10-yr median earnings
$88,794
Federal aid recipients only
Private Nonprofit · Fairfield, Connecticut
Fairfield University
Fairfield University is a private nonprofit institution in Fairfield, Connecticut. as a private nonprofit, published Scorecard outcomes cover federal-aid recipients at this campus — endowment and sticker price sit outside those cohort fields.
- $88,794
- 10-yr median earnings
- 33.3%
- Acceptance rate
- $48,095
- Avg net price / yr
- 84.1%
- 150%-time completion
The verdict
Fairfield University pairs top-5% former-student earnings with a selective admit.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 2%
- former-student earnings, US
- 33.3%
- acceptance rate
- 84.1%
- 150%-time completion
- +20%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
Suburb: Large
Carnegie: Doctoral/Prof
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this Fairfield University profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Doctoral/Professional Universities"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
College Value Score
C+
College Value Score
62/100
Fairfield University
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings A+
$88,794
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price F
$48,095
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate A
84.1%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$26,000
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A+
85.8%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention A
91.3%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$48,095
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
84.1%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 84.1%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - Fairfield University vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How Fairfield University ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
Fairfield University: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$88,794 Top 2% higher than 98% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | Fairfield University | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $88,794 | #111 of 5103 | 98th |
| Average net price | $48,095 | #4968 of 5020 | 1st (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 84.1% | #495 of 4858 | 90th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 5,373 | #701 of 5462 | 87th |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
5,373
Undergraduate enrollment
33.3%
Acceptance rate
1,335
SAT average
84.1%
150%-time completion
$88,794
10-yr median earnings
91.3%
First-year retention
How Fairfield University ranks in Connecticut
State rank among 41 reporting Connecticut colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | Fairfield University | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $88,794 | #3 of 41 | 93rd |
| Average net price | $48,095 | #49 of 49 | 0th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 84.1% | #6 of 46 | 87th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 5,373 | #9 of 50 | 82nd |
Highest former-student earnings in Connecticut
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yale University | $100,533 | $23,777 |
| 2 | Trinity College | $90,779 | $34,832 |
| 3 | Fairfield UniversityThis school | $88,794 | $48,095 |
| 4 | Quinnipiac University | $83,759 | $40,675 |
| 5 | Sacred Heart University | $75,059 | $46,174 |
| 6 | Connecticut College | $75,001 | $36,175 |
| 7 | University of Connecticut | $73,997 | $25,097 |
| 8 | University of Connecticut-Stamford | $73,997 | $16,798 |
| 9 | University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus | $73,997 | $16,403 |
| 10 | University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus | $73,997 | $10,875 |
| 11 | University of Connecticut-Avery Point | $73,997 | $13,807 |
| 12 | Wesleyan University | $73,897 | $30,177 |
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 33.3% |
| SAT Average | 1,335 |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 630 – 690 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 630 – 700 |
| ACT Average | 29 |
| ACT (25th-75th) | 29 – 32 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at Fairfield University
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$33,302 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$35,155 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$26,953 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$50,773 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Fairfield University - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $58,350 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $58,350 |
| Average Net Price | $48,095 |
6.9%
Pell Grant Rate
43.2%
Federal Loan Rate
$26,000
Median Debt
$276/mo
Monthly Payment
What students pay at Fairfield University rose +31.4% since 2013
Average net price for the reported Title IV-recipient cohort went from $35,212 in 2013 to $46,274 in 2023, a rise of $11,062 in nominal dollars. Across the 4,315 colleges measured over the same 2013–2023 span, the median change was +14.6%.
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $35,2122023 · $46,274
Over the same years, enrollment went +32.7% (3,721 → 4,938 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
64.6%
Female
16.5%
First Generation
Outcomes
91.3%
Retention Rate
$73,693
Median Earnings (6yr)
85.3%
Earning Over $25K
85.8%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 84.1% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 91.3% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $73,693 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $88,794 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 85.3% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 85.8% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $26,000 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $276/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Field-of-study summary by credential
| Credential | Programs | Award count | Avg earnings | Top earnings | Avg debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 20 | 1,067 | $91,601 | $120,303 | $26,316 |
| Master's | 12 | 344 | $89,126 | $128,250 | $34,131 |
| Doctoral | 1 | 0 | $163,093 | $163,093 | $77,946 |
| Graduate Certificate | 1 | 13 | - | - | - |
Top programs at Fairfield University by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Registered Nursing, Nursin…
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$163,093 median earnings
- Registered Nursing, Nursin…
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$128,250 median earnings
- Economics
Economics
$120,303 median earnings
- Accounting and Related Ser…
Accounting and Related Services
$117,339 median earnings
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$112,565 median earnings
- Accounting and Related Ser…
Accounting and Related Services
$110,586 median earnings
- Finance and Financial Mana…
Finance and Financial Management Services
$106,663 median earnings
- Registered Nursing, Nursin…
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$101,831 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
Nearby Schools
University of Bridgeport
Bridgeport, CT
1,534 students
Sacred Heart University
Fairfield, CT
7,087 students
New England Tractor Trailer Training School of CT-Bridgeport
Bridgeport, CT
428 students
Porter & Chester Institute
Bridgeport, CT
1,373 students
American Institute of Healthcare & Technology
Stratford, CT
100 students
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Independent Scorecard matches among reporting colleges — not recommendations from the institution or a counselor.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Private Nonprofit institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Private Nonprofit institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Similar 2013–2023 Net-Price Trend
Same-sector institutions with the same direction and nearest fitted annual change; only series with R² of at least 0.40 qualify.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at Fairfield University? ▼
Fairfield University is a private nonprofit institution in Fairfield, Connecticut. The acceptance rate is 33.3%. The average SAT score is 1,335. Undergraduate enrollment is 5,373 students.
How much do Fairfield University former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Fairfield University who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $88,794 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $73,693.
How much does Fairfield University cost? ▼
The average net price at Fairfield University is $48,095. In-state tuition is $58,350 and out-of-state tuition is $58,350. Median student debt at graduation is $26,000.
What is the graduation rate at Fairfield University? ▼
Fairfield University has a 84.1% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 91.3%.
Is Fairfield University worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Fairfield University is $26,000, while former students earn a median of $88,794 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 29% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 85.8% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $276.
Sources & methodology
Private-nonprofit profiles emphasize Scorecard cost-after-aid and completion alongside IPEDS Carnegie class. Endowment, gifts, and sticker price are not Scorecard fields on this page.
Figures are the Mar–Jul 2026 federal retrievals. Nonprofit campuses vary widely in aid practice — net price here is the Title-IV-recipient cohort average, not an individual award letter. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from Fairfield University
- Compare Fairfield University against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in Connecticut side by side.Browse Connecticut
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
Nonprofit Scorecard medians describe federal-aid recipients who were working and not enrolled — they are not sticker-price ROI and not advice.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Private-nonprofit profiles compile Scorecard net-price and earnings cohorts with IPEDS structure fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.