Pace University is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in New York, New York. It enrolls 7,665 students (a large 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.
AccreditorMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
Academic CalendarSemester
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.
Good
59/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes52
Value32
Affordability24
Selectivity61
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
Pace University admits 75.9% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.
Acceptance Rate
75.9%
Easy
SAT Range (25th–75th)
1180 – 1340
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
24 – 29
Cumulative composite
Test PolicyNot ConsideredStandardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Pace University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Stable ↓
1.6 pts
since 2019
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 $30,892 a year on average, it sits in line with what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. Plan for the gap between that and what you can pay without borrowing. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees
$53,290
Room & Board (on-campus)
$22,553
Room & Board (off-campus)
$24,730
Books & Supplies
$1,000
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$3,608
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$2,616
Total Cost of Attendance
$69,550
Application fee: $50 (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
$26,473
$30,001 – $48,000
$26,362
$48,001 – $75,000
$28,467
$75,001 – $110,000
$31,219
Over $110,000
$36,430
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.
$5,25010%percentile
$8,25025%percentile
$23,250Medianpercentile
$27,42175%percentile
$36,00090%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 $19,500
↓ $3,750
No Pell $14,250
↓ $9,000
Dependent students $17,500
↓ $5,750
Independent students $18,750
↓ $4,500
Female students $18,000
↓ $5,250
Male students $17,125
↓ $6,125
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $8,750, less than completers ($23,250), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
52% of students who start here finish within six years, and 76% come back after first year. Roughly half finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. 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
52%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
76%
Returning for their second year
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $70,378 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$70,378
Earning > $25K
81%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
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
$61,800
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$76,300
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$67,100
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$63,600
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$69,500
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $14,500, about 19% 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 ↑
18.0 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Strong. 84% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 7,665 students, a large student community.
Total Enrolled
7,665
Part-Time
4%
First-Generation
29%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 44.4%3,406
Hispanic 24.5%1,877
Black 11.9%915
Asian 7.5%575
International 5.9%452
Other 5.4%410
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Pace University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Pace University offers
an extensive catalog of programs:
121 distinct programs across
24 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.
There are 16 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.
Student : Faculty
16:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$463M
Solid financial position
Avg Faculty Salary
$114,642
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
487 instructional faculty across 5 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
179
37%
$148,275
Associate Professors
157
32%
$106,249
Assistant Professors
117
24%
$87,643
Lecturers
31
6%
$66,409
No Rank
3
1%
$98,392
Pros & Cons of Pace University
No college is right for everyone. Here is where Pace University is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Best for:
Based on the data, Pace University is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; students prioritizing post-graduation earnings.
Frequently Asked Questions about Pace University
The questions families ask most about Pace University, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is Pace University hard to get into?
Not especially. Pace University admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 75.9%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Pace University?
75.9% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What SAT score do you need for Pace University?
Aim for 1340 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 1180 and 1340 (Reading plus Math), so anything above the top of that range makes you competitive and anything below the bottom means the rest of your application has to carry more weight. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What ACT score do you need for Pace University?
Aim for 29 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 24 and 29 on the composite, so the upper half of that band is where you want to land. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does Pace University cost?
Budget around $30,892 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 Pace University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $70,378 a year against a net price of $30,892, about 2.3 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 Pace University known for?
Mostly Law, Nursing, Special Education. 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 Pace University graduates earn?
About $70,378 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 Pace University accredited?
Yes. Pace University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend Pace University?
7,665 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Pace University?
52% finish within six years. That leaves a meaningful share who do not finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Pace 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 Pace University located?
Pace University is located in New York, New York.
What programs does Pace University offer?
121 different programs, most commonly Law, Nursing, Special Education. 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 Pace University?
16 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
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