Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN 46556
About Saint Mary's College
Saint Mary's College is a private research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, enrolling about 1,458 students. Admission is moderately selective for first-time degree-seeking undergraduates reporting admissions data to the Education Department. The acceptance rate is about 75.97% in the latest College Scorecard admissions data. Median earnings about ten years after entry reach about $59,354 among students who received federal aid.
Key findings
- Saint Mary's College charges about 1.8× the national private non-profit median tuition ($53,230).
- Versus the Indiana median, sticker tuition is about 5.3×.
- Completion within 150% of normal time is 69.33%.
- Median earnings 10 years after entry are $59,354.
Research findings
Finding
Average net price at Saint Mary's College is about 52% below published tuition.
Published tuition is $53,230; average net price is $25,292 in the latest Scorecard extract.
Interpretation: Institutional aid and grants compress sticker price into a substantially lower typical undergraduate cost signal.
Limitation: Average net price masks variation by household income; income-band net prices can diverge sharply from the campus average.
Finding
Modeled return on investment at Saint Mary's College is strong.
Estimated ROI reaches about 487% using Scorecard cost and 10-year earnings fields in this extract.
Interpretation: On this institution-wide model, typical graduate earnings over a decade substantially exceed estimated net education cost.
Limitation: ROI is institution-wide and not program-specific; individual outcomes vary by major, aid package, and labor market.
Cost benchmarks
| Benchmark | Median Tuition | Median Net Price | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Mary's College | $53,230 | $25,292 | 1 |
| Private Non-profit (national median) | $29,325 | — | 1,444 |
| Indiana (state median) | $10,090 | $9,763 | 92 |
| Rural (locale median) | $14,160 | $18,700 | 1,649 |
| United States (national median) | $11,900 | $17,156 | — |
Compares this campus to school-type, state, and locale medians plus a U.S. national median (College Scorecard–derived). Locale groups campuses by NCES locale type; state tuition is the median published tuition among campuses in that state.
Average net price is 52% below published tuition at Saint Mary's College
Key findings
- Saint Mary's College's average net price ($25,292) is 52% below published tuition ($53,230).
- Saint Mary's College charges about 1.8× the national private non-profit median tuition ($53,230).
- Versus the Indiana median, sticker tuition is about 5.3×.
Saint Mary's College tuition
Published undergraduate tuition $53,230
Finding Saint Mary's College charges about 1.8× the national private non-profit median tuition.
Evidence Published tuition is $53,230. That is about 1.8× the national private non-profit median ($29,325). Versus the Indiana median ($10,090), sticker tuition is about 5.3×. Versus the U.S. median ($11,900), sticker is about 4.5×.
Method Sticker tuition compared with Scorecard-derived medians by ownership, state, locale, and national rollups when available.
Interpretation Published tuition measures sticker price relative to private non-profit and geographic peers; it does not equal what undergraduates typically pay after aid.
Limitation Sticker comparisons omit room, board, and institutional aid; average net price and income-band net prices are the stronger signals of typical family cost.
Evidence: published tuition at Saint Mary's College versus school-type, state, locale, and U.S. medians.
Evidence: average net price at Saint Mary's College versus state, locale, and U.S. medians.
What undergraduates typically pay
Finding Average net price at Saint Mary's College is $25,292.
Evidence College Scorecard average net price is $25,292 (cost of attendance minus average grant aid for aided undergraduates). That is about $15,529 above the Indiana median net price. Versus rural campuses, net price runs $6,592 above the locale median.
Method Average net price from College Scorecard; compared with state, locale, and U.S. medians from EDsmart aggregates.
Interpretation Average net price is a stronger institutional cost signal than published tuition because it incorporates grant aid.
Limitation The campus average masks large differences by household income; income-band net prices can diverge sharply from the overall average.
Key takeaway Saint Mary's College’s published tuition substantially overstates typical undergraduate cost: average net price is about 52% lower after grants and scholarships.
Saint Mary's College: research record
Canonical EDsmart Data findings for Saint Mary's College—costs, outcomes, admissions, and programs—with evidence and methodology notes.
Research findings
Interpretation
Completion, earnings, and net price together describe a campus where sticker price overstates typical undergraduate cost while outcomes remain at the high end of Scorecard distributions.
Financial profile
Annual tuition
$53,230
Avg. net price
$25,292
Net price by family income
| Income bracket | Avg. annual net price |
|---|---|
| $0–$30,000 | $16,760 |
| $30,001–$48,000 | $18,152 |
| $48,001–$75,000 | $21,014 |
| $75,001–$110,000 | $23,680 |
| $110,001+ | $30,443 |
Sticker tuition × four years (estimate, no room/board): $212,920. See cost investigation.
Student outcomes
Share of first-year students returning the following fall.
Graduation rate and 10-year earnings are in the hero strip above; see Graduates for more.
What Saint Mary's College is known for
Top program completions
- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse47
- Business Administration and Management, General28
- Communication and Media Studies23
- Communication Sciences and Disorders, General23
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General22
See earnings & programs for more.
Admissions landscape
- Broad access — most applicants are admitted.
- Yield: 22% of admitted students enrolled.
- Average SAT: 1246
- Midpoint ACT: 26
See Admissions for the full funnel.
Is Saint Mary's College a good school?
Data-framed fit—not a prestige rating.
Saint Mary's College is a good school for those looking for strong completion and solid mid-career earnings—especially where average net price sits well below published tuition (about 52% lower in this extract).
EDsmart Data does not assign an opinion score; this framing summarizes the strongest Scorecard signals for this campus.
More from the data
Location, control, enrollment, and aid context for Saint Mary's College.
Campus
Location
Notre Dame, IN
City / state
- ZIP
- 46556
- NCES locale
- Rural fringe
Compared with Rural campuses nationally, net price is 35% above the median for Rural campuses ($18,700 median).
Control
Institution type
Private Non-profit
Control
- Region
- Great Lakes
- Carnegie
- Baccalaureate Colleges: Diverse Fields
Size
Enrollment
1,458
Total enrollment
- Undergraduate
- 1,625
- Graduate
- 96
- Full-time share
- 100%
Student aid
Debt & aid
$27,000
Median federal loan debt
- Pell grant share
- 23.88%
Total Cost, Aid & Default
Total Cost of Attendance
Tuition vs average net price after aid for Saint Mary's College.
Financial Aid by Income Level
Financial aid distribution by income level.
Student Loan Default Rate
The published 3-year cohort default rate for borrowers at Saint Mary's College was 0.00%.
Cohort default rates account for borrowers who default in the first three years.
Tuition tracker
Published tuition and average net price by reporting year come from the College Scorecard institution file. Values are not adjusted for inflation; missing cells mean the field was not reported or was suppressed for Saint Mary's College in that year.
Reporting years in the table below: 2013–2023 (Scorecard labels refer to the institutional submission cycle).
| Year | In-state tuition & fees | Out-of-state tuition & fees | Average net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | $34,600 | $34,600 | $24,319 |
| 2014 | $35,970 | $35,970 | $23,855 |
| 2015 | $37,400 | $37,400 | $25,332 |
| 2016 | $38,880 | $38,880 | $23,016 |
| 2017 | $40,800 | $40,800 | $23,244 |
| 2018 | $42,220 | $42,220 | $22,200 |
| 2019 | $43,900 | $43,900 | $24,247 |
| 2020 | $45,720 | $45,720 | $23,625 |
| 2021 | $48,010 | $48,010 | $24,335 |
| 2022 | $49,930 | $49,930 | $25,209 |
| 2023 | $51,430 | $51,430 | $28,552 |
Sticker tuition and net price over time
Where the institution reported separate in-state and out-of-state tuition, both appear. Gaps mean the value was not reported for that year.
College Scorecard reporting-year fields (not inflation-adjusted).
Net price by family income
Brackets follow Scorecard definitions for the series shown (public vs private institution).
Latest income-band net prices available in the processed extract.
How difficult is it to get in?
Acceptance Rate
This institution has a moderate acceptance rate, accepting most qualified applicants.
Applicants → admits → first-time enrollment from College Scorecard / IPEDS. Bar widths are scaled for readability at highly selective schools.
Test Scores
Average 1246 (middle 50% not reported)
Midpoint 26 (middle 50% not reported)
Scores for enrollees who submitted tests (College Scorecard).
Academic Requirements
Estimated from admission selectivity and test scores. Scorecard does not publish admitted-student GPA for most institutions.
Estimated range · median 3.40
Estimated GPA band from selectivity and test scores — not an official requirement.
Enrollment & Student Demographics
Saint Mary's College reported total enrollment of about 1,458 students in the latest College Scorecard extract. The student body is about 0% male and 100% female. Enrollment by race and ethnicity includes White (74.3%), Hispanic or Latino (16.4%), and Two or More Races (3.3%). About 23.88% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. Roughly 19.8% of students are first-generation college students.
Full-Time vs Part-Time Enrollment
99.8% Full-Time Enrollment
The total enrollment at Saint Mary's College in 2024 is 1,458 students.
Undergraduate enrollment is about 1,625 students. Graduate enrollment is about 96 students.
Full-time vs part-time enrollment comparison.
Retention Rate over Time
88.1%
2024 Retention Rate
Retention rate measures the number of first-time students who began their studies the previous fall and returned to school the following fall.
Retention rate over time compared to similar institutions.
Enrollment by Race & Ethnicity
Largest share of total enrollment in our College Scorecard extract.
College Scorecard student demographics (total enrollment shares).
Do students complete their programs?
Time to Complete
63.84% 100% Completion Time
69.33% 150% Completion Time
In 2024, 63.84% of students graduating from Saint Mary's College completed their program within 100% "normal time".
Completion rates over time compared to similar institutions.
Completions by Sex (Top Programs)
- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse: 0% male / 100% female
- Business Administration and Management, General: 0% male / 100% female
- Communication and Media Studies: 0% male / 100% female
IPEDS completions by sex for the five largest programs (aggregate CIPs excluded).
Completions by Race & Ethnicity
Largest group by summed IPEDS award counts across reported programs.
Summed across program completion records in our extract.
Saint Mary's College graduates earn a median of $59,354 ten years after entry
Finding Earnings, debt, and program mix define the financial profile of Saint Mary's College.
Evidence Median earnings 10 years after entry: $59,354. Median federal loan debt: $27,000. Average net price used in cost models: $25,292.
Method College Scorecard median earnings (10-year), median debt, and EDsmart ROI / payback models using campus net price.
Interpretation Institution-wide ROI and debt ratios summarize campus averages; program choice still drives individual outcomes.
Limitation Salary reflects median earnings ten years after entry; ROI is not program-specific.
Key takeaway Saint Mary's College graduates report median earnings of $59,354 ten years after entry—an institution-wide outcomes signal, not a program guarantee.
Return on Investment
Debt and 4-year net cost vs. cumulative 10-year median earnings for Saint Mary's College.
Top Programs by Completions
Largest 10 programs by IPEDS completions (43 reported codes; aggregate/unknown CIP buckets excluded).
IPEDS award counts for the largest programs at Saint Mary's College.
Employment Outcomes
Median earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after entry for Saint Mary's College graduates.
How financially powerful is this institution?
Finding: federal finance and Scorecard instructional fields for Saint Mary's College—endowment assets (fiscal year 2023), instructional staffing and expenditure. Compared with state, regional, and U.S. medians from EDsmart Data institutional financials.
Institutional endowment
$298.1M
End-of-year assets · Fiscal year 2023
- Indiana median 3.6× the median ($83.1M)
- Great Lakes median 9.4× the median ($31.8M)
- U.S. median 11× the median ($26.4M)
- Indiana median 6.1× the median ($31,877)
- Great Lakes median 12× the median ($16,690)
- U.S. median 16× the median ($12,100)
Instructional Resources
- Full-time faculty share: 69.0%
- Indiana median 6.9 pp below median (75.8%)
- Great Lakes median 10.9 pp above median (58.1%)
- U.S. median 11.0 pp above median (58.0%)
- Average faculty salary (monthly): $7,935
- Indiana median near the median ($7,744)
- Great Lakes median near the median ($8,046)
- U.S. median near the median ($7,615)
- Instructional expenditure per FTE: $16,031
- Indiana median 2.3× the median ($7,011)
- Great Lakes median 2.1× the median ($7,690)
- U.S. median 2.2× the median ($7,288)
Instructional metrics from College Scorecard. Peer medians are campus-level; see the institutional financials deep dive. Detailed non-instructional staff counts are not included here.
Saint Mary's College at a glance
Saint Mary's College
Saint Mary's College is a private non-profit institution in Notre Dame, IN, classified as Baccalaureate Colleges: Diverse Fields.
- Largest programs (IPEDS awards)
- Registered Nursing/Registered NurseBusiness Administration and Management, GeneralCommunication and Media Studies
- Largest enrollment groups
- White or Caucasian74.3%Hispanic or Latino16.4%Two or More Races3.3%
Schools near Saint Mary's College
Other campuses in Notre Dame, IN when available, plus nearby institutions in Indiana.
Similar schools
Peers matched by the same EDsmart outcomes grade (Grade B) within Indiana, then by similar ownership and admissions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Saint Mary's College located?
Saint Mary's College is located in Notre Dame, IN.
What is Saint Mary's College's acceptance rate?
The acceptance rate at Saint Mary's College is 76.0% among first-time degree-seeking students reporting admissions data. IPEDS reports 2,377 applicants and 1,928 admits in the latest admissions cycle in our extract.
What is Saint Mary's College's tuition?
Saint Mary's College tuition (published undergraduate sticker price) is $53,230 in the latest College Scorecard data. Average net price after grant aid is $25,292 for undergraduates receiving Title IV aid.
How much does Saint Mary's College cost?
Reported tuition is $53,230 and average net price is $25,292 in the latest College Scorecard data. On-campus room and board is estimated at $14,260 annually.
Why is Saint Mary's College's net price so much lower than tuition?
At Saint Mary's College, published tuition is $53,230 while average net price is $25,292—about 52% lower. Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for undergraduates receiving Title IV aid (College Scorecard). Institutional aid therefore compresses sticker price into a lower typical undergraduate cost signal. The campus average still masks large differences by household income; income-band net prices can diverge sharply from the overall average. EDsmart Data treats the sticker–net gap as an analytical finding, not advice about individual aid offers.
What explains Saint Mary's College's return on investment in EDsmart Data?
EDsmart Data models ROI using campus average net price ($25,292), completion (69.3% within 150% of normal time where reported), and median earnings ten years after entry ($59,354). High completion and strong mid-career earnings relative to net cost raise modeled ROI; the estimate is institution-wide and not program-specific. Debt-to-earnings ratios, when available, further contextualize borrowing pressure. Limitations include suppressed fields, program mix, and labor-market variation over time.
What is the student body demographics at Saint Mary's College?
Saint Mary's College reports undergraduate enrollment of about 1,625 students, White (74.3%), Hispanic or Latino (16.4%) in federal College Scorecard data.
How many first-generation students attend Saint Mary's College?
About 19.8% of students at Saint Mary's College are first-generation college students.
What test scores do students need for Saint Mary's College?
Among enrolled students who submitted scores, Saint Mary's College reports midpoint SAT about 1246 and midpoint ACT about 26.
What do graduates of Saint Mary's College earn?
Median earnings are $53,470 six years after entry and $59,354 ten years after entry.
What is the graduation rate at Saint Mary's College?
The 150%-time completion rate is 69.3% for the cohort reported to the College Scorecard.
How much debt do Saint Mary's College students have?
Median federal loan debt among completers is $27,000.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
- Related geography & profiles
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology & Data Scope
This profile uses institution-level fields from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, merged with IPEDS directory attributes where needed for locale, ownership, and program completions.
Benchmark rows compare this campus to NCES locale-type medians (for example Suburban) from our processed location extract. Implied U.S. medians are derived from locale-vs-national percentage fields in that extract—not a separate national Scorecard table.