
Fort Wayne, INprivate nonprofitsf.edu
Admit rate has ranged 96%–99% over the last 5 years. Source: IPEDS via Urban Institute.
Acceptance & SAT from Common Data Set / IPEDS; net price, earnings & graduation from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~1–2 years — verify with the school.
The University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne is a small, Catholic liberal arts institution that operates with a radically different philosophy than the selective-college rat race. With a 96% acceptance rate, it's a place of open doors, built on a foundation of career-focused academics, a tight-knit community, and a Franciscan mission of service. Its identity is defined less by exclusivity and more by outcomes: a 98% career placement rate for graduates and a practical, affordable education that gets students into high-demand fields like nursing and the health sciences.
Test-optional — scores considered if submitted
Source: IPEDS Admissions survey (2022) via Urban Institute. Covers formal factors only — it does not reflect essays, extracurriculars, or other holistic criteria.
More details
Outcomes & value
Median earnings by field of study (highest credential), ~2 years after completion.
Campus & location
On-campus criminal offenses classed as violent (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) for the most recent reported year. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education Campus Safety and Security (Clery Act). Counts reflect what’s reported to the school, and urban campuses often report more partly due to non-student incidents nearby — read alongside campus size and setting, not as a standalone safety verdict.
Pleasant days counts days per year with a mean temperature of 55–75°F, a high at or below 90°F, a low at or above 45°F, and little precipitation — a transparent comfort measure, not a weighting we invented. Computed from Open-Meteo ERA5 daily history (2019–2023). Natural-hazard risk is the county’s composite rating from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Saint Francis is defined by its accessibility. With a 96% , the admissions process is far more about fit and preparation than fierce competition. The university received 2,008 applications for a recent cycle and admitted 1,927 students, ultimately enrolling a class of 1,567. The process is rolling, and there is no Early Decision program. For the middle 50% of admitted students, SAT scores range from 870 to 1070, and ACT scores range from 17 to 24. The average high school GPA of incoming students is reported as 3.37. While the is a standardized tool that details how colleges weigh factors like demonstrated interest, the specific CDS for Saint Francis was not among the provided sources to confirm its policy. The overwhelming message is one of welcome: the school seeks students ready to engage with its career-focused and community-oriented model.
Earnings = median of students working ~10 years after entry; debt = median of graduates. Value divides 10-yr earnings by one year’s net price — read it as earnings per dollar of annual cost, not a full lifetime ROI; it favors lower-cost schools. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~2 years and reflect all students, not your intended major.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings). Figures cover graduates who received federal aid and lag ~2 years; not all programs report data.
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Academics at Saint Francis are unapologetically pragmatic and pathway-driven. The university organizes its more than 80 programs into career-focused clusters like Allied Health, Business and Leadership, and Creative Arts and Digital Media. This isn't a place for abstract exploration alone; it's for building a professional skill set. The intellectual and spiritual heart of the curriculum is the "Pathway" program, which shapes the core liberal arts requirements and reinforces the school's Catholic, Franciscan identity. The most popular majors reflect this career-oriented focus:
The experience is characterized by small classes and a dedicated faculty, creating an environment where students are known personally. As one Reddit commenter noted, it's "mainly known for its very strong academics" in this intimate setting.
Life on the compact Fort Wayne campus revolves around a warm, welcoming, and intentionally crafted community. With over 30 student clubs and organizations, there are structured avenues for connection. The Catholic Franciscan mission is a visible presence—a statue of St. Francis stands at the heart of campus, and the chapel welcomes 250 worshippers—but the community explicitly welcomes students of all faith traditions. Monthly student-led worship services feature music and personal testimony. The university emphasizes belonging, hosting events for accepted students filled with "community, discovery, and joy." It's a campus where students log thousands of hours of community service, embodying the service-oriented ethos. The vibe is supportive and personal, a direct extension of the small-classroom experience into daily life.
This is where the Saint Francis model proves its worth. The university reports a stellar 98% career outcomes rate for its 2024 graduating class, meaning nearly all graduates are employed, in the military, or pursuing further education within six months of graduation. This data came from a knowledge rate of 93%, based on responses from 547 of 587 graduates. Of those, 87% were employed and 10% were continuing their education. The six-year graduation rate is 61%. For financial return, the median earnings ten years after entry are $55,362. Early-career earnings have been reported as lower, around $36,000 on average, which one analysis noted is about $8,000 worse than might be expected based on the college's profile. The standout figure is the near-universal placement rate, underscoring the success of its career-focused mission.
Saint Francis positions itself as offering a powerful and affordable private education. The stated tuition for the 2026-27 academic year is $37,350, but the university is quick to note that with scholarships and aid, most students pay far less. The average after aid is $18,196. A significant 80.27% of students receive financial aid, with an average aid package of $34,494. This aid is composed of federal grants (averaging $6,284), state grants ($10,139), and institutional grant aid ($20,569). The university provides a net price calculator for personalized estimates. It does not advertise a "no-loan" policy where loans are eliminated from aid packages for needy students; instead, it offers federal Direct Stafford Loans (both subsidized and unsubsidized) and notes that institutional aid may be limited to eight semesters. The goal is to make the private education accessible through a combination of merit and need-based support.
The University of Saint Francis stands out for its unwavering commitment to a specific, service-oriented mission that values outcomes over exclusivity. In a higher education landscape obsessed with low , Saint Francis flips the script: its 96% acceptance rate is a feature, not a bug, representing an open-door philosophy aligned with its Franciscan values. What it does with those students is the real story. It channels them into clear, career-ready pathways—most notably in nursing and health sciences—within a small, supportive community that emphasizes personal attention. The result is a remarkably high 98% career outcomes rate, proving that its model of accessible, practical, and values-driven education works. It’s a college for doers and caregivers, offering a private, faith-informed experience focused squarely on launching graduates into stable, purposeful lives.