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Fast Facts

As one of the nation’s leading liberal arts colleges, Denison University boasts generations of students who can attest to its effect on their lives. Each would cite a different reason. And they’d all be right because Denison’s liberal arts tradition and residential community create a college of endless personal possibilities.

OVERVIEW
ENROLLMENT
2,300 UNDERGRADUATES
FOUNDED
FOUNDED IN 1831
Denison is one of the earliest colleges to be established in the old “Northwest Territory,” west of the Allegheny Mountains and north of the Ohio River.
TYPE
INDEPENDENT
Residential, liberal arts and sciences
ENDOWMENT
$900+ MILLION
STUDENT ACTIVITIES
 
CLUBS & ORGANIZATIONS:
160+
CLUB & INTRAMURAL SPORTS:
40+
NCAA D-III VARSITY TEAMS:
26
APPLICATIONS
9,500+
ADMISSION RATE
28%
TOTAL FACULTY
235
ALUMNI
92%
of our graduates are employed, in graduate school, or completing service within six months of graduation
STUDENT POPULATION
 
MALE:
49%
FEMALE:
51%
STUDENT/FACULTY RATIO
9:1
 
FACULTY WITH TERMINAL DEGREES
100%
DEGREES OFFERED
 
BACHELOR OF
ARTS
 
BACHELOR OF
SCIENCE
 
BACHELOR OF
FINE ARTS
MAJORS & PROGRAMS
56 ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
and 4 pre-professional programs
FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENTS*
17%

*Based on student body

DOMESTIC STUDENTS OF COLOR*
21%

*Based on student body

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS*
16%

*Based on student body

STUDENT GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
40 U.S. States and 23 Countries
STUDENTS FROM OUT OF STATE
77%
OPTIONAL
Test-optional Admission
Denison applicants have not been required to submit ACT or SAT scores since 2008.
SAT MIDDLE 50%**
 
1280-1450

** Based on 2021 Admitted Students

ACT MIDDLE 50%**
29-33

** Based on 2021 Admitted Students

OFF-CAMPUS OPPORTUNITIES
Pursued by 80% of student body
RETENTION RATE
91%
SUMMER SCHOLAR INDEPENDENT RESEARCH PROGRAM
130 students
TOTAL ALUMNI
37,000
LOCATION
COLUMBUS
Ohio’s Capital City, Columbus, is the country’s
14TH LARGEST CITY
with more than 2 million people.
 
GRANVILLE
Granville is a charming New England-style village of about 3,500 people, with more than 100 homes and churches listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Granville is located just 30 minutes from the shopping and nightlife of Columbus.
 
AIRPORT
John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH);
25 MINS
(24 miles from campus)
OUTCOMES - ALUMNI AT FIVE YEARS OUT
IMPACT OF A DENISON EDUCATION
99%
of alumni are currently employed or in graduate school.
PROFESSIONAL GOALS
96%
of alumni are working in their desired field or position or on their way to achieving their professional goals.
PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS
94%
of alumni are satisfied with how well Denison prepared them for professional success after college.
LIFE FULFILLMENT
89%
of alumni say that Denison contributed to their ability to lead a rich and fulfilling life— professionally, personally, and/or civically.
FACILITIES
CAMPUS SIZE
931 TOTAL ACRES
Highlights include the 250-acre hilltop section of campus, a 350-acre Biological Reserve, and the historic Denison Golf Club.
CAMPUS PLAN
Designed by the pioneering landscape architecture firm of
FREDERICK LAW OLMSTED
Central Park in New York City, the U.S. Capitol, Biltmore Estate, Grand Army Plaza, U. of California, U. of Chicago, Stanford U.
CAMPUS LAYOUT
PEDESTRIAN- FRIENDLY CAMPUS,
on which all buildings are within walking distance.
WI-FI
CAMPUS-WIDE
Wi-Fi includes all academic buildings and residence halls.
CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES & ATHLETICS
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
160 +
CAMPUS LEADERSHIP POSITIONS
More than
600
STUDENT GOVERNMENT BUDGET
$1,000,000
VARSITY SPORTS
24
12 men’s sports and 14 women’s sports
CLUB & INTRAMURAL SPORTS
40+
ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
17-TIME NORTH COAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS
Denison has won the NCAC All-Sports Trophy a conference-record 17 times, and has won a total of 157 team NCAC championships.
ATHLETIC AFFILIATION
NCAA DIVISION III
TUITION, FEES, & FINANCIAL AID (2020-2021 Academic Year)
TUITION
$57,500
HOUSING
$7,700

(multiple occupancy)

MEALS
$6,200
FEES
We no longer address fees separately
BOOKS, LOAN FEES, AND OTHER
$2,320
FINANCIAL AID
$66 MILLION
Denison is committed to making a top-tier education affordable by meeting students’ demonstrated financial need. Each year Denison awards nearly $66 million in need-based financial aid and merit-based scholarships. Less than half of Denison students incur debt, with a total average amount of about $28,000 over four years, which is less than the national average. Within six months of graduation, 90 percent of our students are employed, in graduate school, or completing post-graduate scholarships or service.
 
COMPREHENSIVE COST
$70,400
FINANCIAL RESOURCES, ACCREDITATION & AFFILIATIONS
UNIVERSITY ENDOWMENT
$880,000,000
(as of June 2019)
TOTAL UNIVERSITY ASSETS
$1.358 billion
ENDOWMENT PER STUDENT
$382,000

Denison is accredited by the Commission on Institutions of the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and certified by the Ohio Board of Regents to grant Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees. Denison’s pre-med program is recognized by all medical schools accredited by the Association of American Medical Colleges.

AMONG OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, DENISON IS A MEMBER OF: Annapolis Group of leading national independent liberal arts colleges, Council of Independent Colleges, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, Great Lakes Colleges Association, Five Colleges of Ohio, Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio, Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges.

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