Private nonprofit · University
Brandeis University
Waltham, Massachusetts · Small city
- 40.5%
- Admit rate
- $35,736
- Avg net price
- 86%
- Graduation rate
- $77,231
- Median earnings
Brandeis University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Waltham, Massachusetts (small city setting), enrolling 3,618 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Brandeis University's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 40.5%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1390–1520
- Avg GPA
- 3.90
Enter a test score to see where you land against Brandeis University's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Brandeis University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. At the time of European arrival, Waltham was in a border zone between the territories of the Pawtucket confederation and the Massachusett, with nearby native settlements at Nonantum and Pequosset (Watertown). Waltham's combination of population (especially in central and south Waltham) parks, public transit, stores, and trails gives it 62 (out of 100) walkability ranking on walkscore.com. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 10 miles to Boston, MA
- To the ocean
- 11 miles
- Nearest airport
- 7 miles to Laurence G Hanscom Field (BED)
How Brandeis University compares
More selective than 89% · #16 most selective of 63 in Massachusetts
Higher than 94%
Higher than 93% · #16 of 66 in Massachusetts
Higher than 81%
Higher than 89% · #21 of 67 in Massachusetts
Cheaper than 8% · #52 cheapest of 65 in Massachusetts
Lower than 27%
Lower than 76%
Larger than 73%
Percentiles compare Brandeis University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Massachusetts.
Brandeis University campus
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate3,61870%
- Graduate1,57330%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women2,18160%
- Men1,43740%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White41%
- Black5.8%
- Hispanic9.0%
- Asian18%
- Other or multiracial26%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 3,618
- Graduate enrollment
- 1,573
- Student–faculty ratio
- 10 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 15%
- First-generation students
- 16%
- Students over 25
- 0%
- Median family income
- $72,612
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $131,130
- Endowment
- $1,264,908,273
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 865 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Massachusetts24%
- Other U.S. states57%
- International20%
A national draw — only 24% of first-years come from Massachusetts; 57% arrive from other states.
20% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 40.5%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1390–1520
- SAT average
- 1462
- SAT reading
- 690–750
- SAT math
- 700–770
- ACT composite
- 31–34
- Average GPA
- 3.90
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $68,080
- Room & board
- $19,944
- Books & supplies
- $1,000
- Total cost of attendance
- $86,448
- Average net price
- $35,736
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 86%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 77%
- First-year retention
- 87%
- Transferred to another college
- 8%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $52,967
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $77,231
- Median debt at graduation
- $25,648
- Students with federal loans
- 28%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 77%
About 9% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 2,950
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 82%
- Housing charge (year)
- $10,160
- Meal plan (year)
- $7,658
- Application fee
- $80
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III without football
- Varsity athletes
- 422 (235 men · 187 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (9)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 1.3 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 16
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 4
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (5,205 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$20,536/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Brandeis University discounts heavily: 68% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $35,576. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 987 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $77,231
- Typical debt at graduation
- $25,648
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 33%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 71%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.3 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $2,864 (4%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 82°F
- Winter low
- 18°F
- Annual rain
- 47.3″
- Annual snow
- 45.7″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Natick, MA US station (7.2 mi from campus).
What Brandeis University graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Brandeis University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Brandeis University side by side →
Occidental College
Los Angeles, California · Large city · 6 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 1,877
- Admission
- 44%
- Net price
- $38k
- SAT
- 1452
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $76k
Connecticut College
New London, Connecticut · Small city · 40 mi to Hartford
- Students
- 1,937
- Admission
- 37%
- Net price
- $36k
- SAT
- 1432
- GPA
- 3.9
- Earnings
- $75k
University of Rochester
Rochester, New York · Midsize city · 2 mi to Rochester
- Students
- 6,331
- Admission
- 40%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- 1488
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $79k
Kenyon College
Gambier, Ohio · Fringe rural · 43 mi to Columbus
- Students
- 1,732
- Admission
- 31%
- Net price
- $39k
- SAT
- 1429
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $72k
Dickinson College
Carlisle, Pennsylvania · Small city · 17 mi to Harrisburg
- Students
- 2,273
- Admission
- 42%
- Net price
- $38k
- SAT
- 1391
- GPA
- 3.9
- Earnings
- $70k
Scripps College
Claremont, California · Large suburb · 21 mi to Riverside
- Students
- 1,113
- Admission
- 38%
- Net price
- $36k
- SAT
- 1492
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $78k
Colleges near Brandeis University
Lasell University
Newton, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,226 students
Hebrew College
Newton, MA · Private nonprofit · Graduate · 0 students
Bentley University
Waltham, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 4,474 students
Regis College
Weston, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 956 students
Massachusetts Bay Community College
Wellesley Hills, MA · Public · Associate · 3,837 students
Babson College
Wellesley, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,728 students
Franklin W Olin College of Engineering
Needham, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 377 students
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 10,085 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.













