Private nonprofit · University

Canisius University

Buffalo, New York · Large city

72.4%
Admit rate
$17,940
Avg net price
66%
Graduation rate
$60,681
Median earnings

Canisius University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Buffalo, New York (large city setting), enrolling 1,685 undergraduates. It has a Roman Catholic religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,685 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 72% admitNCAA Division I without footballCold wintersSnowy

About Buffalo, New York

Buffalo is a city in the U.S. state of New York. Before the arrival of Europeans, nomadic Paleo-Indians inhabited the western New York region from the 8th millennium BCE. The Woodland period began around 1000 BC, marked by the rise of the Iroquois Confederacy and the spread of its tribes throughout the state. Buffalo is home to over 20 theater companies, with many centered in the downtown Theatre District. Shea's Performing Arts Center is the city's largest theater. Designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany and built in 1926, the theater presents Broadway musicals and concerts. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
3 miles to Buffalo, NY
To Great Lakes shore
3 miles
Nearest airport
6 miles to Buffalo Niagara (BUF) · major hub

How Canisius University compares

Selectivity72.4%

More selective than 59% · #74 most selective of 137 in New York

Graduation rate66%

Higher than 71% · #63 of 159 in New York

First-year retention73%

Higher than 38%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$60,681

Higher than 69% · #66 of 133 in New York

Average net price$17,940

Cheaper than 60% · #68 cheapest of 153 in New York

Median debt at graduation$24,250

Lower than 43%

Student–faculty ratio11 : 1

Lower than 68%

Undergraduate enrollment1,685

Larger than 53%

Percentiles compare Canisius University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in New York.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

2,412students
  • Undergraduate1,68570%
  • Graduate72730%

Undergraduates by gender

1,685undergrads
  • Women91154%
  • Men77446%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White64%
  • Black14%
  • Hispanic5.7%
  • Asian3.5%
  • Other or multiracial13%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,685
Graduate enrollment
727
Student–faculty ratio
11 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
32%
First-generation students
23%
Students over 25
3%
Median family income
$65,323
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$78,219
Endowment
$147,364,503

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 424 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From New York75%
  • Other U.S. states18%
  • International7.1%

Most first-years stay in state — Canisius University draws overwhelmingly from New York.

7% 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
72.4%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$34,500
Room & board
$13,560
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$44,322
Average net price
$17,940

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)
66%
Graduated on time (4 years)
59%
First-year retention
73%
Transferred to another college
23%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$46,089
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$60,681
Median debt at graduation
$24,250
Students with federal loans
53%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
66%

About 8% 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
59%
Low-income (Pell)
63%
First-generation
62%

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
1,046
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
62%
Housing charge (year)
$6,660
Meal plan (year)
$6,500
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division I without football
Varsity athletes
494 (265 men · 229 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 (11)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)114
Lacrosse79
Soccer60
Swimming and Diving (combined)53
Baseball41
Rowing35
Basketball31
Ice Hockey31
Softball25
Volleyball16
Golf9

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
3.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
3
Property offenses (2022–2024)
19

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,451 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.

7.3reported offenses a year
1.0 violent a year6.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
4.0
Burglary
2.3
Rape
0.7
Fondling
0.3

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
$12,781
$30–48k
$12,404
$48–75k
$16,151
$75–110k
$21,341
$110k+
$24,170

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
$67,407

$16,151/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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$19,416
average award, among those who get one

Canisius University discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $19,416. 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 475 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)
$60,681
Typical debt at graduation
$24,250
Debt vs. one year's pay
40%
Out-earn a HS grad
68%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.0 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
$58,295
Men
$63,889

Men out-earn women by $5,594 (10%) 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
80°F
Winter low
19°F
Annual rain
40.7″
Annual snow
95.4″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.04.1JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Buffalo, NY US station (6.1 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 Canisius University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Canisius University side by side →

Colleges near Canisius 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.