Private Nonprofit Bachelor's Good 62/100

Villa Maria College

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

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Buffalo, New York

About Villa Maria College

Thinking about Villa Maria College, a college in New York where more students graduate in Visual & Performing Arts 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.

Villa Maria College is a private nonprofit institution offering bachelor's degrees based in Buffalo, New York. It enrolls 603 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
86.6%
Graduation
24.1%
Net Price
$13,494
Median Earnings (10yr)
$38,857
Enrollment
603
Student : Faculty
9:1

Accreditor Middle States Commission on Higher Education
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.

Good
62/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 19
Value 57
Affordability 87
Selectivity 29

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Villa Maria College admits 86.6% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.

Acceptance Rate
86.6%
Easy
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 Villa Maria College is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Becoming less selective ↑ 12.3 pts since 2019
74.4%201978.7%202075.6%202178.2%202286.7%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 $13,494 a year on average, it sits below what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. That still leaves most families a gap to cover, but a manageable one. 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
$13,494
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
65%
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
$28,670
Room & Board (on-campus)
$9,620
Room & Board (off-campus)
$9,620
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$3,300
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$3,300
Total Cost of Attendance
$36,335

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
    $13,049
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $13,265
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $12,274
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $12,775
  • Over $110,000
    $25,069

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.

$2,750
10% percentile
$4,838
25% percentile
$21,250
Median percentile
$20,000
75% percentile
$29,375
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 $10,250 ↓ $11,000
No Pell $12,000 ↓ $9,250
Dependent students $9,500 ↓ $11,750
Independent students $16,758 ↓ $4,492
Female students $13,000 ↓ $8,250
Male students $9,500 ↓ $11,750
Pell recipients: 14.4% (3,067 students)No Pell: 16.9% (3,591 students)Dependent students: 13.4% (2,843 students)Independent students: 23.6% (5,015 students)Female students: 18.3% (3,890 students)Male students: 13.4% (2,843 students)Overall Median$21,250
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $9,500, less than completers ($21,250), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

24% of students who start here finish within six years, and 71% come back after first year. Most students who start here do not finish. That is the single most important number on this page. 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
24%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
71%
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 $38,857 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)
$38,857
Earning > $25K
61%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

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

$33,000$35,000$36,000$38,000$40,0006 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
$29,400

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

Male graduates
$31,700

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


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$25,900

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$34,200

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$34,300

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

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.

Stable ↑ 0.6 pts across 6 years
67.7%3yr66.7%5yr68.3%7yr
What this signals: Moderate. Only 68% of graduates are paying down principal seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 603 students, a small, close-knit community. Worth knowing: 38% are the first in their family to go to college.

Total Enrolled
603
Part-Time
11%
First-Generation
38%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

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

GroupShareStudents
White 44.3% 267
Black 35.2% 212
Other 7.5% 45
Hispanic 5.8% 35
Asian 3.0% 18
International 3.0% 18
White: 44.3% (267 students)Black: 35.2% (212 students)Other: 7.5% (45 students)Hispanic: 5.8% (35 students)Asian: 3.0% (18 students)International: 3.0% (18 students)Total603

Student Life & Campus Culture

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

Setting
Small City Buffalo, New York
Housing
Commuter campus No on-campus housing
Adult Learners
15% 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 Health graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Villa Maria College offers a varied set of programs: 16 distinct programs across 8 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.

8 Programs
1 Program
2 Programs
1 Program
1 Program
1 Program
1 Program

Faculty & Resources

There are 9 students for every instructor here: small classes, and staff who are likely to know your name.

Student : Faculty
9:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$6.0M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$46,444
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 5 14% $49,500
Associate Professors 10 27% $49,320
Assistant Professors 12 32% $47,091
Instructors 10 27% $41,265

Pros & Cons of Villa Maria College

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Villa Maria College 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
  • Below-average net price
  • Accessible admissions for most applicants
  • Small classes (low student-faculty ratio)
  • Tight-knit, close community feel
  • Wide reach of need-based federal aid
CONS
  • Fewer clubs, activities, and social options
  • Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
  • Modest first-year retention
  • Earnings outcomes are on the lower side
  • No graduate programs offered at this institution
Best for: Based on the data, Villa Maria College is a fit for students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; students who thrive in small, close-knit environments.

Frequently Asked Questions about Villa Maria College

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

Is Villa Maria College hard to get into?
Not especially. Villa Maria College admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 86.6%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Villa Maria College?
86.6% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does Villa Maria College cost?
Budget around $13,494 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 Villa Maria College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $38,857 a year against a net price of $13,494, about 2.9 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 Villa Maria College known for?
Mostly Design, Medical Assisting, Business Administration. 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 Villa Maria College graduates earn?
About $38,857 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 Villa Maria College accredited?
Yes. Villa Maria College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend Villa Maria College?
603 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 Villa Maria College?
24% 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 Villa Maria College 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 Villa Maria College located?
Villa Maria College is located in Buffalo, New York.
What programs does Villa Maria College offer?
16 different programs, most commonly Design, Medical Assisting, Business Administration. 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 Villa Maria College?
9 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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