Private nonprofit · University

Dominican University of California

San Rafael, California · Small city

83.5%
Admit rate
$35,333
Avg net price
78%
Graduation rate
$84,713
Median earnings

Dominican University of California is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in San Rafael, California (small city setting), enrolling 1,114 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,114 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 84% admitNCAA Division II without footballNear the coast

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Dominican University of California's admitted students.

Admit rate
83.5%
SAT (mid 50%)
1210–1300
Avg GPA (est.)
3.59

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

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

About San Rafael, California

San Rafael is a city in and the county seat of Marin County, California, United States. Mission San Rafael Arcángel was founded as the 20th Spanish mission in the colonial province of Alta California by three priests—Father Narciso Durán from Mission San José, Father Abella from Mission San Francisco de Asís, Father Luis Gíl y Taboada from La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora Reina de los Angeles—on December 14, 1817, four years before Mexico gained independence from Spain. The term "420", as used in reference to cannabis consumption, originated in San Rafael. A group of students of the San Rafael High School class of 1975 known as the Waldos used "420" as a code for smoking marijuana at 4:20 p.m., after school. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
1 mile
Nearest airport
24 miles to Oakland San Francisco Bay (OAK) · major hub

How Dominican University of California compares

Selectivity83.5%

More selective than 38% · #65 most selective of 107 in California

SAT average1290

Higher than 78%

Graduation rate78%

Higher than 87% · #33 of 122 in California

First-year retention85%

Higher than 77%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$84,713

Higher than 93% · #24 of 130 in California

Average net price$35,333

Cheaper than 9% · #88 cheapest of 118 in California

Median debt at graduation$27,000

Lower than 11%

Student–faculty ratio8 : 1

Lower than 89%

Undergraduate enrollment1,114

Larger than 41%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

1,900students
  • Undergraduate1,11459%
  • Graduate78641%

Undergraduates by gender

1,114undergrads
  • Women81273%
  • Men30227%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White21%
  • Black5.8%
  • Hispanic32%
  • Asian30%
  • Other or multiracial11%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,114
Graduate enrollment
786
Student–faculty ratio
8 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
32%
First-generation students
31%
Students over 25
12%
Median family income
$65,976
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$90,324
Endowment
$31,921,283

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 250 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From California82%
  • Other U.S. states17%
  • International0.8%

Most first-years stay in state — Dominican University of California draws overwhelmingly from California.

1% 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
83.5%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1210–1300
SAT average
1290
SAT reading
620–660
SAT math
590–640
ACT composite
Average GPA (estimated)
3.59

Cost

In-state tuition
$52,161
Room & board
$16,191
Books & supplies
$1,152
Total cost of attendance
$71,751
Average net price
$35,333

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)
78%
Graduated on time (4 years)
65%
First-year retention
85%
Transferred to another college
18%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$71,477
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$84,713
Median debt at graduation
$27,000
Students with federal loans
58%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
64%

About 13% 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
65%
Low-income (Pell)
65%
First-generation
67%

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
535
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
48%
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division II without football
Varsity athletes
279 (123 men · 156 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 (8)

Lacrosse77
Soccer72
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)34
Basketball30
Softball26
Volleyball17
Golf13
Tennis10

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
6
Property offenses (2022–2024)
7

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,900 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.

4.3reported offenses a year
2.0 violent a year2.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
1.7
Fondling
1.0
Rape
0.7
Motor vehicle theft
0.7
Aggravated assault
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
$24,572
$30–48k
$29,275
$48–75k
$30,313
$75–110k
$35,343
$110k+
$43,317

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
$128,965

$30,313/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.

99%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$14,927
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 99% — get grant money from Dominican University of California itself, averaging $14,927, 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 225 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)
$84,713
Typical debt at graduation
$27,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
32%
Out-earn a HS grad
72%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.2 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
$87,599
Men
$73,935

Women out-earn men by $13,664 (18%) 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
81°F
Winter low
42°F
Annual rain
34.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°60°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.97.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, San Rafael Civic Ctr, CA US station (1.8 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 Dominican University of California

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

Colleges near Dominican University of California

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.