What Kind of School It Is
Rochester University is a private, nonprofit, four-year institution. It is not a large school: the system that classifies this country's colleges and universities describes it as a baccalaureate college with diverse fields, very small and primarily residential. It offers master's degrees—the highest level it reports—but it is, above all, an undergraduate institution.
It has none of the three special designations included in this directory: it is not a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 institutions in the national census, 138 have at least one of the three. Rochester University's absence from that list says nothing about which students it serves or how your child will feel there. Ask directly: what cultural centers exist today, what student organizations are available, and, better yet, talk with someone who already studies there.
One fact worth remembering: the national classification places Rochester University among the schools that receive many transfer students. If your child is considering coming here after studying elsewhere, that is a sign that the school has experience receiving transfers. But the label does not say how many credits people bring with them or how many are lost in the transition. Request that information in writing before enrolling.
The campus is in a suburb of the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn metropolitan area, within Oakland County. If your child plans to live at home, do yourself a favor: drive the route on a weekday at the actual time of your child's classes. The time shown on the map is almost never the real travel time.
A Small Community, With Few Latino Students
Rochester University had 1,173 students enrolled in the most recent official count. It is a medium-sized school compared with its peers—neither among the large schools nor the small ones—and the vast majority of those students, 1,144, are undergraduates. It is primarily an undergraduate institution, not a graduate school.
Here is a number that matters if your family is Latino: out of every 100 undergraduate students, 5 are Hispanic or Latino. It is a small minority. Compared with the 941 similar selective private schools reporting this information, Rochester University falls in the bottom quartile: three out of four schools in that group have a higher share of Latino students.
Having few Latino students does not make the school bad, just as having many would not make it good. The figure only counts who is enrolled today. If your child will be one of the few, the right question is not whether your child should attend, but what groups and support systems exist there and what a Latino student already pursuing a degree there tells you.
In the rest of the community, there are more women than men—61 out of every 100—and 18 out of every 100 are ages 25 to 64, so this is not a campus made up only of teenagers fresh out of high school. Many students are enrolled part time, so before assuming a particular schedule, ask what times courses are offered for the program your child is interested in.
How the Academic Year Works and What They Do With What Your Child Has Already Learned
The academic calendar is semester-based: two terms of about 15 weeks each, with consistent dates for everyone.
Rochester University reported two ways for what your child already knows to count for credit: it accepts AP exams, and it also accepts what IPEDS calls credit for life experience—independent study, adult courses, work experience, portfolios, or previous licenses or certifications. It also reports enrolling high school students in college courses for credit through a formal program and accepting credit for military training.
Reporting that they accept these forms of credit does not mean your child will receive credit automatically. Saying that they accept AP does not tell you the score they require, how many credits they award, or whether those credits apply to the specific program your child is interested in. Request the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
As for what people study: Rochester University awarded 177 bachelor's degrees in the most recent year, distributed across 12 program families. But the concentration is strong: education and teaching accounted for 60 of those 177 degrees, 34 out of every 100. Compared with its peers, the school falls in the quartile with the least variety in the program families represented in its report. With numbers this small, a single year's count can shift considerably from one period to another. If your child's program is not education, request the last three years of data for that specific program before assuming that the current offerings are what you see in a single report.
As for class size: the official ratio is 13 students per full-time-equivalent faculty member. It is a low ratio in absolute terms, but compared with similar schools, it is above the median—more than half of its peers report a ratio that is equal or lower. Both things are true at the same time. And be careful: this ratio does not tell you the actual size of a first-year class. Ask that directly.
Academic Opportunities Reported by the School
Rochester University reports study abroad, a complete program that can be taken only during evenings or weekends, preparation for teacher certification, and state approval of its program for initial teacher certification. If your child's intended field is teaching, this connects with the importance you have already seen that this program family has here.
How Admission Works
Rochester University does not have open admission: it reviews certain components before saying yes. Of the nine considerations it reports, three are required: the high school record, the high school GPA, and an English proficiency exam for applicants to whom it applies. Other components are not required, but the university does consider them if submitted: completion of the college-preparatory program the university requests, the personal essay, letters of recommendation, work experience, and whether a family member attended the university. That last component is something your child cannot change. If it does not apply, do not spend energy on it—spend it on what is within your child's control: the academic record, GPA, and essay.
The published application fee is $0.
In the most recent cycle, Rochester University received 490 first-time applications and offered admission to 320. That is 65 out of every 100. Compared with similar selective private schools, that share falls near the middle, slightly below the midpoint of the group. Admission is not automatic, but it is not a lottery either: the application is reviewed.
And here is something many families confuse: being admitted is not the same as enrolling. Out of every 100 admitted students, only 44 ultimately enrolled here. The other 56 do not appear as enrolled at this institution—the data do not say whether they attended another school or why they did not come. Compared with its peers, that enrollment share is high: at most similar schools, a smaller share of admitted students stays. This figure does not measure quality or prestige. It only counts how many arrived for classes. When your child's admission letters arrive, this is not what should decide the choice: place the letters side by side and compare net price, program, and distance.
As for the SAT and ACT: Rochester University reported that it does not consider them in the admission decision, even if applicants submit them. That does not cover scholarships or course placement—ask about those separately.
And regarding transfers: in the most recent count, 89 undergraduate students entered here for the first time after studying at another institution. Compared with its peers, that count places the school in the upper half. How many credits were accepted for those 89 students is another question, and one to ask the school directly.
What It Costs and What Is Actually Paid
At Rochester University, among 40 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 $15,716. Among 27 students in the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $19,451; among 61 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $21,860. For dependent students, the band combines their parents' income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band (40 students) and the highest-income band (61 students) is $6,144. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship, the average was $19,660.
$15,716 was the average net price for families in the lowest-income band in academic year 2022-23. That does not mean it is what your family will pay. It helps you determine whether it is worth requesting the financial aid letter.
None of these figures is a price quote for your child. 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 for students receiving grants or scholarships, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The figure that matters is the financial aid letter sent to you. In the meantime, use the net price calculator on the school's website.
The Aid That Reaches Students and the Debt You Need to Add Up
93 out of every 100 degree-seeking students here receive some grant or scholarship aid that does not have to be repaid. Receiving something is common, not the exception. Among recipients, the average for the year was $14,261. And 42 out of every 100 students received a Pell Grant, the federal aid for families with demonstrated financial need.
A high number of students receiving aid is not a promise for your child. It is what happened to other students in a specific year. Request in writing which applications must be completed, the deadlines, and what happens to the scholarship if grades decline.
Now, the debt. 52 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal student loan, averaging $6,909 per student that year. Compared with similar schools, that share is typical, neither among the highest nor the lowest. Financing with debt is the norm here, not the exception. If your child borrowed a similar amount in each of the four years of college, the total would be around $27,636, not including interest. That figure is decided before the first signature, not at the end. And remember: this average covers only federal loans in the student's name. It does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes sign for, bank debt, or credit cards.
Rochester University also offers an installment tuition payment plan, if that helps your family's month-to-month cash flow.
Campus Life, Athletics, and Support
Rochester University does have its own housing, although it is not required for all first-time, full-time students. The reported maximum capacity is 331 students. It also offers meal plans, with a fixed number of meals per week under the largest plan. The existence of housing does not guarantee an available bed: ask for the current year's rate, the application deadline, and whether a place is guaranteed or your child would be placed on a waiting list.
The school reported no ROTC opportunity in any of its three branches. Among the four-year schools in this guide, 926 out of 1,786 reported one; Rochester University was not among them. That does not prove that no option exists nearby—it means only that none was reported in this field. If that scholarship matters to your family, ask admissions directly before assuming it is unavailable.
It does compete in intercollegiate athletics, affiliated with the NAIA, with reported membership in basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. The membership belongs to the school, not to your child: contact the coach for the sport your child is interested in and ask whether there is space, which division the team competes in, and whether that sport offers scholarships.
It offers distance education at the undergraduate and graduate levels. In the most recent count, 17 out of every 100 undergraduate students took their entire course load online; the other 83 had at least one in-person class. It also reports at least one program in which all required courses can be completed through distance education, although the data do not confirm the exact level or program—confirm that directly.
The library operates with paid staff, and its annual spending exceeds the threshold tracked by the federal government. It has physical and digital materials and participates in interlibrary lending. Exceeding that threshold does not guarantee that it has specific databases for your child's program: ask using the program's name.
Reported support includes combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program for veterans, and a web address for disability services.
How Many Stay and How Many Finish
Here we come to the hardest part, and it is worth stating plainly.
Of the first-time, full-time students in the most recent cohort, 67 out of every 100 were still enrolled or had already graduated one year later. Compared with similar selective private schools, that share falls near the bottom: seven out of ten schools in the group retained a higher share. Not appearing as retained does not mean that someone gave up—the student may have transferred, paused their studies, or changed direction. The data do not explain the reasons.
As for graduation: among students who entered bachelor's degree programs in 2017 as first-time, full-time students, 41 out of every 100 graduated from Rochester University within six years. At four years, the figure falls to 23 out of every 100—18 points lower. Four years is the timeframe most families have budgeted for, so that gap matters to your wallet, not just to the calendar. Compared with similar schools, the six-year rate falls in the bottom quartile.
Put plainly: at six years, the count is almost evenly split. 41 out of every 100 have a degree from here; 59 do not have one from here. The report does not say why. Before deciding, it is worth asking directly what specific support the school offers to keep your child's degree from taking longer and how long that specific program normally takes to complete.
There is also a broader eight-year measure that includes full-time and part-time students, both first-time students and those with prior experience: of that cohort, 55 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from here by the August 2023 reporting cutoff. Within that group, students who received Pell Grants had a rate of 48 out of every 100—15 points below the rate for those who did not receive Pell Grants. And first-time, full-time students specifically were at 40 out of every 100, 15 points below the broader count.
If your family would qualify for Pell, this is a question worth asking the school directly: which counselor is assigned, what emergency assistance is available, and whether the institution's scholarship renews automatically each year. Ask for the answer in writing.
What Is Still Yours to Decide
You now have a fairly complete picture of what Rochester University is: a small, private school with few Latino students, a high sticker price but aid that reaches the vast majority, a two-in-three chance of admission, and a graduation rate that barely reaches half within six years.
None of these numbers decides for you or your child. What the university can offer is one piece of the plan. The other two pieces—what your child wants to study, what your child has built so far, and what your family can and is willing to pay—belong to you alone. Combine them with what you learned here, request the financial aid letter before deciding anything, and verify directly with the school every question this article left open. A real plan, not a hunch, comes from that combination.
Source: institutional data reported by Rochester University to the U.S. Department of Education's IPEDS system, corresponding primarily to the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles, as indicated for each figure. Best College Aid does not represent Rochester University or the United States government; this article organizes public information to help families understand it.