazazicBusiness
Frequently asked questions about Saint Francis University
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Saint Francis.
What is the graduation rate at Saint Francis University?
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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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