Villanova University: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · Public · Open access · CDS 2024-2025
Villanova University is a public university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that admits about 83% of applicants, making it a open access school. The average family pays about $29,219 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Psychology, General, Computer and Information Sciences, General and Finance and Financial Management Services, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. About 75% of students graduate within six years. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 5.0 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Villanova University is a public institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For the most recent reporting cycle, Villanova University admits the majority of qualified applicants, with an overall admission rate of 83%. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $29,219 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Villanova University is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Villanova University?
Villanova University has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
What does Villanova University weight in admissions?
Villanova University reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2024-2025). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Academic GPA
- • Standardized test scores
- • Application essay
- • Recommendations
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Talent/ability
- • Character/personal qualities
- • First generation status
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • Geographical residence
- • State residency
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
- • Level of applicant's interest
- • Class rank
- • Interview
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
SAT and ACT scores Villanova University typically admits
Many applicants to schools in this tier submit test scores, though the policy varies by year — check the latest test-optional status before deciding.
| 25th percentile | 1130 |
| 50th percentile | 1250 |
| 75th percentile | 1358 |
| % submitting SAT | 17.7% |
| 25th percentile | 24 |
| 50th percentile | 29 |
| 75th percentile | 31 |
| % submitting ACT | 1.9% |
- • Test-optional: Standardized test scores are not required, but may be submitted and considered.
- • Policy detail: Considered if submitted
How much does Villanova University actually cost?
Published tuition is $22,082 for in-state students and $37,462 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $16,968 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $29,219 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 30% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | — |
| Room and board | — |
| Average net price (after aid) | $29,219 |
| Application fee | $55 (waivers available) |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Villanova University
| Regular deadline | February 1 |
| Notification date | 4 - 8 weeks after application |
| Reply deadline | May 1 |
| Offers Early Action | Yes |
| EA deadline | November 1 |
Will my child graduate from Villanova University?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Most popular majors at Villanova University
The most popular undergraduate programs at Villanova University, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Psychology, General, Computer and Information Sciences, General and Finance and Financial Management Services. Across all programs, Villanova University confers roughly 2,089 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Psychology, General program report a median income of about $50,596 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Psychology, General | 334 | $50,596 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 319 | $104,762 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 269 | $82,053 |
| Biology, General | 254 | $73,979 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | 249 | $63,387 |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | 232 | — |
| Marketing | 219 | $74,250 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 213 | $63,192 |
Is Villanova University safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Villanova University disclosed 105 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 5.0 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 56 violent offenses and 24 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
What is campus life like at Villanova University?
About 23% of undergraduates at Villanova University live in campus housing, so a meaningful share of students commute or live off campus. In Greek life, 4% of men join a fraternity and 0% of women join a sorority. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.
Other colleges in Pennsylvania parents ask about
- University of Pennsylvania6% acceptance
- Carnegie Mellon University54% acceptance
- Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus50% acceptance
- Lehigh University78% acceptance
- Drexel University11% acceptance
- University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus32% acceptance
- Temple University79% acceptance
- Swarthmore College13% acceptance
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Villanova University
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Villanova University recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Villanova University
What GPA do I need for Villanova University?
Villanova University has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission.
What SAT or ACT score does Villanova University typically admit?
Villanova University does not publish standardized test ranges in the most recent reporting cycle. Test-optional policies have made scores less universally required, but submitting strong scores still helps when available.
How much does Villanova University actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Villanova University after grants and scholarships is $29,219 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Villanova University realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Villanova University is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Villanova University?
Villanova University accepts about 83% of applicants out of roughly 40,817 who apply each year. It admits the majority of qualified applicants.
Is Villanova University test-optional?
Yes. Villanova University is test-optional, so SAT and ACT scores are not required, but strong scores can still be submitted and will be considered.
What is the graduation rate at Villanova University?
About 75% of students at Villanova University graduate within six years, and 59% finish in four years. 83% of freshmen return for sophomore year. Graduation rate predicts real outcomes better than acceptance rate.
What does Villanova University look for in applicants?
Villanova University rates course rigor and GPA as "very important" in its Common Data Set. These are the factors the admissions committee weighs most heavily when reviewing an application.
Is Villanova University a public or private school, and where is it located?
Villanova University is a public institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
What are the most popular majors at Villanova University?
The largest undergraduate majors at Villanova University by annual graduates are Psychology, General, Computer and Information Sciences, General and Finance and Financial Management Services. The school awards about 2,089 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Villanova University safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Villanova University reported 105 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 5.0 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
What is campus life like at Villanova University?
At Villanova University, 23% of undergraduates live on campus, 4% of men are in fraternities, 0% of women are in sororities, according to its most recent Common Data Set.
Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by Villanova University, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.