Doctoral/ProfessionalPrivate nonprofit

Valparaiso University

Valparaiso, Indiana·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Great Lakes·valpo.edu
6-yr Graduation
70%
+5.0pp vs Doctoral/Professional
Total enrollment
2,579
peer median 3,033
Avg net price
$21,583
+$1.4k vs Doctoral/Professional
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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
6,199
6,199 candidates competed
Admitted
5,544
89.4% acceptance rate
Enrolled
534
9.6% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
70%+5.0pp vs Doctoral/Professional
4-year graduation
62%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
70%
Full-time retention
75%

Pell equity

13.0pp gap
Pell recipients
59%
Non-Pell
72%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 13.0-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 104 Title IV programs, 30 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 74 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
104
Passing
30
28.8% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

104programs
  • Passing30 · 28.8%
  • No Data74 · 71.2%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
30
No data
74

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.

30
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+36.9%
$47,644 vs $34,808
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+42.3%
$85,511 vs $60,112
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+44.6%
$50,325 vs $34,808
Romance Languages Literatures and Linguistics
Bachelor Degree · Foreign Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
+45.3%
$50,588 vs $34,808
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+50.7%
$52,439 vs $34,808
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
+53.7%
$53,495 vs $34,808
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Bachelor Degree · Education
+57.8%
$54,933 vs $34,808
Health and Medical Administrative Services
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+59.4%
$55,485 vs $34,808

Debt vs earnings

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

23
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
57%
$27,000 debt · $47,644 earn
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
54%
$27,000 debt · $50,325 earn
Romance Languages Literatures and Linguistics
Bachelor Degree · Foreign Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
53%
$27,000 debt · $50,588 earn
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
First Professional Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
52%
$61,500 debt · $119,400 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Bachelor Degree · Education
48%
$26,490 debt · $54,933 earn
Political Science and Government
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
48%
$27,000 debt · $56,054 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
48%
$25,540 debt · $53,495 earn
Social Work
Bachelor Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
47%
$27,000 debt · $57,609 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1929Next review Aug 2028

Programmatic accreditations · 8

Action history · 10

  1. Oct 2020Institution Closed
    American Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar · Law (LAW) - Professional schools
  2. Aug 2020Institution Closed
    American Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar · Law (LAW) - Professional schools
  3. Apr 2020Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNDNP) - Nursing education programs at the doctorate degree levels
  4. Apr 2020Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
  5. Apr 2020Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the graduate degree levels

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$14,476
$30–48k$15,334
$48–75k$20,556
$75–110k$23,539
$110k+$26,871

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

Avg net price (private)
$21,583
+$1,418vs Doctoral/Professional median $20,166
Federal loans
52.7%
In-state tuition
$46,588
Out-of-state
$46,588

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 756 students received $4.6M in Pell grants, alongside $16.7M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
756
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$4.6M
$4,615,463 total
Direct Loans
$16.7M
2,306 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

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

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$3.4M
823 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$4.2M
1,054 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$3.6M
168 loan awards
Parent PLUS$3.9M
207 loan awards
Grad PLUS$1.5M
54 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 989 borrowers who entered repayment, 12 (1.2%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.2%
-1.1pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
989
Defaulted
12
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
3.1%
2017
2.9%
2018
3.0%
2019
1.2%
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 Valparaiso

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs115
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

801 total completions
01Health Professions
20325.3%
02Computer Sciences
15219.0%
03Business
9812.2%
04Engineering
8911.1%
05Psychology
546.7%
06Social Sciences
536.6%
07Biological Sciences
496.1%
08Physical Sciences
455.6%
09Education
303.7%
10Communication
283.5%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
2,579
12-mo unduplicated
3,113
Undergraduate
2,403
Graduate
710

Gender split

Men
43%1,342
Women
57%1,771

Race / ethnicity composition

White
68.9%
Hispanic
11.4%
Black
6.4%
Non-resident
4.4%
Two or more
3.9%
Asian
3.4%
Unknown
1.5%
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
405
239 M · 166 W
Women athletes
41.0%
Athletic aid
$4.0M
Total student aid
Budget
$16.3M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$1.6M
$2.4M
Recruiting expense
$169K
$91K
Head-coach salaries
$138K
$63K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 11

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
74 M · 59 W
$520K
Football
122 M ·
$1.5M
Swimming
25 M · 26 W
$361K
Baseball
36 M ·
$1.4M
Basketball
16 M · 16 W
$4.8M
Soccer
· 30 W
$1.1M

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
0.68
2 offenses · 2,958 students

3-year trend

3.522 yrs ago1.371 yr ago0.68Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
17
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
23
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
2

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
1
Fondling
1

By location

2total
  • On campus1
  • Non-campus1

VAWA offenses

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

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons20
Drugs723
Liquor161

Residence-hall fires

  • Wehrenberg Hall1 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99

Data quality: 1 report was later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
10.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
204

Valparaiso vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Valparaiso 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
SubjectValparaiso University
70%2,579$21,583Doctoral/Professional
Marian University
67%95.5%3,486$23,594Doctoral/Professional
University of Indianapolis
56%66.5%5,000$18,748Doctoral/Professional
Oakland City University
65%82.5%640$12,820Doctoral/Professional
Indiana Wesleyan University-National & Global
14,331$16,767Doctoral/Professional
Edgewood College
60%75.7%2,459$25,634Doctoral/Professional
Peer group median65%79.1%3,033$20,166

Frequently asked questions about Valparaiso University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Valparaiso.

What is the graduation rate at Valparaiso University?

Valparaiso University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 70% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Valparaiso University?

Valparaiso University reports a total enrollment of 2,579 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Valparaiso University?

The average net price at Valparaiso University is $21,583 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Valparaiso University?

Valparaiso University's yield rate is 9.6%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Valparaiso University located?

Valparaiso University is located in Valparaiso, Indiana 46383.

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