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Creighton

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Creighton University

PrivateCDS 2025–26Omaha, NEEst. 1878 · 132 acres
Mid-size city
Students4,8331,248 first-years · 42.3% of classes under 20
Admit Rate92.2%
4-Yr Grad73.1%6-yr: 82.7% · Entered fall 2019
Net Price / Yr$23,405Mid-income est.

A Jesuit university that admits 92% of applicants and splits its bachelor's degrees almost evenly between business and the health professions.

More about Creighton

Creighton University admits 92.2% of applicants and is known for generous merit scholarships available regardless of financial need — 2,233 students received awards averaging $23,263 last year. 73.1% of students graduate in 4 years. Creighton's own name is on two CHI Health hospital campuses in Omaha — Bergan Mercy and the University Campus — a direct clinical pipeline for a student body where health professions are the second-largest bachelor's degree category. Business and financial-services students have an equally short commute: four Fortune 500 headquarters and several of the nation's largest architecture and engineering firms sit within the same downtown-adjacent footprint as campus.

4,833 undergraduates

Business and pre-health students who want employer access without a big-city price tagAnyone drawn to a Jesuit, Catholic identity and service culture over a Greek-dominated social sceneStudents who want a downtown-adjacent campus in a city that's easy to learn, not overwhelming

Your next questions

Could I get in to Creighton?

A few more (optional)

Applying

What would we pay?

$20,472 to $35,090 a year, depending on income.

Tap your family income to see your band

College Scorecard 2024 estimate

What schools are like Creighton?
SchoolAdmitUndergrads
Gonzaga79.6%4,976
Rochester41.9%6,096
Santa Clara47.9%6,695
Compare all 4 side by side →
Should I apply early?

Creighton offers Early Action, and it isn't binding: if you're admitted, you don't have to attend.

If your application is ready by Nov 1, applying early commits you to nothing. Some schools limit where else you can apply early, so check Creighton's rules.

Deadlines and what early means here ↓
What does Creighton look for?
  • Creighton rates rigor of coursework and GPA Very Important.

    Creighton CDS 2025–26, C7

Everything they weigh ↓

What You'll Actually Pay

Price after grants

$20,472 to $35,090 a year, depending on income.

College Scorecard 2024 estimate

See the price at your income ↑

Sticker price

Full cost before aid: $63,423 a year. Average need-based aid package: $37,128.

Aid and debt

37.8%

receive need-based grants

$33,313

average debt at graduation

2,233

students got merit aid

about 46% of undergraduates

$23,263

average merit award

Getting In

Key dates

Early ActionNov 1 · Notify: Dec 15
Regular DecisionNot reported · Notify: Rolling from Nov 1

Transfer Deadlines

PriorityAug 1
FinalNot reported
NotificationNot reported

Test scores

SAT, middle 50% of those who submitted: 1280–1410 · 8% of the class submitted

ACT, middle 50% of those who submitted: 26–31 · 40% of the class submitted

37.3% were in the top 10% of their high school class.

What they value

Very important
  • Course rigor (AP/IB)
  • GPA
Important
  • SAT/ACT scores
  • Personal essay
Considered
  • Class rank
  • Recommendations
  • Extracurriculars
  • Special talent
  • Character
  • First-gen status
  • Volunteer work
  • Demonstrated interest
Not considered
  • Legacy status
  • Where you're from
  • In-state residency
  • Work experience

What this means for you

Creighton rates course rigor as Very Important, and your essay as Important.

More

Rigor means AP, IB, and dual enrollment carry real weight — make sure your mix of AP or IB courses is strong. A strong essay can differentiate an otherwise average application.

Creighton rates demonstrated interest 'Considered' — it can tip a close decision, without being decisive.

Source: Common Data Set 2025–26, Section C7 (admissions factors)

Creighton just showed you what it values in an application. Use that to write a Why-Creighton essay that's actually about you — not a template.

Get sourced starting points for your essay

Student Life

42.3% of Creighton classes have fewer than 20 students.

42.3%

under 20 students

52.9%

20 to 49

4.8%

50 or more

Every class section counts, labs and seminars included; first-year courses tend to be larger. Creighton CDS 2025–26, I-3.

11:1

student:faculty ratio

Campus life

75.1%

first-years from out of state

51.87%

live on campus

22.7%

of men in fraternities

32.7%

of women in sororities

Who attends

  • White68.5%
  • Hispanic10.9%
  • Asian7.7%
  • Multiracial6.5%
  • Black2.7%
  • Unknown / other1.5%

Enrolled undergraduates; international students are counted separately and not included. Creighton CDS 2025–26, B2.

Popular majors

Business/marketing31.4%
Health professions and related programs25.8%
Biological/life sciences14.6%
Social sciences5.7%
Psychology5%

Will They Graduate?

73.1% of Creighton students graduate in 4 years.

73.1%

finish in 4 years

Entered fall 2019

82.7%

finish in 6 years

Entered fall 2019

92%

return after first year

Finishing late means paying for extra semesters, so the 4-year rate is the one that shows the cost.

Students with Pell Grants

76.2% finish in 6 years, against 82.7% of all students.

A 6.5-point gap: Pell Grant students finish less often than students overall.

City & Culture

Beyond the data — what it's actually like to spend four years in Omaha.

Creighton's campus sits at the edge of downtown Omaha, a few blocks from the Old Market district's cobblestone streets, restaurants and galleries.

More

Omaha is home to four Fortune 500 headquarters — Berkshire Hathaway, Union Pacific, Mutual of Omaha and Kiewit Corporation — plus Gallup and three of the nation's ten largest architecture and engineering firms, giving business and pre-health students an employer base within walking or short rideshare distance rather than a drive to another city.

The City

Mid-size city

Omaha, NE

Best For

Business and pre-health students who want employer access without a big-city price tagAnyone drawn to a Jesuit, Catholic identity and service culture over a Greek-dominated social sceneStudents who want a downtown-adjacent campus in a city that's easy to learn, not overwhelmingFamilies prioritizing an accessible admit rate at a private university over a reach school
Notable alumni

Notable Alumni

Sports

Bob Gibson

Played both basketball and baseball at Creighton, majoring in sociology, before an MLB Hall of Fame career pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1959-1975, winning two Cy Young Awards and two World Series titles.

Class of 1957

Business

Joe Ricketts

Earned his BA at Creighton before founding what became TD Ameritrade; he later became the controlling owner of the Chicago Cubs.

Science

Michael P. Anderson

Earned a Master of Science in physics at Creighton before becoming a NASA astronaut; he died as payload commander of Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003.

Class of 1990

Politics

Brad Ashford

Earned his Juris Doctor at Creighton before serving in the Nebraska Legislature and as the U.S. Representative for Nebraska's 2nd congressional district.

Class of 1974

Alumni selected for name recognition and range of fields. Not from the Common Data Set.

Traditions

Traditions

Founders Week Convocation

An annual convocation and awards ceremony each fall celebrating Creighton's 1878 founding, held with both in-person and virtual options across the Omaha and Phoenix campuses.

School of Law Red Mass

Creighton's School of Law hosts the only Red Mass in Nebraska each fall at St. John's Church on campus, a centuries-old Catholic tradition marking the opening of the judicial year.

Weekend escapes from Omaha

Weekend Escapes

Within driving distance from Omaha

Lincoln, Nebraska

About 55 minutes

Nebraska's state capital and home to the University of Nebraska, a straight shot down I-80 for Husker football Saturdays, the Sunken Gardens and the state capitol building.

Kansas City, Missouri

About 3 hours

Barbecue, jazz history and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, plus the nearest NFL and MLB games — the Chiefs and the Royals.

Des Moines, Iowa

About 2 hours

Iowa's capital and largest city, with the East Village district and the Pappajohn Sculpture Park a straight shot east on I-80.

Getting there and game days

Getting There & Game Days

Nearest airport

Eppley Airfield (OMA)

10 minutes from campus

For international flights: Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) — about 7 hours by road, or a short connecting flight.

Pro sports nearby

  • Omaha Storm Chasers MiLB (Kansas City Royals Triple-A affiliate)
  • Kansas City Chiefs NFLAbout 3 hours away
  • Kansas City Royals MLBAbout 3 hours away
Internships and jobs nearby

Career Proximity

Creighton's own name is on two CHI Health hospital campuses in Omaha — Bergan Mercy and the University Campus — a direct clinical pipeline for a student body where health professions are the second-largest bachelor's degree category. Business and financial-services students have an equally short commute: four Fortune 500 headquarters and several of the nation's largest architecture and engineering firms sit within the same downtown-adjacent footprint as campus.

Top Industries Nearby

Health care and medicineBusiness and financial servicesInsuranceLaw

Major Employers

  • CHI Health
  • Berkshire Hathaway
  • Union Pacific
  • Mutual of Omaha
  • Kiewit Corporation
  • First National Bank of Omaha
  • Gallup

Downtown Omaha, adjoining campus

Who thrives here

Who Thrives Here

Creighton admits 92.2% of applicants and doesn't require the SAT or ACT for general admission, so it's accessible to a wide range of academic profiles — the middle 50% SAT Composite among enrolled first-years is 1280-1410. Business and health professions together account for 57% of bachelor's degrees, reflecting the Heider College of Business and Creighton's schools of pharmacy, nursing, medicine and dentistry sitting alongside the undergraduate college. About 23% of men join fraternities and 33% of women join sororities, and just over half of undergraduates (52%) live on campus, so Greek life is a real but not dominant thread in a Jesuit, service-oriented campus culture. The honest trade-off is class size: despite an undergraduate enrollment under 5,000, only 42.3% of classes run under 20 students — closer to a large public university's profile than the 60-72% typical of small private colleges. Tuition and fees run $52,902 a year, and the school meets 79% of demonstrated need on average, with students who borrow graduating owing $33,313.

Schools like Creighton

Closest on admit rate, size, graduation rate, class ratio and public or private — among the 121 schools we cover.

  • 79.6% admit rate · 4,976 undergrads · 85.4% 6-yr grad rate

    $20,833 to $42,668 a year, depending on income.

  • 41.9% admit rate · 6,096 undergrads · 83.4% 6-yr grad rate

    $9,678 to $46,801 a year, depending on income.

  • 47.9% admit rate · 6,695 undergrads · 87.2% 6-yr grad rate

    $19,154 to $60,678 a year, depending on income.

Compare Creighton with these 3 →Browse all 121 schools →Building a college list? Start one here →

Admit rate, enrollment and graduation rate are from each school's Common Data Set (2025–26). Price ranges are College Scorecard estimates, in-state at public schools.