Doctoral/ProfessionalPrivate nonprofit

Suffolk University

Boston, Massachusetts·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·New England·suffolk.edu
6-yr Graduation
61%
-3.0pp vs Doctoral/Professional
Total enrollment
6,356
peer median 4,170
Avg net price
$30,031
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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
10,308
10,308 candidates competed
Admitted
8,487
82.3% acceptance rate
Enrolled
923
10.9% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
61%-3.0pp vs Doctoral/Professional
4-year graduation
49%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
61%
Full-time retention
75%

Pell equity

12.0pp gap
Pell recipients
55%
Non-Pell
67%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 12.0-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 89 Title IV programs, 30 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 58 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
89
Passing
30
33.7% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
1.1% of portfolio
Fail rate
1.1%
+0.5pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

89programs
  • Passing30 · 33.7%
  • No Data58 · 65.2%
  • Failing1 · 1.1%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
1
At Risk
0
Watch
2
Safe
28
No data
58

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.

31
English Language and Literature/Letters Other
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
-3.3%
$38,139 vs $39,449
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+10.4%
$43,553 vs $39,449
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+23.3%
$76,289 vs $61,854
Marketing
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+27.9%
$85,595 vs $66,899
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+32.8%
$52,398 vs $39,449
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+37.2%
$54,117 vs $39,449
Journalism
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+45.0%
$57,220 vs $39,449
Educational Administration and Supervision
Master's Degree · Education
+48.8%
$69,052 vs $46,391

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

1
English Language and Literature/Letters Other
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
-3.3%
$1,310

Debt vs earnings

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

26
Law
Doctoral Degree · Legal Professions And Studies
113%
$116,969 debt · $103,969 earn
English Language and Literature/Letters Other
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
71%
$27,000 debt · $38,139 earn
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
62%
$27,000 debt · $43,553 earn
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
54%
$41,000 debt · $76,289 earn
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
52%
$27,000 debt · $52,398 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
50%
$27,000 debt · $54,117 earn
Design and Applied Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
45%
$27,000 debt · $60,159 earn
Educational Administration and Supervision
Master's Degree · Education
45%
$30,900 debt · $69,052 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

New England Commission of Higher Education

Accredited since 1952Next review Jun 2033

Programmatic accreditations · 6

Action history · 12

  1. Jan 2026Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: Probation
    Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RADTT) - Programs for radiation therapists
  2. Aug 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Medical Dosimetry (MD) - Programs for medical dosimetrists
  3. Mar 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    New England Commission of Higher Education
  4. Nov 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RADTT) - Programs for radiation therapists
  5. Oct 2022Renewal of Accreditation
    American Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation · Clinical Psychology (CLPSY) - PhD Doctoral programs

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$25,575
$30–48k$26,678
$48–75k$27,191
$75–110k$29,230
$110k+$35,802

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

Avg net price (private)
$30,031
vs Doctoral/Professional median $30,031
Federal loans
56.0%
In-state tuition
$45,380
Out-of-state
$45,380

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 1,640 students received $9.8M in Pell grants, alongside $75.5M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
1,640
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$9.8M
$9,785,704 total
Direct Loans
$75.5M
6,709 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
20
1k
21
1k
22
1k
23
2k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$9.4M
2,107 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$8.6M
2,527 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$20.5M
1,006 loan awards
Parent PLUS$13.8M
543 loan awards
Grad PLUS$23.2M
526 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 1,592 borrowers who entered repayment, 23 (1.4%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.4%
-0.9pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
1,592
Defaulted
23
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
3.9%
2017
4.0%
2018
4.3%
2019
1.4%
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 Suffolk

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs91
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

1,862 total completions
01Business
70738.0%
02Legal Professions
50827.3%
03Social Sciences
1166.2%
04Psychology
1105.9%
05Communication
1105.9%
06Visual/Performing Arts
754.0%
07Health Professions
653.5%
08Public Admin
583.1%
09Computer Sciences
573.1%
10Security/Protective
563.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
6,356
12-mo unduplicated
7,246
Undergraduate
4,814
Graduate
2,432

Gender split

Men
37%2,703
Women
63%4,543

Race / ethnicity composition

White
49.7%
Hispanic
17.2%
Non-resident
11.9%
Black
7.8%
Asian
7.1%
Two or more
3.9%
Unknown
2.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.0%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
325
170 M · 155 W
Women athletes
47.7%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$4.0M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$3K
$3K
Head-coach salaries
$45K
$34K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 9

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
60 M · 69 W
$503K
Soccer
34 M · 23 W
$363K
Ice Hockey
29 M · 18 W
$657K
Baseball
30 M ·
$249K
Basketball
16 M · 13 W
$291K
Tennis
14 M · 7 W
$115K

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
1.04
7 offenses · 6,734 students

3-year trend

1.322 yrs ago1.961 yr ago1.04Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
29
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
5
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
2
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
1

Criminal offenses by type

Fondling
3
Aggravated assault
2
Rape
1
Burglary
1

By location

7total
  • On campus4
  • Public property3

Includes 4 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
1
Dating violence
3
Stalking
4 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Disability1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons02
Drugs28
Liquor0114

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)
312

Suffolk vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Suffolk 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
SubjectSuffolk University
61%6,356$30,031Doctoral/Professional
Simmons University
72%70.0%4,666$27,313Doctoral/Professional
Northeastern University Professional Programs
7,411Doctoral/Professional
Lesley University
58%96.9%2,557$31,805Doctoral/Professional
Western New England University
64%83.5%3,674$31,170Doctoral/Professional
Springfield College
74%71.9%2,599$29,187Doctoral/Professional
Peer group median64%77.7%4,170$30,031

Frequently asked questions about Suffolk University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Suffolk.

What is the graduation rate at Suffolk University?

Suffolk University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 61% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Suffolk University?

Suffolk University reports a total enrollment of 6,356 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Suffolk University?

The average net price at Suffolk University is $30,031 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Suffolk University?

Suffolk University's yield rate is 10.9%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Suffolk University located?

Suffolk University is located in Boston, Massachusetts 02108-3901.

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