Private nonprofit · College

College of Saint Mary

Omaha, Nebraska · Large city

#1 most selective in Nebraska
44.6%
Admit rate
$16,590
Avg net price
61%
Graduation rate
$54,338
Median earnings

College of Saint Mary is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Omaha, Nebraska (large city setting), enrolling 445 undergraduates. It is a women's college. It has a Roman Catholic religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 445 undergradsLarge citySelective · 45% admitCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against College of Saint Mary's admitted students.

Admit rate
44.6%
ACT (mid 50%)
18–26
Avg GPA (est.)
3.38

Enter a test score to see where you land against College of Saint Mary's admitted students.

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

About Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. In 1804 the Lewis and Clark Expedition passed the riverbanks where the city of Omaha would be built. Omaha's Boys Town was made famous by the 1938 Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney movie Boys Town. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
5 miles to Omaha, NE
To Great Lakes shore
427 miles
Nearest airport
8 miles to Eppley Airfield (OMA) · major hub

How College of Saint Mary compares

Selectivity44.6%

More selective than 87% · #1 most selective of 15 in Nebraska

SAT average1150

Higher than 45%

Graduation rate61%

Higher than 61% · #6 of 19 in Nebraska

First-year retention80%

Higher than 62%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$54,338

Higher than 51% · #10 of 21 in Nebraska

Average net price$16,590

Cheaper than 65% · #6 cheapest of 19 in Nebraska

Median debt at graduation$24,250

Lower than 43%

Student–faculty ratio8 : 1

Lower than 89%

Undergraduate enrollment445

Larger than 20%

Percentiles compare College of Saint Mary with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Nebraska.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

679students
  • Undergraduate44566%
  • Graduate23434%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White55%
  • Black9.2%
  • Hispanic24%
  • Asian2.0%
  • Other or multiracial9.9%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
445
Graduate enrollment
234
Student–faculty ratio
8 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
39%
First-generation students
26%
Students over 25
23%
Median family income
$37,527
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$70,263
Endowment
$32,085,539

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

Admissions

Admission rate
44.6%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
1150
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite
18–26
Average GPA (estimated)
3.38

Cost

In-state tuition
$24,510
Room & board
$9,084
Books & supplies
$912
Total cost of attendance
$35,971
Average net price
$16,590

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)
61%
Graduated on time (4 years)
51%
First-year retention
80%
Transferred to another college
33%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$59,339
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$54,338
Median debt at graduation
$24,250
Students with federal loans
50%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
59%

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
51%
Low-income (Pell)
60%
First-generation
64%

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
295
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
66%
Application fee
Free

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%.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
3.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
1
Property offenses (2022–2024)
6

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (786 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.

2.3reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year2.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
1.3
Rape
0.3
Burglary
0.3
Arson
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
$14,090
$30–48k
$12,713
$48–75k
$9,320
$75–110k
$15,242
$110k+
$23,898

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
$39,415

$9,320/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
$15,852
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 100% — get grant money from College of Saint Mary itself, averaging $15,852, which softens the sticker price.

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 88 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)
$54,338
Typical debt at graduation
$24,250
Debt vs. one year's pay
45%
Out-earn a HS grad
70%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.5 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.

Campus climate

Summer high
85°F
Winter low
15°F
Annual rain
31.9″
Annual snow
27.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Omaha #1, NE US station (7.8 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 College of Saint Mary

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare College of Saint Mary side by side →

Colleges near College of Saint Mary

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.