Private Nonprofit Graduate Strong 74/100

Brescia University

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Owensboro, Kentucky

About Brescia University

Thinking about Brescia University, a college in Kentucky where more students graduate in Public Administration than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Brescia University is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Owensboro, Kentucky. It enrolls 545 students (a small, tight-knit student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
35.2%
Graduation
33.8%
Net Price
$8,709
Median Earnings (10yr)
$45,500
Enrollment
545
Student : Faculty
8:1

Accreditor Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Strong
74/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 27
Value 92
Affordability 84
Selectivity 61

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Brescia University admits 35.2% of applicants, which makes it genuinely competitive, so your application needs to be strong.

Acceptance Rate
35.2%
Selective
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test Policy Test Optional Applicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores.

5-Year Admission Trend

Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Brescia University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Getting more selective ↓ 7.7 pts since 2019
42.3%201947.8%202053.1%202150.4%202234.6%2023

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $8,709 a year on average, it sits well below what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. At that level cost is rarely the reason to rule a college out. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$8,709
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
43%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
52%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees
$31,550
Room & Board (on-campus)
$13,200
Room & Board (off-campus)
$11,500
Books & Supplies
$3,000
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$2,000
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$2,000
Total Cost of Attendance
$44,328

Application fee: $25 (one-time, due at submission)


Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $8,977
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $9,343
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $12,984
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $8,910
  • Over $110,000
    $5,548

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$4,500
10% percentile
$8,750
25% percentile
$29,430
Median percentile
$31,000
75% percentile
$39,682
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $23,429 ↓ $6,001
No Pell $15,500 ↓ $13,930
Dependent students $11,125 ↓ $18,305
Independent students $29,250 ↓ $180
Female students $24,240 ↓ $5,190
Male students $10,691 ↓ $18,739
Pell recipients: 20.5% (6,036 students)No Pell: 13.6% (3,993 students)Dependent students: 9.7% (2,866 students)Independent students: 25.6% (7,536 students)Female students: 21.2% (6,245 students)Male students: 9.4% (2,754 students)Overall Median$29,430
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $10,250, less than completers ($29,430), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

34% of students who start here finish within six years, and 63% come back after first year. Fewer than half finish in six years. Ask what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
34%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
63%
Returning for their second year
What this means: Lower than typical completion. Worth asking the school how they support students who fall behind.

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $45,500 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$45,500
Earning > $25K
76%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$39,000$41,000$43,000$45,000$46,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$44,500

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$53,100

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $8,600, about 16% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 28.6 pts across 6 years
56.9%1yr66.7%3yr73.9%5yr85.5%7yr
What this signals: Excellent. 86% of graduates were paying down at least $1 of principal seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 545 students, a small, close-knit community. Worth knowing: 45% are the first in their family to go to college.

Total Enrolled
545
Part-Time
12%
First-Generation
45%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
White 57.6% 314
Black 12.7% 69
International 7.9% 43
Hispanic 6.2% 34
Asian 2.6% 14
Other 1.3% 7
White: 57.6% (314 students)Black: 12.7% (69 students)International: 7.9% (43 students)Hispanic: 6.2% (34 students)Asian: 2.6% (14 students)Other: 1.3% (7 students)Total545

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Brescia University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Small City Owensboro, Kentucky
Housing
Mostly residential 313 beds on campus
Adult Learners
23% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure
Designation
Religiously affiliated

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Business graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Brescia University offers a varied set of programs: 28 distinct programs across 15 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

3 Programs
4 Programs
3 Programs
2 Programs
2 Programs
1 Program
1 Program

Faculty & Resources

There are 8 students for every instructor here: small classes, and staff who are likely to know your name.

Student : Faculty
8:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$30M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$51,764
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

37 instructional faculty across 4 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 4 11% $60,578
Associate Professors 15 41% $53,984
Assistant Professors 16 43% $48,662
Instructors 2 5% $42,294

Pros & Cons of Brescia University

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Brescia University is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Very affordable net price after aid
  • Small classes (low student-faculty ratio)
  • Tight-knit, close community feel
  • Wide reach of need-based federal aid
  • First-gen-friendly student body
CONS
  • Selective admissions, solid academic profile expected
  • Fewer clubs, activities, and social options
  • Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
  • First-year retention is below typical
  • Higher than typical student debt at graduation
Best for: Based on the data, Brescia University is a fit for families focused on keeping net cost low; students who thrive in small, close-knit environments.

Frequently Asked Questions about Brescia University

The questions families ask most about Brescia University, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is Brescia University hard to get into?
Brescia University is selective but not extremely competitive. Its acceptance rate is 35.2%. Strong academic credentials and a thoughtful application materially improve your odds.
What is the acceptance rate at Brescia University?
35.2% of applicants are admitted. Around half get in, so a solid application has a real chance. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does Brescia University cost?
Budget around $8,709 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Brescia University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: strong return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $45,500 a year against a net price of $8,709, about 5.2 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Brescia University known for?
Mostly Social Work, Social Work, Psychology. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Brescia University graduates earn?
About $45,500 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Brescia University accredited?
Yes. Brescia University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
How many students attend Brescia University?
545 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Brescia University?
34% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Brescia University a public or private college?
It is Private Nonprofit. Private nonprofit, so the sticker price is higher but institutional aid is often larger too.
Where is Brescia University located?
Brescia University is located in Owensboro, Kentucky.
What programs does Brescia University offer?
28 different programs, most commonly Social Work, Social Work, Psychology. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Brescia University?
8 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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