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Fairfield , CT
Fairfield University is a private Jesuit institution located in Fairfield, Connecticut. With its picturesque campus spread over 200 acres, the university offers a comprehensive range of liberal arts and sciences programs. Established in 1942, Fairfield University is known for its commitment to academic excellence, social justice, and a well-rounded education.
The university's academic offerings include undergraduate degrees in various disciplines, including business, arts and sciences, engineering, nursing, and education. Additionally, Fairfield offers over 40 graduate programs, including business, education, and nursing. The university is renowned for its strong emphasis on experiential learning, providing students with opportunities for internships, research projects, and community engagement.
At Fairfield University, students can also benefit from its vibrant campus life. The university offers a wide array of extracurricular activities, clubs, and organizations catering to diverse interests, from sports and music to volunteering and cultural enrichment. The "Jesuit values," including a commitment to service, intellectual rigor, and a holistic approach to education, are deeply integrated into the university's curriculum and campus activities, cultivating a sense of community and social awareness among students.
Overall, Fairfield University offers a comprehensive education that combines academic excellence, experiential learning, and a nurturing community. Its Jesuit heritage fosters an inclusive and compassionate environment, preparing students to make a positive impact in their professions and in society. With its beautiful campus, diverse programs, and strong emphasis on the development of the whole person, Fairfield University provides a well-rounded education for students seeking a transformative college experience.
Fairfield University is a private university located in Fairfield, CT. This school uses a semester-based calendar. It has an acceptance rate of 33%. The freshman retention rate at Fairfield University is 91% and the six-year graduation rate is 84%.
The freshmen application deadline for this school is January 15. The transfer application deadline is April 1.
Read more about what Fairfield University has to offer based on the most recent data this institution has reported.
Quick Facts
5,391
Total Number of Undergraduate Students
$59,460
Tuition
12:1
Student to Faculty Ratio
84%
Graduation Rate
Admissions
In order to improve your chances of getting admitted, you need to know as much as possible about the university's criteria for admission. What are the admission requirements for Fairfield University?
According to the most recent data, this school uses standardized test scores for admission and it admitted 6,162 in 2025. Fairfield University has an official test-optional admission policy but considers standardized test scores in cases when they are submitted by the applicant. Looking at entrance difficulty level for all or most incoming freshmen, based on data self-reported by the institution this school is very difficult to get into. This renowned school with a rich history offers an excellent learning experience to its students.
Test Scores
14% of first-time, first-year degree-seeking students submitted their SAT scores for admission, and 5% submitted ACT scores, out of the overall number of those who submitted test scores. 19% of the first-year students submitted SAT composite scores between 1,400 and 1,600, 78% between 1,200 and 1,399 and 3% between 1,000 and 1,199. The percent of incoming freshmen who submitted ACT Composite scores in the range between 30-36 was 62 and 38 between 24-29.
The average ACT score for all the admitted students in 2025 was 30 and the average GPA was 3.76. That means that you need a GPA that's above average in order to get into Fairfield University; the same goes for your ACT score.
The SAT Critical Reading average score was 663 for the admitted students, while the average SAT Math score was 660.
Deadlines
The application deadline for this school is January 15. If you are thinking about applying as a transfer student, the application deadline is April 1.
Retention Rate
The freshman retention rate is the percentage of college or university first-year students who return for their sophomore year. This piece of data is important as it can reveal to the prospective students how many freshmen liked the school enough to return to it as sophomores.
The freshman retention rate for Fairfield University was 91% in 2025, which is an excellent retention rate only the most prestigious institutions achieve.
Another important metric to consider is the graduation rate. This rate indicates how many students finish their degrees within a certain timeframe. This academic institution has the six-year graduation rate of 84%, which is considered an above-average graduation rate.
Student Body
Making the choice of which school is the right fit for you is not easy. You can better understand the culture and life of the school by getting to know more about the student body.
Main Student Body
In 2025, the institution enrolled 6,864 students.
That year, the school had an out-of-state student body percentage of 83. The total number of undergraduate students enrolled at the school was 5,391, 104 of which were foreign students. The number of transfer students at this school was 41.
Student Population Gender Ratio
The student body is coeducational, with 2,520 male and 3,558 female full-time students in 2025.
Student Population Diversity
When it comes to improving a sense of inclusion and belonging among students, there is no denying the importance of student diversity. A diverse student body brings together individuals from different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Find out more about different ethnic groups you can meet at Fairfield University.
This school had 94 Asian students and 70 Afro-American students in 2025. 477 undergraduates at this school identified as Hispanic/Latino and 109 as multirace. The school also had 4 students who declared as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, as well as 1 American Indian or Alaska Native students. There were also 254 students whose ethnicity is unknown.
Cost
Before you submit an application to any college or university, you should take into account the financial component. The latest information on the expenses that most students at this school incur are detailed below.
Tuition and Fees
Here are some numbers that can help you better understand the estimated tuition fees for this university.
Tuition in 2025 was $59,460 for full-time domestic students. Fairfield University is a private institution, so tuition is the same for all the accepted students. Fees per academic year required of full-time students reached $950 in 2025.
Books and Supplies
Another important financial factor to take into consideration is the estimated price of books and supplies for a college or university. The cost of books and supplies for full-time students of this school is estimated at about $1,175.
Boarding
Besides tuition, another cost to consider is the price of housing in the dorms and eating at the school cafeteria. How much do room and board fees average around at colleges and universities?
The cost of room and board (on campus) per academic year at Fairfield University was $19,020 in 2025. If you only wanted a dorm room, it cost $11,630 for the 2025 academic year. The estimated expense of room-only (on campus) for commuters not living at home was $12,680.
| Expense Category | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition | $ 59,460 |
| Room and Board | $ 19,020 |
| Book and Supplies | $ 1,175 |
| Total Expense | $ 79,655 |
Financial Aid
Financial support for students comes in different forms: grants, loans, scholarships, or work-study programs. If you wish to find out more about need-based and non-need-based aid at Fairfield University, here are some recent data you should take into consideration.
The most recent figures show that financial help was given to 546 freshmen. Students of this school received an average of $31,943 in financial help.
Need-based
If you need help with paying for your studies and you meet other eligibility requirements, you may be eligible for need-based aid.
1,811 students secured some form of need-based financial aid. Need-based college-administered scholarship and grant aid at Fairfield University is available to international students. The overall number of students (including freshmen) who were determined to have financial need was 1,858. The amount of federal need-based scholarships/grants awarded to the students at this institution summed up to $3,364,315, and state $340,382. The students of Fairfield University received the -institutional need-based aid in the amount of $49,925,810, and external in the amount of $846,657.
$23,395
Average Amount of Aid Received
Non-Need Based
Any financial aid given to a student who does not meet the requirements for need-based aid is considered non-need-based aid. The most popular forms of non-need-based financial aid for students are loans and grants, like Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans, Graduate PLUS Loans, Parent PLUS Loans, and the Teacher Education Access for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant.
611 students, including freshmen, were awarded institutional non-need-based financial aid at this institution in 2025. Institutional help in the form of non-need-based scholarships or grants was given to 227 full-time freshmen. The total dollar amount of federal non-need-based scholarships/grants awarded to the studens at this school was $3,364,315 while the state aid is $114,667. The total amount of institutional scholarships and awards that were not based on financial need was $82,438,297. This includes endowment, alumni, other institutional awards, and also external funds awarded by the institution, but doesn't include athletic aid and tuition waivers. The amount the students of this school received from external sources (e.g. Kiwanis, National Merit) was $1,540,257 USD.
Majors
Faculty
12:1
Student to Faculty Ratio
Knowing more about a school's faculty can help you gauge the caliber of the education it can provide to you.
According to the most recent data, the student-faculty ratio at Fairfield University was 12:1: that means 12 students per one teacher, which is considered a good ratio. The total number of faculty teaching at the institution is 787. This number included 355 men and 432 women. The fact that female faculty members outnumber the male ones at this school is telling of the importance gender equality has at Fairfield University.
Student Population Diversity Graph
Campus Life
It is not all about learning and grades at Fairfield University: campus life is a crucial component of your educational experience. Check out some details about students' life at Fairfield University.
Its campus spans 200 acres.
Student Organizations
Student organizations are run by students of an institution, and its membership typically consists only of current students and/or alumni.
Based on the most up-to-date information available, there are 112 open-membership organizations at Fairfield University. The student organization that gathers the largest number of students is Glee Club, followed by Club Sports and Intramural Athletics. Other popular student organizations at this school are Inter-Residential Hall Association (IRHA) and Fairfield University Student Association (FUSA).
There is a drama club you can join if acting is something that interests you. For students interested in media and communication, Fairfield University publishes its own newspaper and has its own radio station.
Student Services
Fairfield University offers a number of services needed for a pleasant and safe life on campus.
There are phone and alarm devices that can be accessed 24/7 for emergency situations. The school's dormitory entrances are operated electronically. There is a security patrol that operates 24 hours a day. The transport/escort service operates during late hours.
This school has a health clinic with personal/psychological counseling. All in all, campus life at Fairfield University is rich and vibrant and provides all you need for a comfortable stay.
Career Services
Having career services at a college or university can mean a great deal for your career planning, so find out what you can expect at Fairfield University.
Career Counselling
At Fairfield University, there is both group career counseling for all students and individual career counseling for all students. There are a library, a job bank, and job fairs. Job interviews are also available to students through the career center. The career center offers resume preparation and resume referral to employers. The school has campus employer recruitment for all the students. This school offers alumni networking opportunities, which could be excellent for your future career. Individual job placement is available to all students at this school.
Job Placement
Acquiring information about the potential income after graduation can help you decide if a specific school is the right one for your career aspirations.
The average base annual starting salary of the students who were employed within six months of graduation at this institution is 73,163 USD.
$73,163
Average Starting Salary After 6 Months of Graduation
FAQ
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Fairfield University is located in Fairfield, CT.
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Fairfield University offers need-based college-administered scholarship and grant aid to international students.
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According to the latest information, the tuition for Fairfield University is 59,460 USD a year.
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This school has an official test-optional admission policy but makes use of SAT, SAT Subject Tests, ACT, or other standardized test scores in admission decisions for the candidates who choose to submit them.
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The most recent reported acceptance rate for Fairfield University is 33%.
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The most recent data indicate that the freshman retention rate for Fairfield University is 91%.
Contact Information
Data Source: IPEDS and Peterson's Databases © 2023 Peterson's LLC All rights reserved. Portions of this content were co-written with OpenAI's GPT-3.5 model.
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Data Source: IPEDS and Peterson's Databases © 2023 Peterson's LLC All rights reserved.
Portions of this content were co-written with OpenAI's GPT-3.5 model.
