Nothing that follows comes from an admissions brochure or from my opinion about whether this school is a good fit. It comes from what Saint Joseph's University reported to the federal college data system, IPEDS, and from how it compares with hundreds of schools similar to it. My job here is to translate it for you without dressing it up or toning it down. Yours, after reading it, is to combine it with what your child wants and what your family can afford.
What Kind of School It Is, Before Talking About Numbers
Saint Joseph's University is a private, nonprofit, four-year institution that offers programs through the doctoral level. The Carnegie system, which classifies the country's universities by what they do, places it among master's universities with larger programs, and its undergraduate profile identifies it as selective in admissions. That means it reviews several things before saying yes, although—as you will see—it says yes fairly often.
It is in Philadelphia, within a large city of more than 250,000 residents, in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metropolitan area. If your child is considering living at home rather than on campus, I recommend something very simple: drive the route on a weekday at the exact time of their classes. The map never shows the real traffic.
And something important about what this university is on paper: Carnegie classifies it as highly residential. At the time of that measurement, at least half of the degree-seeking undergraduate students lived in institution-owned or institution-affiliated housing, and at least 80 out of every 100 studied full time. That is not a decorative detail. It means that the cost of living there is almost never already included in the tuition figure you see first. Ask for it separately, including the meal plan, before comparing this school with any other.
One last piece of its identity, because it sometimes causes confusion: Saint Joseph's University is not listed as a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. It is not that it lacks something or is hiding anything—it simply is not on those three specific lists. That does not say which communities it serves today or how your child will feel there. Ask directly: what cultural centers exist, what student organizations are available, and whether you can speak with someone who already studies there.
How Many Students There Are and Who They Are
In the official fall count, Saint Joseph's University had 7,201 enrolled students: 4,828 undergraduates and 2,373 graduate students. It is neither a small school nor an enormous one; it falls in the band of 5,000 to 9,999 students, and compared with similar selective private universities, it is on the larger side—between one and three out of every ten have more students than it does.
Here is something immediately useful: if your child is entering a bachelor's degree program, the number that matters to them is 4,828, not 7,201. The larger total includes many people who have already completed an undergraduate degree and are now in graduate school.
As for who makes up that undergraduate community: 9 out of every 100 students are Hispanic or Latino. It is a small minority, and compared with nearly a thousand similar selective private schools, it is below the midpoint of the group. Having few Latino students does not make the school bad, just as having many would not make it good—this figure counts who is enrolled, and nothing more. If your child will be one of the few, it is worth asking during the visit which student group or cultural center is available, who in the office speaks Spanish, and whether you can talk with a Latino student who is already there.
The balance between men and women is nearly even: 54 out of every 100 are women. And there are almost no adult students—only 2 out of every 100 are between 25 and 64 years old. The school did not report specifically where new students came from for the academic cycle being examined.
How the Academic Year Works and How Flexible It Is
The year at Saint Joseph's University is organized into semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each, with the same schedule for everyone. The school stated that it accepts credit from AP examinations as well as what IPEDS calls credit for life experience—independent study, adult courses, work experience, portfolios, prior licenses, or military or professional opportunities—in addition to credit for military training. It also enrolls high school students in college courses for credit through a formal dual-enrollment program.
Here is the hard truth behind that good news: the fact that the school reports offering these pathways does not mean your child will automatically receive credit for them. If your child took AP courses, request the equivalency evaluation in writing—how many points are required, how many credits are awarded, and whether those credits count toward their specific major—before budgeting for any savings in time or money.
Between July 2022 and June 2023, the university awarded 1,392 bachelor's degrees across 21 families of academic programs. But the offerings are not evenly distributed: business and management alone accounted for 570 of those 1,392 degrees—41 out of every 100. It is a school with broad offerings on paper, but with a clear center of gravity. The existence of 21 program families does not mean there are 21 robust majors; some of those rows may report zero degrees that year. Verify the exact program that interests your child, not the entire list.
As for the relationship between students and instructional staff, the official ratio is 10 students per full-time-equivalent instructor—a low figure compared with the median for similar schools. But be careful: this aggregate ratio does not tell you the actual size of a classroom. It is an institutional calculation, not a promise of small classes.
It is also worth noting that the institution reports offering study abroad, cocurricular undergraduate research, a complete program that can be taken only in the evenings or on weekends, and preparation and certification pathways for those who want to teach. These pathways are reported as existing; their specific availability for your child's major must be confirmed directly.
How Admission Works: What It Requires and How Likely It Is to Say Yes
This is one of the most important parts of the entire article, so let us take it slowly.
Saint Joseph's University does not have open admissions. It reviews several things before saying yes. Of nine possible considerations, it marks five as required: the high school record, high school GPA, the personal essay, letters of recommendation, and the English proficiency examination when applicable to the applicant. Put simply: gathering documents is not enough here. The essay is required. Your child has to write.
It also considers other elements if you submit them, even though they are not required: class rank, whether the student completed the college-preparatory course plan the university requests, a portfolio or competency examination, work experience, and whether a family member studied there. On that last point: if it does not apply to you, do not waste energy worrying about it. Spend that energy on what is within your child's control.
The published undergraduate application fee is $0.
Now for the numbers that tend to concern families most. In the 2023 cycle, Saint Joseph's University received 8,751 first-year applications and offered admission to 7,560 applicants. That is 86 out of every 100. Compared with nearly a thousand similar selective private schools, it is on the more accessible side—seven out of every ten schools in that group admitted an equal or smaller percentage. In plain language, it is a school that does admit students. Even so, 1,191 applicants did not receive an offer, so the application must be complete and submitted on time.
But being likely to get in does not make what comes next easy. That 86 out of every 100 does not say how much it will cost, how many students finish the degree, or whether the specific program your child wants has its own internal screening process. Those are three separate questions that must be asked separately.
Here is a number that may surprise you: out of every 100 admitted students, only 16 ended up enrolling at Saint Joseph's University that fall. In other words, out of every 6 young people who receive a yes, roughly one ends up attending. Do not read that as a mark against the school—the federal record does not say why each person made the decision they made, and this proportion is among the most common for similar schools, neither high nor low. What I can tell you with complete clarity is this: what others decided does not predict what the school will offer you. Wait for your own letter with your net price, which is the real number, before deciding whether this school stays on your list.
As for standardized tests, the SAT and ACT are not required here. If your child submits them, they are considered; if not, the application remains active just the same. Among the students who did enroll, 30 out of every 100 submitted an SAT score—a relatively high proportion compared with schools of the same type. Among those who submitted one, the middle half scored between 580 and 670 in reading and writing, and between 570 and 660 in mathematics. But pay attention: those ranges describe students who were already enrolled and chose to submit their scores, not all applicants. That 580 is not a minimum for admission, and that 670 does not guarantee anything either.
And as for transfers: of the cohort that entered in 2017 as full-time bachelor's-degree-seeking students, only 7 out of every 100 transferred to another school before completing here. That is a low proportion compared with similar schools. This figure does not say what happened to everyone else—they may have graduated, remained enrolled, or stopped studying altogether. And if your child would be transferring in from another school: in the fall of 2023, 208 such students entered. That count says how many arrived, not how many courses were accepted for credit. Request that in writing, with the exact course list in hand, before your child makes the move.
The Listed Cost and What Each Family Actually Pays
At Saint Joseph's University, among 95 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 $30,742. Among 78 students in the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $33,514; among 396 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $36,689. For dependent students, the band combines their parents' income with their own.
There is a difference of $5,947 between the average for the lowest-income band (95 students) and the average for the highest-income band (396 students). Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $36,392.
Among the 937 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this figure with the same time coverage, this school falls in the most expensive quarter for the lowest-income families. That does not mean it should be ruled out. It means you should request the financial aid letter before deciding.
An average does not show how different the cases within that band were; this figure cannot establish that some families were far below or above the published amount. 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 with grant or scholarship aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships.
How It Is Paid For: Scholarships, Pell, and Loans
The good news first: 96 out of every 100 degree-seeking students receive some grant or scholarship aid that does not have to be repaid. Here, receiving something is the norm, not the exception. Among those who receive it, the average was $26,654 per year. But an average hides extremes—some received much more and some received much less. None of this is your offer until you have yours in hand.
Now for the part that needs careful attention: the Pell Grant—federal aid specifically for low-income families—reached only 19 out of every 100 students. That means at least 77 out of every 100 received aid from a source other than Pell: from the university itself, the state, or somewhere else. The report combines all that aid without saying where each dollar came from, so you cannot know from this what you would receive. Ask directly: who provides that scholarship or grant, who qualifies, and what is required to renew it each year.
As for loans: in the 2022-23 school year, 54 out of every 100 Saint Joseph's University undergraduate students took out a federal loan. More than half. Among those who borrowed, each took out an average of $6,536 that year. If your child borrowed a similar amount in each of the four years of the degree, the accumulated total would be around $26,144—not including interest. That calculation should be done before signing for the first time, not at the end of the road.
And a necessary clarification: that 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. Nor is it the total debt with which someone graduates—to calculate that, all four years would have to be added together, and that specific figure is not in this report.
The institution also reports offering a tuition installment payment plan as a formal mechanism for managing the cost.
Campus Life, Sports, and Support
Saint Joseph's University has its own housing, but it does not require all first-year students to live there—the institution responded that there is no universal requirement, although that does not rule out the possibility that a specific program may require it. IPEDS reports a maximum capacity of 2,723 spaces in institution-controlled housing. It also offers meal plans, although the number of meals per week varies according to the plan you choose. The existence of a room does not guarantee that a bed will be available; request the year's rate, the application deadline, and whether you are guaranteed a place or placed on a waiting list in writing.
As for ROTC, the only branch confirmed in writing is Air Force. Army and Navy are not marked in this report. If your child is interested in a different branch, it is not confirmed here—that does not make it impossible; it only means you need to ask directly.
In athletics, the university competes at the intercollegiate level and is affiliated with the NCAA. The report confirms specific membership in basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field—but that membership belongs to the institution and is not a promise to your child. If your child is interested in a team, contact the coach directly and ask about a place on the team, the division, and whether athletic aid is available.
As for distance education, the university does offer courses and at least one complete distance program at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. But in practice, only 1 out of every 100 undergraduate students took all their classes at a distance; the other 99 took at least one course in person. It is primarily a campus-based school.
The library operates with paid staff, and its annual spending exceeds the government-recorded threshold of $100,000—it has physical and digital collections and participates in interlibrary lending. That confirms the existence of a substantial operation, not that it has the specific databases your child's major requires; ask about those by program name.
Finally, the reported services and supports include combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, job placement for graduates, a postsecondary transition program for students with intellectual disabilities, participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program, a designated point of contact for veterans and service members, a veterans' student organization, and a published web address for disability services.
How Many Stay and How Many Finish
Here we reach the question that matters most to any parent: if my child enrolls, how likely are they to finish?
Of the cohort that entered in the fall of 2022 as first-time, full-time, bachelor's-degree-seeking students, 88 out of every 100 were still enrolled here or had already completed the degree one year later. That is a high proportion, and compared with similar selective private schools, it falls near the top of the group. But it must be stated precisely: this figure combines two different groups—those who are still studying and those who have already graduated—without separating how many are in each one, and it says nothing about the rest.
As for graduation: of the cohort that entered in 2017, 80 out of every 100 had their degree in hand six years later. At four years, the figure was already 75 out of every 100—just 5 points lower, which indicates a cohort whose members mostly finish within the expected time. Compared with similar schools, Saint Joseph's University is in the top quarter: three out of every four similar schools reported an equal or lower proportion of graduates.
For that same cohort of 1,428 students, the exact breakdown is as follows: 1,140 completed the bachelor's degree here, 95 transferred to another institution without completing here, 1 student remained enrolled without completing, and 192 fell into the federal category of “no longer enrolled”—a category that does not explain the reason and may include people who graduated after the official deadline.
A high figure is not a promise for your child in particular. It is what happened to the cohort that entered in 2017. What is within your control, and your child's, is making sure that their credits are in order from the first semester, that they know who their adviser is, and that they learn in time when registration opens for courses in their major.
One final figure, following a different cohort for eight years: among students who entered between July 2015 and June 2016, 78 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this school as of August 2023. Among those who specifically received a Pell Grant, that figure falls to 68 out of every 100—11 points below those who did not receive one. That is a real difference worth asking the school about: what advising, emergency aid, and renewal of internal scholarships and grants are available specifically for students with financial need. And ask for the answer in writing.
What You Already Know and What Is Still Yours to Decide
None of these numbers makes the decision for you. The admission rate does not tell you whether this is the right school for your child. The listed price is not what you will pay. The graduation rate for the cohort of 2017 is not a promise about your child's cohort. They are the solid ground on which you can stand to ask the next questions: those that are your child's to answer—what they want to study and how far from home they are willing to live—and those that are yours—how much your family can afford and what financial aid letter you are willing to wait for before deciding.
Combine this piece with those other two. A plan comes from that combination, not from any single number.
Source note: the information in this article comes from data reported by Saint Joseph's University to the U.S. Department of Education's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), primarily from the 2023 cycle and the 2023-24 school year, except where a different period is indicated. Best College Aid does not represent Saint Joseph's University or any agency of the federal government; this article is not a substitute for official or personalized information that the university itself can provide.