Private nonprofit · University

Rivier University

Nashua, New Hampshire · Small city

#5 most selective in New Hampshire
82.6%
Admit rate
$28,082
Avg net price
52%
Graduation rate
$52,248
Median earnings

Rivier University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Nashua, New Hampshire (small city setting), enrolling 1,231 undergraduates. It has a Roman Catholic religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,231 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 83% admitNCAA Division III without footballCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
82.6%
SAT (mid 50%)
1055–1175
Avg GPA (est.)
3.09

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

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

About Nashua, New Hampshire

Nashua is a city in southern New Hampshire, United States. Located at the confluence of the Nashua and Merrimack rivers, Dunstable was first settled about 1654 as a fur trading town. Nashua lies approximately in the center of the original 1673 grant. In the American version of The Office, a branch of the fictional paper company Dunder Mifflin is located in Nashua and features in several episodes. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
31 miles
Nearest airport
13 miles to Manchester-Boston (MHT)

How Rivier University compares

Selectivity82.6%

More selective than 40% · #5 most selective of 11 in New Hampshire

SAT average1070

Higher than 20%

Graduation rate52%

Higher than 43% · #9 of 13 in New Hampshire

First-year retention76%

Higher than 48%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$52,248

Higher than 45% · #11 of 15 in New Hampshire

Average net price$28,082

Cheaper than 20% · #10 cheapest of 13 in New Hampshire

Median debt at graduation$26,956

Lower than 17%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment1,231

Larger than 44%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

2,756students
  • Undergraduate1,23145%
  • Graduate1,52555%

Undergraduates by gender

1,231undergrads
  • Women94377%
  • Men28823%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White72%
  • Black9.5%
  • Hispanic7.4%
  • Asian3.9%
  • Other or multiracial7.0%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,231
Graduate enrollment
1,525
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
28%
First-generation students
37%
Students over 25
25%
Median family income
$62,990
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$73,566
Endowment
$41,495,760

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

Admissions

Admission rate
82.6%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1055–1175
SAT average
1070
SAT reading
545–590
SAT math
510–585
ACT composite
Average GPA (estimated)
3.09

Cost

In-state tuition
$39,488
Room & board
$15,636
Books & supplies
$1,400
Total cost of attendance
$53,499
Average net price
$28,082

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)
52%
Graduated on time (4 years)
45%
First-year retention
76%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$54,599
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$52,248
Median debt at graduation
$26,956
Students with federal loans
70%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
63%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
45%
Low-income (Pell)
55%
First-generation
57%

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
495
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
40%
Housing charge (year)
$8,604
Meal plan (year)
$6,856
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III without football
Varsity athletes
334 (184 men · 150 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)

Soccer62
Lacrosse57
Ice Hockey54
Baseball43
Volleyball37
Basketball30
Softball21
Field Hockey18
Cross Country12

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.7 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
5
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,777 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.

2.0reported offenses a year
1.7 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
1.7
Motor vehicle theft
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
$23,321
$30–48k
$23,978
$48–75k
$25,106
$75–110k
$27,352
$110k+
$31,359

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
$105,300

$25,106/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.

98%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$20,455
average award, among those who get one

Rivier University discounts heavily: 98% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $20,455. 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 269 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)
$52,248
Typical debt at graduation
$26,956
Debt vs. one year's pay
52%
Out-earn a HS grad
73%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.2 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
$45,407
Men
$57,559

Men out-earn women by $12,152 (27%) 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
85°F
Winter low
14°F
Annual rain
46.2″
Annual snow
66.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Nashua Cwsu, NH US station (1.3 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 Rivier University

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

Colleges near Rivier 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.