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.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 3,618 undergradsSmall citySelective · 41% admitNCAA Division III without footballCold wintersSnowyNear the coast

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

Selectivity40.5%

More selective than 89% · #16 most selective of 63 in Massachusetts

SAT average1462

Higher than 94%

Graduation rate86%

Higher than 93% · #16 of 66 in Massachusetts

First-year retention87%

Higher than 81%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$77,231

Higher than 89% · #21 of 67 in Massachusetts

Average net price$35,736

Cheaper than 8% · #52 cheapest of 65 in Massachusetts

Median debt at graduation$25,648

Lower than 27%

Student–faculty ratio10 : 1

Lower than 76%

Undergraduate enrollment3,618

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

5,191students
  • Undergraduate3,61870%
  • Graduate1,57330%

Undergraduates by gender

3,618undergrads
  • 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)

All students
77%
Low-income (Pell)
77%
First-generation
74%

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)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)157
Soccer62
Fencing46
Baseball38
Basketball34
Swimming27
Softball22
Tennis18
Volleyball18

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.

6.7reported offenses a year
5.3 violent a year1.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
2.3
Aggravated assault
1.3
Burglary
1.3
Rape
1.0
Robbery
0.7

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.

< $30k
$13,363
$30–48k
$15,135
$48–75k
$20,536
$75–110k
$26,784
$110k+
$54,885

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.

Est. total to a degree
$85,345

$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.

68%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$35,576
average award, among those who get one

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.

Solid value

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.

Women
$75,536
Men
$78,400

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

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Natick, MA US station (7.2 mi from campus).

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 →

Colleges near Brandeis University

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.