Private nonprofit · University
Fairfield University
Fairfield, Connecticut · Large suburb
- 33.3%
- Admit rate
- $48,095
- Avg net price
- 84%
- Graduation rate
- $88,794
- Median earnings
Fairfield University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Fairfield, Connecticut (large suburb setting), enrolling 5,373 undergraduates. It has a Roman Catholic religious affiliation.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Fairfield University's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 33.3%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1260–1390
- Avg GPA
- 3.76
Enter a test score to see where you land against Fairfield University's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Fairfield University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Fairfield, Connecticut
Fairfield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. In 1635, Puritans and Congregationalists in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, were dissatisfied with the rate of Anglican reform, and sought to establish an ecclesiastical society subject to their own rules and regulations. In May 2012, Moody's Investors Service revised the Town of Fairfield's $192 million general obligation bond debt from negative to stable. In June 2012, Moody's awarded Fairfield with a Moody's Aaa Bond rating, which it maintains to this date. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 20 miles to New Haven, CT
- To the ocean
- 2 miles
- Nearest airport
- 20 miles to Tweed New Haven (HVN)
How Fairfield University compares
More selective than 92% · #5 most selective of 24 in Connecticut
Higher than 83%
Higher than 92% · #4 of 26 in Connecticut
Higher than 88%
Higher than 95% · #3 of 25 in Connecticut
Cheaper than 1% · #26 cheapest of 26 in Connecticut
Lower than 24%
Lower than 59%
Larger than 79%
Percentiles compare Fairfield University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Connecticut.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate5,37378%
- Graduate1,47322%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women3,46965%
- Men1,90435%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White79%
- Black1.3%
- Hispanic8.9%
- Asian1.8%
- Other or multiracial8.8%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 5,373
- Graduate enrollment
- 1,473
- Student–faculty ratio
- 12 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 7%
- First-generation students
- 17%
- Students over 25
- 1%
- Median family income
- $117,152
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $119,682
- Endowment
- $411,058,000
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 1,436 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Connecticut15%
- Other U.S. states84%
- International1.1%
A national draw — only 15% of first-years come from Connecticut; 84% arrive from other states.
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
- 33.3%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1260–1390
- SAT average
- 1335
- SAT reading
- 630–700
- SAT math
- 630–690
- ACT composite
- 29–32
- Average GPA
- 3.76
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $58,350
- Room & board
- $19,838
- Books & supplies
- $1,175
- Total cost of attendance
- $76,074
- Average net price
- $48,095
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)
- 84%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 82%
- First-year retention
- 91%
- Transferred to another college
- 12%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $73,693
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $88,794
- Median debt at graduation
- $26,000
- Students with federal loans
- 43%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 80%
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
- 3,959
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 74%
- Housing charge (year)
- $10,700
- Meal plan (year)
- $7,700
- Application fee
- $60
- Athletics
- NCAA Division I without football
- Varsity athletes
- 505 (245 men · 260 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 (12)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 1.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 14
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 7
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (6,864 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.
$26,953/year × about 4.0 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.
Fairfield University discounts heavily: 95% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $25,486. 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 1,324 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)
- $88,794
- Typical debt at graduation
- $26,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 29%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 85%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.
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 out-earn men by $7,296 (9%) 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
- 24°F
- Annual rain
- 44.1″
- Annual snow
- 33.6″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Bridgeport Sikorsky Mem AP, CT US station (6.6 mi from campus).
What Fairfield 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 Fairfield University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Fairfield University side by side →
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, California · Large city · 11 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 7,094
- Admission
- 45%
- Net price
- $48k
- SAT
- 1359
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $78k
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, Pennsylvania · Distant town · 47 mi to Harrisburg
- Students
- 3,876
- Admission
- 29%
- Net price
- $41k
- SAT
- 1410
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $94k
Providence College
Providence, Rhode Island · Midsize city · 2 mi to Providence
- Students
- 4,229
- Admission
- 51%
- Net price
- $49k
- SAT
- 1346
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $87k
College of the Holy Cross
Worcester, Massachusetts · Midsize city · 2 mi to Worcester
- Students
- 3,106
- Admission
- 18%
- Net price
- $39k
- SAT
- 1353
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $91k
Lafayette College
Easton, Pennsylvania · Large suburb · 16 mi to Allentown
- Students
- 2,757
- Admission
- 31%
- Net price
- $34k
- SAT
- 1424
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $91k
Trinity College
Hartford, Connecticut · Midsize city · 2 mi to Hartford
- Students
- 2,146
- Admission
- 29%
- Net price
- $35k
- SAT
- 1415
- GPA
- 3.9
- Earnings
- $91k
Colleges near Fairfield University
University of Bridgeport
Bridgeport, CT · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,534 students
Sacred Heart University
Fairfield, CT · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 7,087 students
New England Tractor Trailer Training School of CT-Bridgeport
Bridgeport, CT · Private for-profit · Certificate · 428 students
Porter & Chester Institute
Bridgeport, CT · Private for-profit · Certificate · 1,373 students
Branford Academy of Hair & Cosmetology-Bridgeport
Bridgeport, CT · Private for-profit · Certificate · 32 students
American Institute of Healthcare & Technology
Stratford, CT · Private for-profit · Certificate · 100 students
Lincoln Technical Institute-Shelton
Shelton, CT · Private for-profit · Certificate · 875 students
TIGI Hairdressing Academy Newtown
Newtown, CT · Private for-profit · Certificate · 53 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.














