Duquesne University — College Profile

About

Perched on a self-contained hilltop known as "The Bluff" overlooking downtown Pittsburgh, Duquesne University is a private Catholic Spiritan institution renowned for its robust professional preparation, particularly in pharmacy, nursing, health sciences, law, and business. The campus culture is defined by its mission-driven focus on ethical leadership and community service, offering students a values-centered education with personalized faculty mentorship. Students enjoy a tight-knit campus environment with spirited NCAA Division I athletics while benefiting from immediate proximity and direct pipelines to Pittsburgh's world-class healthcare networks, Fortune 500 companies, and vibrant cultural districts.

Wikipedia:Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit, commonly shortened to Duquesne University, is a private Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, or Spiritans, founded the institution in 1878 as the Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost. It moved to its present site on the Bluff in 1885 and became a university in 1911. The university was named for Michel-Ange Duquesne de Menneville, an eighteenth-century governor general of New France.

Location

Pittsburgh, PA, 15282 · City campus

✈

Nearest airport from college

PIT · Pittsburgh

13 mi away

Open in Google Maps

Cost & aid

Cost of attendance

These figures are federal data and may be out of date.

YoursEveryone

Tuition & fees$48,986

Housing & food (on campus)$16,374

Books & supplies$1,440

Cost of attendance$67,776

Average net price$37,730

Same price for all students

Tuition & fees$48,986

Housing & food (on campus)$16,374

Books & supplies$1,440

Cost of attendance$67,776

Average net price$37,730

Source: U.S. College Scorecard

Net price by family income · 2023-24

$0–30k

$29,986

$30–48k

$31,729

$48–75k

$32,102

$75–110k

$35,611

$110k+

$41,273

Your family's actual price → Duquesne University net price calculator

Source: U.S. College Scorecard

Merit aid · 2025-26

Awarded without financial need. Students with financial need can get merit awards too; they're counted as need-based aid.

Average award$26,166

Share of first-years who get one17%

Source: Duquesne University's Common Data Set — the school's own yearly report of its admissions and aid figures (PDF).

Outcomes

Completion

Within 6 yrs

77%

Entered 2017–18

Within 4 yrs

67%

Back for yr 2

84%

Transferred

8 yrs after starting · first-time, full-time students

78% graduated · 18% transferred · 3% left or unknown · none still enrolled

Earnings · measured 2020 & 2021

6 yrs after entry$62,627

10 yrs after entry$74,742

Debt

Median at graduation$26,244

Monthly payment$278

Middle 50% owe$12.5k–$28k

90th percentile$33,250

Green marks a figure above the typical Doctoral University: 70% graduate within 6 yrs, $63,395 earned 10 yrs after entry.

Admissions

Getting in · applied for fall 2024

Admit rate

84%

Test policy

Test optional

Per College Scorecard

SAT average

1276

R 600–670 · M 580–670

ACT midpoint

Comp 26–32 · E 25–33 · M 25–30

SAT middle 50%: 1180–1340

40080012001600

Wondering if Duquesne University is the right fit for you?

SchoolScout builds a personalized college list — reach, match, and safety schools — tailored to your profile, grades, and goals. Get financial aid estimates, scholarship guidance, and deep dives on every school.

Personalized reach / match / safety list

Financial aid & net cost estimates

Deep dives on any school

Scholarship search

Get your college list →See a sample college plan first

Essay prompts

How much essays count at Duquesne University: Considered (one of four levels: very important · important · considered · not considered)

Source: Duquesne University's Common Data Set for 2025-26 — the school's own yearly report of its admissions and aid figures (PDF).

If Duquesne University asks for supplemental essays, the prompts are in the Common App.

The personal essay is separate: see the Common App essay prompts.

Student Body

Gender

Men 37%Women 63%

Who enrolls

Faculty ratio

12 : 1

Pell grant

20%

First-gen

17%

Family income

$88,633

Independent

Age at entry

20.0

Part-time

Race & ethnicity

White

77%

Hispanic

Black

Asian

Two or more

Non-resident

Unknown

Varsity sports

NCAA Division I-FCS · EADA 2024-25

Basketball
Men's · Women's
Bowling
Women's
Football
Men's
Golf
Women's
Lacrosse
Women's
Other Sports
Women's
Rowing
Women's
Soccer
Men's · Women's
Swimming and Diving (combined)
Women's
Tennis
Men's · Women's
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
Men's · Women's
Volleyball
Women's

Programs & Earnings

Bachelor's degrees by annual completions · 4yr national median earnings

Median earnings, all programs · measured 2020 & 2021

After 6 yrs

$62,627

After 10 yrs

$74,742

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing259

Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration116

Marketing100

Psychology, General75

Biology, General74

Finance and Financial Management Services66

Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods55

Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication51

Computer and Information Sciences, General49

Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions47

Business Administration, Management and Operations47

Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions42

Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods42

Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas38

Accounting and Related Services36

Political Science and Government35

Type your major above to highlight and detail relevant programs.

Institutional

Resources

Endowment

$661M

Full-time faculty

48%

Faculty salary

$10,204/mo

Teaching spend

$16,449

per student

Federal loans

67%

Classification

Carnegie type

Doctoral University

Research activity

R2 — high research

$18M research spending · 91 research doctorates a year

Undergraduate profile

Four-year, selective admissions