College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Xavier University

OHMedium private nonprofit institution · Overall rank #1132 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Among nonprofit four-year institutions, Xavier University sits in Azimuth’s 23rd percentile overall.

Who it’s a good fit for

Xavier University is a private nonprofit university in Cincinnati, Ohio, where Health Professions and Business lead the degree mix. Return is above average, while affordability, access, and mobility all sit below the levels seen at many peers.

Graduates earn less than predicts for students like them. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures adds, while the unexplained remainder subtracts.

The shortfall is not pinned on the measured factors. Pell recipients complete at a rate below the entering cohort as a whole, and the university's access and mobility are both below the levels seen at many peers.

The admission rate is above the median for comparable institutions. A student drawn to Nursing or Business will find large, established programs, but the highest-earning field, Computer Science, awards far fewer degrees. Most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study.

Xavier University at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
86.4%
Six-year completion[2]
68.6%
Four-year earnings[3]
$71,477

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$32,175
Median student debt[4]
$23,250
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$37,885

Xavier University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Xavier University is a private nonprofit university in Cincinnati, Ohio, enrolling 4,207 undergraduates. The university's composite standing sits in the lower quarter of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Admission is broad: the university admits 86.4% of applicants, compared with a median of 71.2% for comparable institutions (same type and size). Among those who enroll full time, 77.5% return for a second year, while the median for comparable institutions is 83.4%.

The six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort is 68.7%, close to the peer median of 68.8%. An estimated 20.6% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students.

Because the six-year graduation rate tracks only first-time, full-time students, it does not capture the outcomes of that transfer population. The four pillars sit far apart.

Return is the strongest, and affordability is the weakest, with access and mobility between them.

Return is the strongest part of Xavier University’s profile, while affordability is the weakest. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, the return pillar is in the 71st percentile and access is in the 17th percentile.

Mobility is in the 25th percentile, and affordability is in the 11th percentile. The profile pairs a comparatively stronger return measure with lower access, mobility, and affordability measures.

The middle 50% of submitted SAT scores at Xavier University fell between 1,103 and 1,310. For students who submitted ACT scores, the middle 50% ranged from 22 to 29.

16.3% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, a measure of financial access at this private nonprofit university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Azimuth ranks Xavier University #1,223 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The Pell completion rate is 58.2%, which sits 10.5 percentage points below the overall six-year graduation rate (68.7%) for the entering cohort. The gap is a fact about the institution's results, not an explanation of them.

Azimuth ranks the university #1,107 for mobility. Graduates earn about $2,460 less than the model expects for similar students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Xavier University rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#1,132

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 25
Access & reach
National percentile: 17
Affordability
National percentile: 11
Return on investment
National percentile: 71

01 / Xavier University briefing

Xavier University cost & financial aid[6][7]

At Xavier University, published charges remain high after average aid, placing affordability well below its comparable-school benchmark. The published cost of attendance is $65,476, including $50,640 in tuition and fees and $13,920 for room and board.

For aid recipients, average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $32,997. Average aid reduces the published price by $32,479.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $27,371, leaving Xavier's $5,626 above that benchmark. Azimuth ranks Xavier University #1,253 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The above-peer net price and low affordability rank point in the same direction.

At Xavier University, aid recipients face a published cost of attendance of $65,476 before grants and scholarships, and prices vary across family-income bands. The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $26,728 in the lowest family-income band, $28,201 in the lower-middle band, $32,175 in the middle band, $33,824 in the upper-middle band, and $35,451 in the highest band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $8,723. Azimuth ranks Xavier University #1,253 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid covers about 50% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an average savings of $32,479. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $32,997, which is $5,626 above the peer median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Published tuition and fees are $50,640, alongside $13,920 for room and board. The aid offset is sizable, though the average net price remains above the comparable-school median.

Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt at completion is $23,250, and 96.2% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. The peer median debt is $24,199, placing the university’s median $949 below that figure.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $264 a month if repaid over ten years. Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $37,885.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$32,175

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Xavier University

Federal borrowing is widespread at Xavier University, with 96.2% of federal aid recipients taking federal loans, so loan planning is likely to matter for many families. For federal-loan borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt at completion is $23,250.

Comparable institutions (same type and size) have a peer median of $24,199, placing Xavier’s median $949 below that figure. Parent PLUS borrowers are a separate parent-borrower population, with median borrowing of $37,885.

The figures point in different directions at Xavier University: earnings land well among nonprofit four-year institutions, but the model check is less favorable. Median earnings are $71,477 four years after completion, placing the university in the 78th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, according to Azimuth.

Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, is in the 46th percentile. Graduates earn about $2,460 less than the model expects for similar students.

The earnings scenarios place downside earnings at $52,415 and upside earnings at $81,784, with the typical scenario matching the observed median. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $24,199; median federal student loan debt is $23,250, $949 below it.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $264 a month if repaid over ten years.

For the separate population of Parent PLUS parent borrowers, median borrowing is $37,885. For student borrowers with median federal debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $264 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$23,250
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$37,885

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$264/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$481/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Xavier University briefing

Xavier University career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Xavier University posts median earnings of $71,477 four years after completion, placing those earnings in the 78th percentile. They are $3,227 above the peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $2,460 less than the model expects for similar students. That earnings-beyond-expectations measure, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, sits in the 46th percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $5,623. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $8,083.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component subtracts $110. Azimuth places the return pillar in the 71st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Above-peer median earnings and lower-than-expected earnings give a mixed return picture.

Among 1,319 federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, the median salary four years after finishing a degree at Xavier University is $71,477. That figure lands at the 78th percentile for four-year earnings among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $2,460 less than the model expects for similar students. That result sits at the 46th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings beyond expectations measure the difference between actual graduate pay and what the model expects for comparable students. Earnings scenarios derived from the program mix show typical pay at $71,477, a downside of $52,415, and an upside of $81,784.

An estimated 27.4% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. The overall picture is split: median earnings are high nationally, yet graduates lag what the model predicts for similar students.

The median for federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled is $71,477 four years after completion. That places Xavier University in the 78th percentile for median earnings among nonprofit four-year institutions.

That median is $3,227 above the $68,250 median posted by comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates of the university earn about $2,460 less than the model expects for similar students.

That outcome falls at the 46th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions for this measure. Azimuth ranks Xavier University #426 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions overall.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $5,623. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $8,083.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component subtracts $110. The program mix centers on health professions and business, with only a small share of degrees awarded in STEM fields overall.

Estimated from that mix, the downside earnings scenario is $52,415 and the upside scenario is $81,784. An estimated 27.4% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Earnings vary across Xavier University’s modeled program-mix scenarios, from $52,415 in the downside scenario to $81,784 in the upside scenario. These are earnings scenarios rather than observed groups of graduates.

At the program level, median earnings four years after completion reach $104,908 in Computer Science, $81,855 in Accounting, and $81,532 in Finance. Those program figures help show why the scenario range is broad.

Graduates of Xavier University earn a median of $71,477 four years after completion, which is $3,227 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). However, graduates earn about $2,460 less than the model expects for similar students.

The average net price—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $32,997, which is $5,626 above the peer median. Aid covers about 50% of the published cost of $65,476 for the average aid recipient, but this is an average, not a personal quote.

Borrowers who complete a degree leave with a median of $23,250 in federal student loans, $949 below the peer median. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $264 a month if repaid over ten years. Parents who borrow separately hold a median of $37,885 in Parent PLUS loans.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$5,623
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$8,083
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$2,460

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / Xavier University briefing

Xavier University acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Xavier University admitted 86.4% of applicants, a higher share than the median of 71.2% for comparable institutions (same type and size). That comparison describes how the reported applicant pool turned out, rather than setting a standard for an individual application.

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
86.4%
Approximate lower endpoint
1103
Reported average
1217
Approximate upper endpoint
1310

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / Xavier University briefing

What are the largest majors at Xavier University?[12]

Program earnings at Xavier University differ sharply by field four years after completion, with Computer Science at the high end. Its median earnings were $104,908, from 21 degrees awarded in an academic year.

Accounting recorded median earnings of $81,855 and 34 degrees awarded. Among the more moderate earners in this group, Finance had median earnings of $81,532 with 66 degrees awarded.

Nursing posted $79,254 and accounted for 356 degrees awarded. The figures show that a larger program can sit at a more moderate earnings level than a smaller, higher-earning field.

Nursing is the largest bachelor’s field at Xavier University, with 356 degrees awarded in an academic year. Finance awarded 66 degrees and recorded $81,532, while Political Science awarded 59 degrees and recorded $63,347.

The range across these large fields makes the intended field an important part of the earnings picture.

The program mix at Xavier University is anchored by Health Professions, which accounts for 28.8% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Business at 22.8%. The university has 21 programs with published four-year earnings data.

The largest single program is Nursing, at 356 degrees awarded, with Marketing next at 104 and Kinesiology and Physical Education at 77. The highest-earning program is a much smaller one.

Computer Science graduates earn a median of $104,908 four years after completion, from 21 degrees awarded a year. Accounting follows at $81,855, with 34 degrees awarded.

Nursing, the largest program, also appears among the top earners at $79,254. Finance graduates earn $81,532, from 66 degrees awarded.

Across all fields, 9.4% of degrees awarded are in STEM. The pattern is one of a few large programs in health and business, with the highest earnings concentrated in a smaller technical field.

The largest program and the highest-earning one pull in different directions, and a student's choice of major matters a great deal for what they earn four years out.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 356 degrees awarded
$79,254
Marketing 104 degrees awarded
$73,414
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness 77 degrees awarded
$60,804
Finance and Financial Management Services 66 degrees awarded
$81,532
Political Science and Government 59 degrees awarded
$63,347
Psychology, General 54 degrees awarded
$54,981

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Xavier University briefing

How does Xavier University serve students from different backgrounds?

Return is Xavier University's strongest pillar, but completion and modeled earnings give its mobility picture a more limited reading. In the first-time full-time cohort, the six-year graduation rate is 68.7%; Pell recipients complete within six years at 58.2%, below the overall rate by 10.5 percentage points.

Azimuth puts the mobility pillar in the 25th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, is in the 46th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $2,460 less than the model expects for similar students.

Xavier University admits 86.4% of applicants, so entry is relatively open within an undergraduate enrollment of 4,207 undergraduates. Pell Grant recipients account for 16.3% of undergraduates, and an estimated 20.6% of the student body enters as transfers or part-time students.

Azimuth places the access pillar in the 17th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The admission rate, Pell participation, and transfer entry describe an access profile that reaches a limited Pell share despite a high admission rate.

06 / Xavier University briefing

What colleges are similar to Xavier University?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Xavier University.

Admissions peerBellarmine University86.1% admitted
Comparison with Xavier University
MeasureXavier UniversityBellarmine University
Peer earnings · 4 years$71,477$64,564-$6,913 vs Xavier University
Average annual net price$32,997$21,499-$11,498 vs Xavier University · lower cost
Admission rate86.4%86.1%
Higher-admission alternativeSpalding University99.5% admitted
Comparison with Xavier University
MeasureXavier UniversitySpalding University
Peer earnings · 4 years$71,477$64,136-$7,341 vs Xavier University
Average annual net price$32,997$25,491-$7,506 vs Xavier University · lower cost
Admission rate86.4%99.5%
Nearby alternativeThe Christ College of Nursing and Health SciencesNearby option · OH
Comparison with Xavier University
MeasureXavier UniversityThe Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Peer earnings · 4 years$71,477$74,804+$3,327 vs Xavier University
Average annual net price$32,997$18,378-$14,619 vs Xavier University · lower cost
Admission rate86.4%58.9%
Explore The Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences →
Higher-earnings alternativeUniversity of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis$131,813 earnings
Comparison with Xavier University
MeasureXavier UniversityUniversity of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis
Peer earnings · 4 years$71,477$131,813+$60,336 vs Xavier University
Average annual net price$32,997$31,817-$1,180 vs Xavier University · lower cost
Admission rate86.4%89.8%
Explore University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis →
Lower-cost alternativeMount St. Joseph University$16,530 average net price
Comparison with Xavier University
MeasureXavier UniversityMount St. Joseph University
Peer earnings · 4 years$71,477$61,602-$9,875 vs Xavier University
Average annual net price$32,997$16,530-$16,467 vs Xavier University · lower cost
Admission rate86.4%59.1%
Similar profileButler UniversityMatched across several measures
Comparison with Xavier University
MeasureXavier UniversityButler University
Peer earnings · 4 years$71,477$73,732+$2,255 vs Xavier University
Average annual net price$32,997$36,041+$3,044 vs Xavier University · higher cost
Admission rate86.4%85.1%

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings