Xavier University

Admission to Xavier University is accessible, though the institution has experienced a decline in its national standing. In the 2027 US News rankings, the university was ranked 208th, dropping from 166th in 2023. Gaining entry is relatively easy compared to similar institutions. In 2025, the university admitted 86.4% of applicants, an admit rate that is higher than 80% of peer schools in a comparison group of 30 private comprehensive universities. However, the university encounters significant difficulty attracting admitted candidates to its campus. Its yield rate reached just 7.3% in 2025, which is lower than all peer schools in that comparison cohort. This low yield indicates that an overwhelming majority of admitted students choose to enroll elsewhere. For prospective applicants, these figures mean that admission is quite achievable, but the school rarely serves as the final destination for admitted students.

Applicants aiming for Xavier University can expect moderate academic expectations for admission. For the 2025 entering class, the university reported a median SAT score of 1210, placing it slightly below the median of its private university peer group. On the ACT, the middle 50% of enrolled students scored between 22 and 29. Standardized test reporting has become relatively uncommon among enrollees, with only a minority submitting test results. High school grade performance reflects solid preparation among admitted candidates. According to the 2021-2022 admissions cycle, 32.0% of incoming students achieved a perfect 4.0 high school grade point average, and over half maintained a grade point average above 3.75. For prospective students, presenting a solid academic record alongside scores near or above the mid-range composite provides a competitive foundation during holistic application review.

Undergraduate degree conferrals at Xavier University are moderately concentrated in professional disciplines, particularly nursing and business. In 2025, the top three undergraduate programs accounted for 34.4% of all bachelor's degrees awarded. Registered Nursing represented the single largest program on campus, graduating 238 students that year. The school's academic profile features notable national recognition in undergraduate business specialties. In the 2027 US News rankings, Xavier's undergraduate marketing program was ranked 19th, while business analytics ranked 20th and entrepreneurship ranked 22nd. This demonstrates that several of the university's prominent programs also hold strong national academic standing. These high-demand professional areas also translate into the strongest early-career compensation for graduates. Based on 2023 earnings data, graduates in registered nursing achieved median first-year earnings of $80,580, leading all undergraduate majors at the university. International students make up only a tiny fraction of graduates across these fields.

In 2025, Xavier University enrolled 5,501 students across its academic divisions, with white students comprising the predominant majority. Asian and international students make up small segments of the campus population. In the incoming freshman class, Asian students accounted for 1.6% of students, while international students represented 2.4%. Representation remains modest at the graduate level as well, where Asian students accounted for 3.5% of enrollment. Black and Hispanic students form the university's largest domestic minority populations. For prospective applicants, the demographic profile shows a largely domestic student body with relatively small numbers of Asian and international peers.

Xavier University presents a pronounced generational divide between its undergraduate and graduate populations. In 2025, undergraduate enrollment was heavily concentrated among traditional college ages, with students aged 20 to 21 accounting for 43.4% and those aged 18 to 19 representing 41.9%. As a result, undergraduate campus life primarily involves young adults attending college immediately after high school. In contrast, the graduate division spans a much broader age spectrum. Students aged 22 to 24 formed the largest graduate segment at 31.1%, while students aged 40 to 49 comprised 13.8%. This demographic structure means undergraduate cohorts share a synchronized peer age group, whereas graduate classrooms combine recent college graduates with mid-career adults returning to study.

International student enrollment at Xavier University is limited and has trended downward over the past decade. In 2025, international students made up 1.7% of undergraduates, dropping from earlier levels. This undergraduate share is higher than 20% of peer schools among ranked private comprehensive universities. Graduate international enrollment followed a similar downward trajectory, accounting for 2% of graduate students in 2025. When looking at degrees awarded, international students represent a very small portion of graduating classes at both the bachelor's and master's levels, with zero doctorate recipients. International degree earners are slightly more visible in select graduate business disciplines, such as Business Administration and Management, General, where international students comprised 6.5% of graduates. Major undergraduate programs like nursing see negligible international enrollment. For international candidates, Xavier offers an immersion into a nearly entirely domestic campus environment.

Students evaluating Xavier University can explore several alternative institutions located within easy reach across the surrounding region. The closest option is University of Cincinnati-Main Campus, a large public institution situated only 2.5 kilometers away and ranked 179th among National Universities in the 2027 US News rankings. Heading north, Miami University-Oxford sits 28.3 kilometers away and holds the 133rd spot nationally, offering a traditional campus setting in southwest Ohio. Further north, University of Dayton is located 43.8 kilometers away and ranked 121st in the same National Universities category. For students interested in a small-college liberal arts environment, Earlham College is located 52.1 kilometers northwest across the Indiana border, where it ranks 83rd among National Liberal Arts Colleges.

Campus safety data for Xavier University shows a steady downward trend in reported incidents over the past decade. The crime rate per 1,000 students decreased from 27.4 in 2016 to 11.6 in 2025. When examining incident categories, campus disciplinary infractions represent the overwhelming majority of recorded safety events. Between 2023 and 2025, alcohol disciplinary referrals formed the largest category by a wide margin, totaling 547 incidents across those years, alongside 87 drug disciplinary referrals. More serious offenses occurred at much lower frequencies during the same 2023 to 2025 period, including stalking, vehicle theft, and a small number of reported sexual offenses. For prospective students and families, these records indicate that safety concerns at the university are primarily centered on internal substance conduct enforcement rather than widespread violent crime, with the overall rate per student dropping significantly in recent years.