Saint Joseph's University - Lancaster
About
Saint Joseph's University is a private Jesuit university in Philadelphia and Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, United States. The university was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1851 as Saint Joseph's College, named after Saint Joseph. It is the seventh oldest Jesuit university in the United States and the sixth largest university in Philadelphia. The university has an additional campus in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
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
Pell and non-Pell students graduate at nearly identical rates, a notably small equity gap.
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 15 Title IV programs, 0 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 15 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing0 · 0.0%
- No Data15 · 100.0%
- 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.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Programmatic accreditations · 4
Action history · 13
- Jul 2025Loss of Accreditation or Preaccreditation: OtherMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
- Mar 2025Grant Substantive Change: OtherAccreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (ADNUR) - Associate degree programs
- Dec 2023Grant Substantive Change: OtherAccreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (ADNUR) - Associate degree programs
- Sep 2023Grant Substantive Change: OwnershipMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
- Sep 2023Grant Substantive Change: OtherJoint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers
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.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 1,732 borrowers who entered repayment, 21 (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 SJU
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
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
- Non-campus100
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.
SJU vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions SJU 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 Joseph's University - Lancaster | 69% | — | 1,439 | $42,478 | — |
| 37% | 33.7% | 1,861 | $30,135 | — | |
| 36% | 78.2% | 1,121 | $19,241 | — | |
| 44% | 98.7% | 1,191 | $18,552 | — | |
| — | — | 2,970 | $29,249 | Baccalaureate | |
| — | 50.0% | 530 | $36,863 | — | |
| 56% | 93.2% | 1,096 | $17,989 | — | |
| 49% | 73.4% | 1,067 | $21,863 | — | |
| 50% | 58.9% | 717 | $18,378 | — | |
| — | 97.5% | 1,069 | $16,636 | — | |
| Peer group median | 49% | 75.8% | 1,109 | $20,552 |
Institutions like SJU
Explore the federal data for institutions in SJU's comparison group.
- Florida
AdventHealth University
Grad rate37%Admit rate33.7%Enrollment1,861Net price$30,135View data - Nebraska
Clarkson College
Grad rate36%Admit rate78.2%Enrollment1,121Net price$19,241View data - Louisiana
Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University
Grad rate44%Admit rate98.7%Enrollment1,191Net price$18,552View data - BaccalaureateConnecticut
Goodwin University
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment2,970Net price$29,249View data - Massachusetts
Laboure College of Healthcare
Grad rate—Admit rate50.0%Enrollment530Net price$36,863View data - Ohio
Mercy College of Ohio
Grad rate56%Admit rate93.2%Enrollment1,096Net price$17,989View data - Nebraska
Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health
Grad rate49%Admit rate73.4%Enrollment1,067Net price$21,863View data - Ohio
The Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Grad rate50%Admit rate58.9%Enrollment717Net price$18,378View data - New York
Trocaire College
Grad rate—Admit rate97.5%Enrollment1,069Net price$16,636View data
Campus network
SJU is a campus of a larger institution. See its main campus and the other campuses in the same network.
SJU Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
Institutional Research and Enrollment Analytics provides decision support and analysis to the Saint Joseph’s University community.
Visit IR office page- Deanna M AchornDirector of Institutional Research and Decision Support
Common Data Set
SJU's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.
Source publications
Reports & documents (3)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DashboardDashboardsdgdashboard.sju.edu
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- Strategic planSaint Joseph’s University’s Strategic Plan 20262023Saint Joseph’s University’s Strategic Plan 2026 outlines a bold path forward aimed at enhancing student success through academic excellence, expanding learning opportunities, and deepening transformative student experiences. Emphasizing the Jesuit mission, the plan also focuses on strengthening community partnerships and fostering sustainability. The plan seeks to adapt to the evolving higher education environment by promoting fiscal sustainability and inclusivity within the university culture.sju.edu
Frequently asked questions about Saint Joseph's University - Lancaster
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about SJU.
What is the graduation rate at Saint Joseph's University - Lancaster?
How many students attend Saint Joseph's University - Lancaster?
What is the average net price at Saint Joseph's University - Lancaster?
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Where is Saint Joseph's University - Lancaster located?
Who runs Institutional Research at Saint Joseph's University - Lancaster?
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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