Private nonprofit · University

St. Thomas University

Miami Gardens, Florida · Large suburb

97.9%
Admit rate
$26,312
Avg net price
48%
Graduation rate
$54,272
Median earnings

St. Thomas University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Miami Gardens, Florida (large suburb setting), enrolling 2,214 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). It has a Roman Catholic religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 2,214 undergradsLarge suburbAccessible · 98% admitNAIA Division I · The Sun ConferenceMild wintersNear the coast

About Miami Gardens, Florida

Miami Gardens is a city in north-central Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. In the wake of the construction of I-95 in the late 1960s, many middle- and upper-income African American and West Indian American families migrated from Miami neighborhoods like Liberty City to what became Miami Gardens (also called Carol City, Norland, or Norwood) as race-based covenants were outlawed with the Fair Housing Act, and mostly lower income blacks moved into the Liberty City and Little Haiti neighborhoods surrounding Liberty Square and Edison Courts. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
12 miles to Miami, FL
To the ocean
6 miles
Nearest airport
2 miles to Miami-Opa Locka Executive (OPF)

How St. Thomas University compares

Selectivity97.9%

More selective than 8% · #47 most selective of 49 in Florida

Graduation rate48%

Higher than 36% · #40 of 62 in Florida

First-year retention57%

Higher than 10%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$54,272

Higher than 51% · #22 of 60 in Florida

Average net price$26,312

Cheaper than 25% · #38 cheapest of 62 in Florida

Median debt at graduation$19,125

Lower than 79%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 23%

Undergraduate enrollment2,214

Larger than 60%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

5,380students
  • Undergraduate2,21441%
  • Graduate3,16659%

Undergraduates by gender

2,214undergrads
  • Women1,20154%
  • Men1,01346%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White9.8%
  • Black35%
  • Hispanic34%
  • Other or multiracial21%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,214
Graduate enrollment
3,166
Student–faculty ratio
17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
27%
First-generation students
41%
Students over 25
9%
Median family income
$26,170
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$77,625
Endowment
$42,969,520

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

Admissions

Admission rate
97.9%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$34,770
Room & board
$13,210
Books & supplies
$360
Total cost of attendance
$51,205
Average net price
$26,312

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)
48%
Graduated on time (4 years)
37%
First-year retention
57%
Transferred to another college
31%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$44,435
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$54,272
Median debt at graduation
$19,125
Students with federal loans
31%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
39%

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
37%
Low-income (Pell)
40%
First-generation
40%

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
870
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
39%
Housing charge (year)
$7,830
Meal plan (year)
$5,320
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NAIA Division I
Football conference
The Sun Conference
Varsity athletes
857 (521 men · 336 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 (15)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)157
Other Sports141
Football107
Soccer100
Swimming and Diving (combined)89
Baseball39
Tennis32
Wrestling32
Volleyball31
Golf29
Basketball27
Softball27
Lacrosse25
Beach Volleyball15
Bowling6

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.5 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
8
Property offenses (2022–2024)
4

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (7,652 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.

4.0reported offenses a year
2.7 violent a year1.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Aggravated assault
1.0
Motor vehicle theft
1.0
Rape
0.7
Robbery
0.7
Fondling
0.3
Burglary
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
$24,657
$30–48k
$26,101
$48–75k
$27,122
$75–110k
$29,081
$110k+
$30,098

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
$117,529

$27,122/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
$17,856
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 99% — get grant money from St. Thomas University itself, averaging $17,856, 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 534 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)
$54,272
Typical debt at graduation
$19,125
Debt vs. one year's pay
35%
Out-earn a HS grad
64%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.5 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.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$52,062
Men
$57,604

Men out-earn women by $5,542 (11%) 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
91°F
Winter low
59°F
Annual rain
62.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
50°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.04.58.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Miami Opa Locka AP, FL US station (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 St. Thomas University

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

Colleges near St. Thomas 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.