Mount Saint Joseph University

Mount St. Joseph University maintains a moderately selective admissions process while demonstrating a relatively firm draw among admitted students. In 2025, the university posted an acceptance rate of 59.1%, which was higher than 29% of peer schools among all private comprehensive universities. Because a lower acceptance rate reflects greater selectivity, the school admitted a smaller proportion of applicants than most of its private comprehensive peers. At the same time, the university recorded a yield rate of 24.6%, higher than 72% of peer schools, showing that nearly one-quarter of admitted applicants chose to enroll. In the U.S. News & World Report rankings, Mount St. Joseph stood at rank 331 in 2023 and moved to rank 343 in 2026, indicating relative stability in the lower tier of national rankings. For prospective students, these metrics mean admissions are reasonably accessible, though the institution converts offers into enrollments at an above-average pace relative to its peer group.

Mount St. Joseph University operates under an admissions policy where standardized test scores are optional, considered if submitted. For the 2025 entering class, a modest fraction of enrolled students submitted standardized test results, with ACT submissions outnumbering SAT submissions. According to published score ranges from 2025, students in the middle half of the class achieved ACT composite scores between 20 and 28. In that same year, the university recorded a median SAT score of 1070, which was higher than 7% of peer schools among all private comprehensive universities. These academic marks indicate that Mount St. Joseph University maintains relatively accessible testing criteria compared to its peer group. For students planning their applications, these figures provide a practical baseline for academic expectations, showing that competitive applicants typically present scores near or above these midpoint levels while taking advantage of the institution's flexible testing guidelines.

Undergraduate degrees are moderately distributed rather than heavily concentrated, with the top three majors accounting for 27.2% of bachelor's degrees in 2025. The most popular majors include Special Education and Teaching, General, alongside Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse. In graduate study, programs align closely with healthcare and education, though none hold top-tier national rankings; U.S. News ranked the graduate nursing school at 104 in 2026. Across all degree levels, international students accounted for 0% of graduates in 2025. Post-graduation earnings demonstrate strong returns in health professions; according to 2023 earnings data, registered nursing bachelor's graduates earned a median of $80,828 one year after finishing, compared to $51,445 for business administration graduates. Prospective applicants should note that while degree conferrals are broad, healthcare fields yield the strongest financial outcomes.

Mount St. Joseph University enrolled 2,265 students in 2025, comprising undergraduates, graduate students, and non-degree seekers. The campus community is largely regional and domestic, with White students forming the majority across all academic divisions. In contrast, international and Asian representation is minimal. The undergraduate international student share stood at 0% in 2025, which was higher than 0% of peer schools among all private comprehensive universities. Asian enrollment is similarly small; among first-year undergraduate freshmen, there was only 1 Asian student, representing 0.3% of that entering class. In addition, women account for a majority of the student population, particularly at the graduate level where they make up more than four-fifths of enrollment. Overall, these demographic patterns show a university community heavily centered on domestic and local students.

The student body at Mount St. Joseph University displays a clear division between its undergraduate and graduate populations. In 2025, undergraduate enrollment totaled 1,543 students, concentrated heavily among traditional college ages. The largest undergraduate group, those aged eighteen to nineteen, accounted for 34.3% of undergraduates, followed by students in their early twenties and dual-enrolled high school students. Meanwhile, the 720 graduate students enrolled that same year represent a much wider life spectrum. The leading graduate group spans ages twenty-two to twenty-four at 26.5%, but mature adults in their forties also make up a substantial portion of advanced degree candidates. This demographic structure indicates that undergraduate campus life revolves around traditional collegiate routines, while the graduate division operates alongside it to accommodate adult professionals balancing advanced study with existing careers.

International student enrollment at Mount St. Joseph University is virtually nonexistent across both undergraduate and graduate levels. In 2024, undergraduate international students accounted for 0% of the student body, declining from a modest 0.2% in 2013. Among all private comprehensive universities in 2025, this undergraduate international share is lower than all peer schools. On the graduate side, international students made up 0.2% of total enrollment in 2024, representing just 1 enrolled student. Similarly, degree conferral data for 2025 show that 0% of bachelor's, master's, and doctoral recipients were international students. None of the university's primary graduating disciplines—including Special Education, Registered Nursing, Health and Wellness, or Business Administration—graduated any international candidates in 2025. Prospective foreign applicants should note that the university lacks an established cohort of international peers, reflecting an institution serving an almost exclusively domestic and local student base.

Applicants considering Mount St. Joseph University have several other higher education options within the surrounding region. Located just 7.1 kilometers away, University of Cincinnati-Main Campus is a major public national university ranked 179 in 2027 by U.S. News. Also within the immediate area is Xavier University, a private Roman Catholic institution situated 9.6 kilometers away and ranked 208 among national universities. Slightly further north, Miami University-Oxford sits 28.9 kilometers from campus, holding a national university rank of 133. Another nearby Catholic institution is University of Dayton, located 50.9 kilometers away and ranked 121. These nearby schools offer students alternative public and private pathways across varied campus environments in southwestern Ohio.

Campus safety records at Mount St. Joseph University show relatively quiet conditions dominated by internal behavioral infractions rather than violent crimes. In 2025, the university registered a crime rate per 1,000 students of 1.9. Over the three-year period from 2023 to 2025, institutional reports reveal that the vast majority of documented incidents involved disciplinary enforcement for substance policies rather than criminal activity threatening personal safety. Specifically, the campus recorded 19 drug disciplinary referrals and 11 alcohol disciplinary referrals as category totals across those years. More serious offenses were rare, with only isolated reports of dating violence, burglary, and sexual harassment appearing on the registry over that entire timeframe. For prospective students and families reviewing campus life, these statistics indicate an environment with low criminal activity, where administrative rule enforcement regarding drugs and alcohol constitutes the primary focus of campus safety interventions.