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.
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
More selective than 59% · #74 most selective of 137 in New York
Higher than 71% · #63 of 159 in New York
Higher than 38%
Higher than 69% · #66 of 133 in New York
Cheaper than 60% · #68 cheapest of 153 in New York
Lower than 43%
Lower than 68%
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
- Undergraduate1,68570%
- Graduate72730%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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 $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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Buffalo, NY US station (6.1 mi from campus).
What Canisius 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 Canisius University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Canisius University side by side →
Daemen University
Amherst, New York · Large suburb · 7 mi to Buffalo
- Students
- 1,643
- Admission
- 68%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $62k
North Park University
Chicago, Illinois · Large city · 8 mi to Chicago
- Students
- 1,818
- Admission
- 69%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $60k
Walsh University
North Canton, Ohio · Large suburb · 16 mi to Akron
- Students
- 1,390
- Admission
- 71%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1193
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $60k
University of Mary
Bismarck, North Dakota · Fringe rural · 6 mi to Bismarck
- Students
- 2,416
- Admission
- 75%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- 1159
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $61k
Siena Heights University
Adrian, Michigan · Distant town · 30 mi to Toledo
- Students
- 1,495
- Admission
- 69%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 954
- GPA
- 2.8
- Earnings
- $58k
Cumberland University
Lebanon, Tennessee · Fringe town · 27 mi to Nashville
- Students
- 2,104
- Admission
- 67%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $58k
Colleges near Canisius University
SUNY Buffalo State University
Buffalo, NY · Public · Bachelor's · 5,097 students
D'Youville University
Buffalo, NY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,258 students
Bryant & Stratton College-Buffalo
Buffalo, NY · Private nonprofit · Associate · 743 students
Villa Maria College
Buffalo, NY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 603 students
Erie Community College
Buffalo, NY · Public · Associate · 6,099 students
The Salon Professional Academy-Tonawanda
Tonawanda, NY · Private for-profit · Certificate · 142 students
Daemen University
Amherst, NY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,643 students
Empire Beauty School-Buffalo
Cheektowaga, NY · Private for-profit · Certificate · 87 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.












