This does not replace a visit, a call to the admissions department, or the financial aid letter your child will eventually receive. It is the base map: what the official data allows you to see before you take the wheel and move forward with the questions only the school can answer.
What Kind of University It Is
Daemen University is a private nonprofit institution that offers programs of four years or more. The federal Carnegie Classification system places it among doctoral and professional universities, and its most recent profile lists it within the family of doctoral institutions. That label groups together very different categories, so by itself it does not tell you how much research your child will encounter during the first year. IPEDS reports a doctorate as the highest level the institution says it offers, but that is a general institutional fact: it does not confirm which credential the specific program that interests your child awards. You verify that by asking for the exact name of the program.
An interesting detail from the Carnegie profile: in its classification based on 2019-20 data, it is categorized as a small, primarily residential four-year school, where between 25 and 49 out of every 100 undergraduates lived in institution-owned housing. And in its 2021 profile, Carnegie places it among institutions that enroll many transfer students. If your child plans to come here after studying somewhere else, that label matters: before enrolling, ask in writing which courses will count and which will not.
Daemen University has none of these three federal designations: it is not a historically Black college or university (HBCU), it is not a tribal college or university, and it is not a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 colleges and universities in this national directory, 138 have at least one of the three. The fact that Daemen has none says nothing about which community it serves or how your child will feel there. Ask directly: which cultural centers exist today, which student organizations are active, and what someone who already studies there can tell you.
Where it is located. It is in Amherst, New York, in Erie County, within the Buffalo-Cheektowaga metropolitan area. Its census code places it in a suburb: inside the urbanized area but outside the principal city. If your child plans to live at home and drive every day, do yourself a favor: travel that route on a weekday at the exact time of the scheduled classes. The actual travel time is almost never what the map promises.
A Mid-Sized Community, With More Graduate Enrollment Than It May Seem
Daemen had 2,625 students enrolled in the official fall count. That is a mid-sized enrollment, within the range of 1,000 to 4,999 students, and compared with the 941 selective-admission private four-year schools in this census, it falls right in the middle: neither among the large schools nor among the small ones.
But that total hides something important. Of those 2,625 students, only 1,806 are undergraduates. The other 819 are graduate students, people who have already completed a degree and returned for another credential. If your child is entering a bachelor's degree program, the number that matters is 1,806, not the school's total enrollment.
And who are those 1,806 undergraduates? Here are two facts worth understanding clearly from the outset:
- Women are a clear majority: 74 out of every 100 undergraduates.
- Latinos are a small minority: 6 out of every 100, below the midpoint among the comparable schools in this census.
Having few Latino students does not make the school bad, just as having many would not automatically make it good. This number only counts who is enrolled today. If your child will be one of the few, the right question is not “Should we rule it out?” but “What groups, what support, and what people like my child are there?” Talk with a current student before deciding. The number is for the entire school; your child's experience within a particular program may look different.
One fact IPEDS simply does not provide for this school in this cycle is where geographically the entering students came from. It was not reported, and that means nothing by itself. It only means you need to ask directly.
How the Academic Year Works
The calendar is semester-based: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. Nothing unusual there.
The interesting part involves prior credit. Daemen stated that it accepts two different pathways: credit for AP exams and what IPEDS calls “credit for life experiences”—learning acquired through independent study, adult courses, work experience, a portfolio, or previous licenses or certifications, including military experience. It also reports accepting credit for military training. And it enrolls high school students in college courses for credit, treating them as regular students in those courses.
Here is the hard truth about that: the school's statement that it accepts AP does not mean your child will receive credit for every exam submitted. The report does not say what scores are required, how many credits are awarded, or whether those credits apply to the specific program your child will study. Ask for the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not budget for savings in time or money until you have it in hand.
As for degree programs: in the most recent year reported, Daemen awarded 398 bachelor's degrees across 18 program families. The program family that produced the most graduates was multidisciplinary studies, with 28 out of every 100 degrees—no other field exceeded it, but it does not account for the bulk of the degrees either. The degrees are spread across fields rather than concentrated in two or three dominant majors. Still, 18 program families with records does not mean 18 majors in the current catalog: each family groups several programs, and some may have reported no degrees that year. Verify by name the exact program that interests your child.
About class size. The official ratio is 13 students per full-time-equivalent faculty member. That is a low figure in absolute terms. But compared with similar schools in this census, it is above the median—which means other similar schools report even lower ratios. Both things are true at the same time and independently. What this figure does not tell you is the actual size of a first-year class: it is an institutional ratio, not a snapshot of a classroom.
Also worth mentioning: the institution reports offering study abroad, cocurricular undergraduate research, a full program that can be completed entirely during evenings or weekends, both credit-bearing and non-credit developmental education, and pathways to teacher certification, including state approval for initial teacher certification. Their inclusion in the report confirms that they exist as stated options; it does not confirm their scope, quality, or exact availability for your child's program.
Admissions: What It Requires, What It Reviews, and Who Gets In
Daemen does not have open admissions. It reviews several components before making a decision. Of the nine considerations covered by this report, excluding standardized tests and legacy status, it marked four as required: the high school record, high school GPA, a formal demonstration of work such as a portfolio or competency exam, and an English proficiency exam when applicable to an applicant.
Other components are not required, but they are considered if submitted: the personal essay, letters of recommendation, and work experience.
If your child studied outside the United States or attended high school in Spanish, ask now whether the English proficiency exam applies and what would qualify for an exemption. It is marked as required when applicable, and it is one of those things families discover late, when there is no longer enough comfortable time to address it.
The application fee is $25.
As for standardized tests, Daemen reported that it does not consider SAT or ACT scores in its admissions decision, even if they are submitted. Be careful: this field refers only to the admissions decision. It does not say whether the school uses the scores for scholarships or placement in certain courses. Ask about that separately.
How hard is it to get in? Of the 3,041 first-time applicants in the 2023 cycle, 2,316 were offered admission. That is 76 out of every 100. Seven or eight out of every ten received a yes. Compared with similar schools in this census, it is a common admission rate, slightly above the group midpoint. Admission is not automatic, but your child has real reasons to apply—and also to avoid leaving the application until the last minute. Remember, too, that this number comes from a single cycle. If there are more applicants when your child applies and the number of available places does not increase, the rate may fall. Check it again when it is time to apply.
Now, a distinction many families confuse: of every 100 admitted students, only 16 ultimately enrolled in the fall of 2023. Of every six young people who receive a yes from Daemen, roughly one ends up attending. That is not a mark against the school—the record does not say why each person made that choice—but it does tell you something real: receiving an acceptance letter is not the same as deciding to attend. And the decisions other families made do not tell you what the school will offer yours. Wait for your own letter with your net price before ruling out or confirming this school.
About transfers: in the fall of 2023, 344 undergraduates entered Daemen for the first time after studying at another institution. Compared with similar schools, it is among those receiving a higher volume of transfer students—although this is a count of people, not a proportion, so a large school may count more people simply because of its size. What is not reported here is the transfer-out rate: how many students from the original cohort transferred elsewhere. That field is blank in the file. Missing does not mean nobody leaves; it means there is no official figure for that question.
The Price: What It Costs on Paper and What You Will Probably Pay
At Daemen University, among 50 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $10,602. Among 64 students in the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $16,325; among 100 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $25,038. For dependent students, the band combines their parents' income with their own.
There is a difference of $14,436 between the average for the lowest-income band, covering 50 students, and the average for the highest-income band, covering 100 students. These are group averages, not a prediction of your family's price. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $18,944.
Among the 937 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this figure with the same period coverage, Daemen falls within the least expensive quarter for the lowest-income families after grants and scholarships are subtracted. That does not mean it will be inexpensive for your family. It is a meaningful fact when you decide which schools to apply to.
Because the price changes so much from one income band to another, correctly identifying yours is the first step. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average after grants and scholarships, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The financial aid letter sent to you is what ultimately matters.
How It Is Paid For: Grants, Loans, and the Options on the Table
The good news first: at Daemen, 98 out of every 100 degree-seeking students receive some grant or scholarship aid that does not have to be repaid. Receiving something is the norm, not the exception. Among recipients, the average for the year was $20,130. That is a high figure, but it is an average: it includes people who received much more and people who received much less. It is not a promise of what your child will receive.
In addition, 44 out of every 100 students receive a Pell Grant, the federal aid for low-income families.
Now for the part that must be faced directly: 61 out of every 100 Daemen undergraduates received a federal student loan during the 2022-23 academic year. Here, financing with debt is the norm, not the exception. Among borrowers, the average amount borrowed that year was $6,974. If your child borrowed a similar amount in each of the four years of a bachelor's degree program, the total would be around $27,896, excluding interest and not including Parent PLUS loans, bank debt, or credit card debt. That calculation should be considered before the first signature, not afterward.
The institution also reports three formal mechanisms to help manage payment: a guaranteed tuition plan, an installment payment plan, and participation in a Promise program. It is worth asking the financial aid office about all three by their exact names.
Campus Life, Athletics, and Support
Daemen does have its own housing, and it does not require all first-time students to live there—although that does not rule out the possibility that a specific program may require it. It also offers meal plans with a fixed number of meals per week in its largest plan. The reported maximum housing capacity is 643 students. The existence of rooms does not guarantee that a bed will be available: ask about the rate for the year, the application deadline, and whether housing is guaranteed or students are placed on a waiting list.
ROTC is available, and the only branch confirmed in writing is the Army. The Navy and Air Force are not marked—that does not make them impossible, only unconfirmed in this report.
Daemen competes in intercollegiate athletics and is affiliated with the NCAA, with membership reported in basketball and cross-country or track and field. If your child wants to play, this does not say whether there is a place on the team or whether that sport offers scholarships: ask the coach directly and in writing.
As for distance education, 16 out of every 100 undergraduates were taking their entire course load online during the reported fall term; the other 84 were taking at least one class in person. The school also reports offering at least one fully distance-based program, although the report does not confirm whether that program is at the undergraduate level.
The library operates with paid staff, spending above the federal threshold of $100,000, physical and digital collections, and interlibrary lending. The institution also reports academic and career counseling services, a student job board, job placement services for graduates, and specific support for veterans and military service members, including participation in the Yellow Ribbon program.
They Stay, They Graduate: The Long-Term Numbers
Of the full-time bachelor's-degree-seeking cohort that entered in the fall of 2022, 80 out of every 100 were still enrolled or had already graduated one year later. That result is slightly above the midpoint among comparable schools. The other 20 are not explained by this figure: not returning is not the same as dropping out. Someone who transferred to another university and continues studying there is counted the same way in this figure as someone who stopped studying altogether.
As for graduation, of the 387 students who began a bachelor's degree program in 2017 as full-time, first-time students, 226 graduated from Daemen itself within six years: 58 out of every 100. At the four-year mark, the figure falls to 45 out of every 100—a difference of 13 points that simply reflects the fact that many students need more than four years to finish. Compared with similar schools, this six-year rate is below the group midpoint.
Here is the hard truth, stated plainly: this figure does not explain what happened to everyone else. From this figure, we do not know how many transferred, how many paused their studies, how many are still studying elsewhere, or how many left their degree programs. A missing row does not become a zero, and it does not authorize assumptions about those people.
One final angle, with a broader perspective: tracking a cohort that entered between 2015 and 2016—including first-time and transfer students, both full-time and part-time—63 out of every 100 had earned a Daemen degree or certificate eight years later. Among Pell Grant recipients, the figure was 55 out of every 100, fourteen points below the figure for those who did not receive one. That gap is real and worth asking the school about directly: what concrete support exists for students with Pell Grants? An assigned advisor? Emergency aid? Does the institutional scholarship renew each year? Ask for those answers in writing.
Putting the Pieces Together
You now know in detail one of the three pieces you need to decide: what Daemen University actually is, how much it costs under different scenarios, how selective it is, and what its own numbers say about who stays and who graduates. This piece is solid, but it is only one.
You still need to consider what your child wants to study and what your child has already built to reach this point. And you still need to consider what your family can and is willing to pay, something that becomes fully clear only when the financial aid letter arrives with actual numbers addressed to you.
If your child is just starting to explore colleges, this profile gives you what you need to compare Daemen with other options. If your child is already putting together a final list, the questions left open here—AP equivalencies, the English exam, housing, and the coach of the team that interests your child—are precisely the ones to resolve before making a commitment. And if you feel that you are starting too late, you are not: there is still time to ask those questions and request those answers in writing.
A plan emerges from the combination of the three pieces—the university, your child, and your family. This article gives you the first with as much clarity as possible.
Note on sources: The information in this article comes from data reported by Daemen University to the U.S. Department of Education's IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System), primarily from the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles, as well as the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Best College Aid does not represent Daemen University or the United States government; this text interprets public data for the informational use of families.