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U.S. News #342 Private nonprofit, 4-year

Daemen College

Amherst, New York · www.daemen.edu

中文

U.S. News National 2027

#342

Up 16 from 2026

Acceptance rate

68.3%

2025

Peer median 77.2%

Tuition per year

$35,218

$49,448 with room and board

Peer median $30,775

Undergraduates

1,653

Student-faculty ratio 12:1

Peer median 13 : 1

Graduation rate

43.0%

4-year; 6-year rate 55.0%

Peer median 41.5%

“Peers” are the 30 closest-ranked private national universities, the same comparison used in this page's data notes.

About

Daemen University is an independent, non-profit, four-year institution located in Amherst, New York, operating with no religious affiliation. The university provides an intimate learning environment featuring an undergraduate student-faculty ratio of 12:1. In the 2027 US News National University Rankings, Daemen University held the 342nd position. The institution delivers a combination of liberal arts education and pre-professional preparation across undergraduate and graduate levels, maintaining specialized focus in health science areas. Notably, its graduate Physician Assistant program earned a national ranking of 93rd in 2025 from US News. Situated in suburban Western New York near the Buffalo metropolitan area, Daemen University offers students access to clinical and regional professional settings while serving a student body primarily composed of regional undergraduates and health professions graduate candidates.

Daemen University offers a moderate educational value where undergraduate costs run higher than average among peer institutions, while completion rates remain mixed. In 2025, undergraduate tuition was $35,218, which is higher than 60% of its peer group of 30 similarly ranked private comprehensive universities. When examining institutional investment, Daemen spent an estimated $9,048 on instruction per student in 2024. Student completion outcomes vary significantly between the four-year and six-year timelines. In 2025, the four-year graduation rate was 43%, whereas the six-year graduation rate rose to 55%. These figures show that while more than half of students eventually complete their degrees, fewer than half finish within four years. For families evaluating total educational costs, taking longer than four years to graduate will add to the overall financial commitment. Prospective applicants should carefully weigh these graduation timelines alongside the annual tuition when assessing whether Daemen represents a worthwhile investment.

This collegeRanked colleges nearby

Setting
Suburb of a large city
Nearest major city
Buffalo, about 6 mi
Nearest international airport
Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF), about 3 mi
Amherst, New York
Academic calendar
Semester
Religious affiliation
Not applicable
President
Dr.Gary A. Olson (President)
Phone
7168393600
City
Amherst, New York
Address
4380 Main St, Amherst, NY 14226-3592

Rankings & Admission

Acceptance rate (%)

Peer median 77.2% · the 30 closest-ranked private national universities

Acceptance rate by gender, 2025

Men
60.6%
Women
71.5%

In 2020: men 58.0%, women 62.9%.

U.S. News National Universities · last 10 years
#248 #280 #312 #344 2020: #263 #263 2021: #298 2022: #299 2023: #331 2024: #345 2025: #352 2026: #358 #358 2027: #342 #342 20202027

Best #263, lowest #358, latest #342 over the last ten years.

Data insights

Daemen University offers an accessible admissions process, though its standing on national lists has slipped over time. In the 2027 US News National University Rankings, the university placed 342nd. Admissions selectivity remains relatively open, with an acceptance rate of 68.3% in 2025, which is higher than 33% of peer schools in a comparison group of similarly ranked private national universities. However, the university experiences substantial competition when attempting to enroll accepted students. In 2025, its yield rate reached 11.5%, indicating that only a small fraction of admitted candidates chose to enroll. For prospective applicants, this combination of an accessible acceptance rate and modest yield suggests that most candidates who meet basic academic qualifications will secure an offer of admission. At the same time, the low yield reflects an applicant pool that frequently compares Daemen against other options before making a final commitment, making it an approachable choice for students seeking regional private higher education.

School and Program Rankings

U.S. News school and program rankings · Click a school to see its programs, and a program for its full ranking

Undergraduate Rankings · 2027 edition

Nursing School#457▲68

Graduate Rankings · 2026 edition

Nursing School#126▲8
Health Specialty1 programs—

Ranks in blue are top 10 · ▲▼ change from the previous edition · “—” means no overall ranking for that school · Medical schools are ranked in tiers since the 2025 edition

Test Scores

SAT/ACT not considered, even if submitted IPEDS (US Department of Education) has no recent SAT/ACT data for admitted students here. GPA, course rigor, essays and activities matter more.

Data insights

Daemen University operates under an admissions policy where test scores are not considered, meaning the institution is test-blind and standardized scores are not evaluated even if submitted. Recent years have no published SAT or ACT score ranges for incoming undergraduate classes. Because standardized exams do not factor into admissions decisions, an applicant's academic transcript serves as the central pillar of evaluation. For the 2023-2024 academic year, 20.0% of entering students reported a 4.0 high school grade point average, while 25.0% maintained marks in the tier immediately following. Another 30.0% entered from the next tier of academic performance, showing that incoming cohorts primarily consist of students with consistently strong secondary school achievement. For prospective families, this admissions framework means that acceptance depends on day-to-day classroom performance, so applicants should focus on maintaining strong grades and challenging coursework throughout high school.

How Hard Is It to Get In

about 7 in 10

3,730 applicants in 2025, 68.3% admitted

2,546 admitted 1,184 not admitted Yield 11.5%

Degrees & Majors

Graduates in 2025 (first major)

Bachelor's3965 international (1.3%)
Master's3198 international (2.5%)
Doctoral610 international (0.0%)
Top 10 Bachelor's majors by graduates
Natural Sciences
105
Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies
79
Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
64
Psychology, General
20
Digital Arts
14
Business Administration and Management, General
11
Accounting
10
Biology/Biological Sciences, General
10
Special Education and Teaching, General
9
Marketing/Marketing Management, General
9

U.S. studentsInternational

Popular graduate programs

  • Physical Therapy/Therapist · Doctoral61 (0% international)
  • Social Work · Master's59 (0% international)
  • Physician Assistant · Master's54 (0% international)
  • Special Education and Teaching, General · Master's53 (8% international)
  • Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs · Master's41 (0% international)
  • Behavioral Sciences · Master's28 (0% international)

Data insights

Academic degrees at Daemen University are heavily concentrated in a small group of health and foundational programs rather than distributed broadly across disciplines. In 2025, the three largest bachelor's programs accounted for 62.6% of all undergraduate degrees awarded, led by Natural Sciences, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Registered Nursing. These high-volume undergraduate fields do not carry top national rankings; instead, the university's strongest academic standing appears at the graduate level, where its Physician Assistant program held a rank of 93 in 2025 from US News. Earnings outcomes diverge dramatically across fields. According to 2023 federal earnings data measured one year after graduation, bachelor's recipients in Registered Nursing achieved median earnings of $91,002, compared to $30,856 for graduates in Liberal Arts and Sciences. Prospective students should evaluate Daemen with specific career trajectories in mind, as return on educational investment varies widely between specialized clinical training tracks and broader liberal arts coursework.

All majors, graduates and earnings IPEDS · College Scorecard

*Depends on whether majors have graduates in 2025 or not, Yes / No
**Move mouse on can check deitaled graudates number, click for major detailed information
***Due to privacy policy, graduate salaries are not shown for some majors that has few gradautes

Health professionshas 227 graduates in 2025
MajorGraduate SalaryUnderMasterDoctor
Health and Wellness, General.-
Physician Assistant.$99,175
Cytotechnology/Cytotechnologist.-
Community Health and Preventive Medicine.-
Physical Therapy/Therapist.$63,888
Nursing Education.-
Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse.$91,002-$112,680
Nursing Administration.$91,002-$112,680
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing.$91,002-$112,680
Multi/inerdisciplinary studies has 135 graduates in 2025
MajorGraduate SalaryUnderMasterDoctor
Behavioral Sciences.-
Natural Sciences.-
Sustainability Studies.-
Educationhas 116 graduates in 2025
MajorGraduate SalaryUnderMasterDoctor
Education, General.-
Special Education and Teaching, General.$47,958
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs.$47,958
Elementary Education and Teaching.-
Early Childhood Education and Teaching.-
Mathematics Teacher Education.-
Biology Teacher Education.-
Liberal arts has 79 graduates in 2025
MajorGraduate SalaryUnderMasterDoctor
Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies.$30,856
Businesshas 72 graduates in 2025
MajorGraduate SalaryUnderMasterDoctor
Business Administration and Management, General.$69,750
Organizational Leadership.$69,750
Accounting.-
Auditing.-
Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General.-
International Business/Trade/Commerce.-
Marketing/Marketing Management, General.-
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other.-
Public administrationhas 61 graduates in 2025
MajorGraduate SalaryUnderMasterDoctor
Social Work.$50,253
Psychology has 30 graduates in 2025
MajorGraduate SalaryUnderMasterDoctor
Psychology, General.-
Applied Behavior Analysis.-
Visual and Performing artshas 24 graduates in 2025
MajorGraduate SalaryUnderMasterDoctor
Digital Arts.-
Graphic Design.-
Drawing.-
Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management, General.-
Biologyhas 15 graduates in 2025
MajorGraduate SalaryUnderMasterDoctor
Biology/Biological Sciences, General.-
Biomedical Sciences, General.-
Social sciencehas 5 graduates in 2025
MajorGraduate SalaryUnderMasterDoctor
Social Sciences, General.-
Political Science and Government, General.-
Legal professionshas 4 graduates in 2025
MajorGraduate SalaryUnderMasterDoctor
Legal Assistant/Paralegal.-
Mathmatics and statistics has 3 graduates in 2025
MajorGraduate SalaryUnderMasterDoctor
Computational and Applied Mathematics.-
Communication has 2 graduates in 2025
MajorGraduate SalaryUnderMasterDoctor
Communication, General.-
History has 1 graduates in 2025
MajorGraduate SalaryUnderMasterDoctor
History, General.-
Philosophy has 1 graduates in 2025
MajorGraduate SalaryUnderMasterDoctor
Religion/Religious Studies, Other.-
Natural resources has 1 graduates in 2025
MajorGraduate SalaryUnderMasterDoctor
Environmental Science.-

Students

2,540 students in 2025 · Undergraduate men to women 27:73 · Freshman retention 75.7%

Undergraduate race and ethnicity (1,653)

White
1,221 · 73.9%
Black
139 · 8.4%
Hispanic
109 · 6.6%
Asian
66 · 4.0%
Two or more races
36 · 2.2%
Unknown
36 · 2.2%
International
33 · 2.0%

Data insights

The student body at Daemen University is primarily domestic and regional, with modest representations of minority and overseas students. In 2025, the university enrolled 2,540 students across all undergraduate and graduate divisions. White students constitute the largest racial majority across every academic level, while Asian and international learners represent small segments. Within the first-year undergraduate cohort of 292 freshmen, there were 11 Asian students and 12 international students. The graduate division also forms a substantial share of total enrollment, maintaining a similar demographic profile where domestic White students predominate alongside small cohorts of Asian, African American, and international students. Across continuing undergraduate cohorts and transfer groups, foreign and Asian enrollments remain modest. For prospective applicants, these figures outline an educational environment centered heavily on regional domestic students, where international and multicultural populations form compact communities.

The student age structure at Daemen University separates clearly between traditional-age undergraduates and early-career graduate scholars. In 2025, the undergraduate body centered heavily on young adults, with 46.7% of undergraduates falling between ages 18 and 19, and another 27.5% aged 20 to 21. This concentration means undergraduate campus life is shaped predominantly by students moving directly from secondary school into full-time college routines. In contrast, the graduate population skews slightly older, with 37% of graduate students aged 22 to 24. This profile indicates that post-baccalaureate programs primarily attract individuals pursuing advanced credentials immediately after college, creating a focused academic environment alongside a youthful undergraduate culture.

International Students

International share over the last 10 years · gray line: median of the 30 closest-ranked private national universities

Undergraduates2.0%

33 in 2025 · 0.8% in 2016

0% 5% 10% 2016: 0.8%2017: 1.2%2018: 2.1%2019: 2.0%2020: 1.6%2021: 1.5%2022: 1.1%2023: 1.0%2024: 1.7%2025: 2.0%
2016Peer median 3.8%2025
Graduate students2.8%

25 in 2025 · 3.3% in 2016

0% 5% 10% 2016: 3.3%2017: 2.2%2018: 1.8%2019: 0.7%2020: 0.8%2021: 1.2%2022: 1.0%2023: 1.4%2024: 2.2%2025: 2.8%
2016Peer median 2.7%2025

Data insights

International enrollment at Daemen University represents a small footprint across all divisions, though undergraduate participation has gradually increased over time. In 2025, international students made up 2% of the undergraduate student body, rising from previous years. This undergraduate proportion is higher than 30% of peer schools in a comparison group of similarly ranked private national universities. At the graduate level, the international share contracted slightly to 2.8% in 2025. Among degree recipients in 2025, international representation remained limited overall, but foreign graduates showed notable concentration in select disciplines. While large undergraduate programs like Natural Sciences and Registered Nursing graduated no overseas students, Business Administration and Management saw international students account for 27.3% of its graduating class. At the master's level, international students completed degrees in Special Education and Teaching, but were absent from clinical areas like Physician Assistant studies. For prospective international applicants, Daemen offers compact departmental cohorts rather than a large, university-wide international presence.

Cost

2025 cost per year

$49,448

Undergraduate tuition
$35,218
Room and board
$14,230
Graduate tuition
$26,985
Tuition and room and board over time

Peer median tuition + room and board $41,683 · the 30 closest-ranked private national universities

Tuition rose 35% from 2016 to 2025; room and board rose 18%.

Finances · fiscal year 2024

Revenue$62.3M

Tuition and fees
$37.8M60.7%
Auxiliary enterprises
$10.6M17.0%
Gifts and private grants
$4.2M6.8%
Investment return
$4.1M6.6%
Government grants and contracts
$1.8M2.9%
Other
$3.7M6.0%

Expenses$61.1M

Instruction
$23.8M38.9%
Student services
$11.1M18.2%
Auxiliary enterprises
$8.5M13.9%
Institutional support
$8.5M13.9%
Academic support
$5.3M8.8%
Public service
$658K1.1%
Other
$3.2M5.3%

Average faculty salary · 2025 (9-month equivalent)

Dark gray ticks: median pay for the same rank at the 30 closest-ranked private national universities

All faculty
$64,143peers $74,418
Professor
$81,876peers $89,940
Associate professor
$69,285peers $78,277
Assistant professor
$56,851peers $70,029
Instructor
$44,948peers $55,108

Campus Life

Athletics and varsity athletes NCAA · East Coast Conference

East Coast Conference: basketball, cross country

2025
NCAA Division II without footballMENWOMEN
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)5064
Soccer3027
Volleyball1716
Basketball1714
Lacrosse-25
Tennis712
Bowling-10
2024
NCAA Division II without footballMENWOMEN
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)7468
Soccer3327
Volleyball1717
Basketball1714
Lacrosse-21
Tennis810
Bowling-11
2023
NCAA Division II without footballMENWOMEN
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)6168
Soccer2828
Basketball1915
Volleyball1616
Lacrosse-19
Tennis87
Bowling-10

Nearby & Safety

Ranked colleges nearby

Data insights

Applicants exploring higher education institutions near Daemen University in Western and Central New York have several public and private options within driving distance. Located just 2.4 kilometers away, University at Buffalo is a large public institution ranked 85th among National Universities in the 2027 rankings. Also situated nearby in the metropolitan area is D'Youville University, a private National University ranked 250th and located 6.8 kilometers from campus. Further east, Rochester Institute of Technology is a private National University positioned 56.9 kilometers away with a 2027 rank of 95th, while University of Rochester provides a selective private university option 59.5 kilometers away, holding the 49th position among National Universities.

Campus safety · incidents per 1,000 students

Peer median 3.2 · the 30 closest-ranked private national universities

Incidents, 2023–2025

Liquor referrals
84
Drug referrals
22
Stalking
10
Burglary
5
Residence hall fires
5
Rape
3

From the Clery Act campus safety reports schools file, covering on-campus, non-campus and public property.

Data insights

Campus safety at Daemen University has shown sustained improvement, with reported incidents declining noticeably over the past decade. The crime rate per 1,000 students fell to 5.5 in 2025, down from earlier years. Looking across the three-year window from 2023 to 2025, behavioral policy infractions handled through administrative channels made up the bulk of campus incident reports. The most frequent violations during this period were 84 disciplinary referrals for liquor law violations and 22 disciplinary referrals for drug law violations. Among criminal offenses recorded over the same three-year span, stalking accounted for 10 incidents, while burglary and residence hall fires occurred infrequently. Severe violent offenses remained rare on campus. For students evaluating residential life, these figures indicate a low overall incidence of violent crime, with university safety documentation largely centering on internal enforcement of substance policies in student housing.

Notable Alumni

Notable alumni of Daemen College include Ayke Agus (Indonesian violinist and pianist), Gerald Beverly (American professional basketball player) and Mary Ann Esposito (Chef and host of Ciao Italia).

Recent News at Daemen College

Summarized daily from the school's official news. Click "Source" for the original story.

2Updates in the past 12 months
Oct 21Latest update
CampusMost common topic
  1. Other

    At his October 15 State of the University address, Daemen President Gary A. Olson cited a Fitch rating upgrade and over 72% of the $40 million campaign goal raised in year one.

    Source: voice.daemen.edu
  2. New program

    Daemen University introduced a new 30-credit, fully online Sport Coaching M.S. program that includes two internship placements.

    Source: daemen.edu

References and Data Sources

Data from IPEDS (U.S. Department of Education), U.S. News, THE, QS, ARWU and Clery Act campus safety reports. Data insights are written by the Forward Pathway data team from public data.