Facts and Recognition

  • Founded 1924
  • Co-educational, religiously independent
  • On 150 scenic acres near Rochester, N.Y.
  • Strong commitment to experience-based learning and community engagement
  • Academics: 60+ undergraduate majors, 70 minors, 25+ graduate programs

2,000

undergrad students

550

graduate students

Facts

Academic structure
Alumni

As of 2023, Nazareth has nearly 37,000 alumni across 50 states and 56 countries.

  • Our latest outcomes data show that Nazareth prepares students well for careers and/or continued study through rigorous academic programs, global and cross-cultural experiences, and hands-on career experience while in college.
  • 58% of Nazareth alumni live in the Rochester area; 76% live in New York state.

Alumni engagement »

Athletics
  • Nazareth has 25 intercollegiate teams that compete at the NCAA Division III level. Women's rowing is the most recent addition. Nazareth also has a men's rugby team that began club competition in 2019.
  • Nazareth competes in the Empire 8 Conference for most of its sports, with Alfred, Elmira, Hartwick, Houghton, Keuka, Russell Sage, St. John Fisher, and Utica. The men's volleyball team competes in the United Volleyball Conference and the hockey teams compete in the United Collegiate Hockey Conference.
  • In 2022-23, the Golden Flyers won seven Empire 8 Championships (men's cross country, women's soccer, women's swimming and diving, men's and women's indoor track and field and men's and women's outdoor track and field). In addition, Nazareth student-athletes excelled in the classroom and community, with countless Academic and Scholar All-America selections. In the fall 2022 semester, 161 student-athletes earned Empire 8 Presidents' List honors for academic success, and 183 earned the honor in spring 2023.
  • In recent seasons, Nazareth has had individual All-Americans in women's soccer, women's volleyball, men's volleyball, men's lacrosse, men's basketball, men's hockey, women's swimming & diving, men's track and field, women's track and field, and rugby.
  • Nazareth's men's lacrosse team won the NCAA Division III national championship in 1992, 1996, and 1997 and reached the national title game in 1995, 1998, and 2004. Nazareth also won the Molten Division III national title in men's volleyball in 2011 and was runner-up in 2013.
  • Nazareth's latest gem is the Golisano Training Center, a 108,000-square foot facility that houses an indoor track, indoor tennis and basketball courts, and an artificial turf practice field. A short walk from the GTC is the 2,200-seat Golden Flyer Stadium, which includes a grass game field and a 400-meter track.
  • Nazareth is scheduled to host the 2025 NCAA men's and women's indoor track and field championships.
  • 27% of full-time Naz undergrad students participated in organized athletics (2023). Student-athletes consistently earn high grade point averages.
  • For more: Athletics website
Campus
  • 150 acres of beautiful lawns and wooded groves

  • Two dozen buildings, including 11 residence halls.

  • Golisano Training Center (opened 2019) is a first-of-its kind collaboration with Special Olympics and a national model of "wellness for all." Includes an indoor track, field, courts, training facilities, Cafe NINE, and fitness center and recreation opportunities for Nazareth students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Also used as a training and competition space for Special Olympic athletes, while Nazareth students in health and human service fields such as physical, occupational, and speech therapy gain experience working with people of different abilities.

  • Glazer Music Performance Center (550-seat performance hall and education center) opened in 2018.
  • Peckham Hall opened in fall 2012 and features multi-purpose research spaces (including state-of-the-art labs and classrooms), a range of support services, and a variety of student centers. Peckham Hall is the first building on campus and in the town of Pittsford, N.Y., to achieve a Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED)-certified green building rating.

  • The Nazareth Arts Center, which houses the departments of theatre arts, music, and art, has entertained almost 3 million people at performances since it opened in 1967. A major renovation was completed in 2009.

  • The on-campus York Wellness and Rehabilitation Institute serves the Rochester area community and provides extensive opportunities for students studying health or human service fields to gain practical, supervised experience with clients/patients.

Community service

Nazareth is one of the few schools to have an on-campus office — Weider Community Engagement — providing oversight to community engagement inside and outside of the classroom, including locally, regionally, nationally, and globally.

  • Each year, Nazareth collaborates with over 100 community organizations, connecting our students with local innovators and changemakers working together to address social challenges.
  • 96% of students participating in our high-impact experiences demonstrate growth in their abilities to advance a just/equitable society — part of developing as a changemaker.
  • 98% of students report that they built connections with others who support their community work and personal wellness, identifying networks that promote a sense of purpose and belonging.

Nazareth is home to the only Bonner Leader Scholarship program in western New York.

Degree programs
  • Bachelor's degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Music

  • Master's degrees: Master of Arts, Master of Music, Master of Public Health, Master of Science, Master of Science in Education, Master of Social Work

  • Doctoral degree: Doctor of Physical Therapy

View a complete listing of Nazareth's majors, minors, certification, and graduate programs.

Enrollment (fall 2023)

Students Enrolled

  • Undergraduate students (full-time and part-time): 1,900

  • Graduate students (full-time and part-time): 542

  • Student-faculty ratio: 9:1

  • Racial/ethnic diversity: 19% of undergraduate students and 16% of graduate students are Black, Asian, Hispanic, Native American, Pacific Islander, or multi-race

  • Undergraduate students came from 34 states/districts/territories and 12 countries (Pre-pandemic, from 20 countries.)

  • Graduate students came from 15 states and 7 countries.
  • Average class size: 16 for undergraduate students and 15 for graduate students

Gender

  • Undergraduates: 72% female

  • Graduate students: 82% female

Faculty (fall 2023)
  • Full-time: 175

  • Part-time: 327

  • Student-faculty ratio: 9:1
Global focus

Nazareth offers

  • study abroad opportunities

  • Fulbright awards to other countries

  • international students on campus

  • language houses on campus

  • majors that build international expertise

  • the option to live with international students on campus

Read more about our global focus.

Financial aid
  • 100% of undergraduate students receive financial aid.
President

Elizabeth Paul, Ph.D., started July 1, 2020 as Nazareth's 10th president with a commitment to support advancing a just and healthy community, strengthen communication and connection, and to continue Nazareth's history of embracing change and choosing opportunity.

Learn more about the President's Office.

Tuition and expenses
Colleges of Distinction badge

Nazareth is among a select group of top colleges and universities across the country hand-picked to earn a College of Distinction designation for its commitment to engaged, experiential education.

Recognition

Among the country's best institutions for undergraduate education — Princeton Review's Best 389 Colleges, 2024 Edition

best value college in America. — Money Magazine 2023, based on graduation rates, cost of attendance, alumni salaries, and more.

Top 15 nationally for excellence in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and racial injustice, and for strong strategic planning. — Great Value Colleges

Ranked nationally on the 2024 Best Colleges in the U.S., plus high marks for enhancing students' social mobility. — Wall Street Journal/College Pulse

A Best Value School, among the Best Regional Universities (North), among the highest ranked for undergraduate teaching and for veterans U.S. News & World Report 2024 Best Colleges

Best Master's Universities, based on contributions to social mobility, research, and public service, and Best Bang for the Buck — Northeast for helping non-wealthy students attain marketable degrees at affordable prices. — Washington Monthly 2023 

A 2023 Best for Vets College — Military Times

#6 among the 2024 Best Campuses in New York state — Niche

#1 Most beautiful campus in New York state — TheTravel.com

What students say

In its latest profile of Nazareth, The Princeton Review praises the school for the "strength of the faculty" and quotes Nazareth students:

"Anyone who has been at Naz can attest to the caring and personable faculty and staff," says one student. These "interesting, insightful, and approachable" professors "want to see every student succeed" and "make time to see students outside of the classroom if they need extra help," fostering "a positive self-image to learn and achieve in all of their students."

Nazareth encourages interdisciplinary exploration and tries to structure courses that connect "different fields of study to benefit the students' interests and allow them to pursue fields which would typically not accept differing opinions."