Private nonprofit · University

Carlow University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania · Large city

87.0%
Admit rate
$20,786
Avg net price
60%
Graduation rate
$51,051
Median earnings

Carlow University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (large city setting), enrolling 1,348 undergraduates. It has a Roman Catholic religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,348 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 87% admitNCAA Division III without footballCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Carlow University's admitted students.

Admit rate
87.0%
SAT (mid 50%)
960–1168
Avg GPA (est.)
3.11

Enter a test score to see where you land against Carlow University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Carlow University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The Seneca people called the confluence of the rivers Diondega or Jaödeogë’. Shannopin's Town was an 18th-century Lenape (Delaware) town located roughly from where Penn Avenue is today, below the mouth of Two Mile Run, from 30th Street to 39th Street. Pittsburgh boasts a rich arts and culture scene, with a history dating back to 19th-century industrialists who commissioned and donated public works including Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts and the Benedum Center, home to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Pittsburgh Opera. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
110 miles
Nearest airport
15 miles to Pittsburgh (PIT) · major hub

How Carlow University compares

Selectivity87.0%

More selective than 31% · #65 most selective of 111 in Pennsylvania

SAT average1080

Higher than 22%

Graduation rate60%

Higher than 60% · #58 of 116 in Pennsylvania

First-year retention84%

Higher than 75%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$51,051

Higher than 41% · #95 of 116 in Pennsylvania

Average net price$20,786

Cheaper than 47% · #40 cheapest of 112 in Pennsylvania

Median debt at graduation$25,500

Lower than 28%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment1,348

Larger than 46%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

2,409students
  • Undergraduate1,34856%
  • Graduate1,06144%

Undergraduates by gender

1,348undergrads
  • Women1,14185%
  • Men20715%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White66%
  • Black19%
  • Hispanic4.7%
  • Asian3.2%
  • Other or multiracial7.1%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,348
Graduate enrollment
1,061
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
43%
First-generation students
37%
Students over 25
32%
Median family income
$40,539
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$67,680
Endowment
$56,831,178

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
87.0%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
960–1168
SAT average
1080
SAT reading
500–598
SAT math
460–570
ACT composite
Average GPA (estimated)
3.11

Cost

In-state tuition
$35,874
Room & board
$13,808
Books & supplies
$2,000
Total cost of attendance
$49,327
Average net price
$20,786

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)
60%
Graduated on time (4 years)
49%
First-year retention
84%
Transferred to another college
38%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$44,876
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$51,051
Median debt at graduation
$25,500
Students with federal loans
69%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
51%

About 11% 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
49%
Low-income (Pell)
45%
First-generation
50%

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
404
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
30%
Housing charge (year)
$6,916
Meal plan (year)
$6,490
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III without football
Varsity athletes
191 (79 men · 112 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)

Soccer46
Basketball31
Volleyball28
Golf17
Softball17
Track and Field (Outdoor)17
Other Sports17
Tennis10
Cross Country8

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
1
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (2,416 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.

0.3reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

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
$17,901
$30–48k
$15,748
$48–75k
$19,517
$75–110k
$21,601
$110k+
$25,214

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
$83,608

$19,517/year × about 4.3 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.

96%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$21,564
average award, among those who get one

Carlow University discounts heavily: 96% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $21,564. 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 193 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)
$51,051
Typical debt at graduation
$25,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
50%
Out-earn a HS grad
65%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.0 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
$50,251
Men
$55,421

Men out-earn women by $5,170 (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
83°F
Winter low
22°F
Annual rain
41.3″
Annual snow
25″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.34.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Pittsburgh Allegheny CO AP, PA US station (6.2 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 Carlow University

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

Colleges near Carlow 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.