Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Private nonprofit · Small city campus · verified rankings · federal data

Rivier University

Students comparing Rivier University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Nashua, New Hampshire1,231 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 71Private nonprofitSmall enrollmentResearch university

The short answer

Rivier University: U.S. News ranks it #142 on Regional Universities (North) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1233 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1223 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 1,231 undergraduates, admits 82.6% of applicants, and posts a 51.7% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $39,488; aid recipients pay $28,082 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $52,248.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
82.6%

Above the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$28,082

49% below the $55,124 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$52,248

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
51.7%

Below the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$26,956

Below the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
1055–1175

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where Rivier University ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026Regional Universities (North)#142of 170Regional univ. (North)
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#1233of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)#1223of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Rivier University's position moves 37 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Rivier University

Rivier University is a private nonprofit institution in Nashua, New Hampshire. Federal data show 75.7% first-year retention and a 14:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $28,082 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $55,124 sticker cost against $28,082 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Rivier University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

Tuition & fees
$39,488

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduates on Pell grants
28.3%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardShare of undergraduates, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$15,636

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $55,124 a year, but the average family pays $28,082 — a 49% difference. 28.3% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Rivier University's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    14:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    75.7%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    1,231

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Rivier University: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $39,488 and on-campus room and board is $15,636, for a published total of $55,124 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $28,082.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 82.6%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    Eastern University

    Saint Davids, PAPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Eastern University: U.S. News ranks it #146 on Regional Universities (North) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1093 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1368 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 2,404 undergraduates, admits 90.8% of applicants, and posts a 54.0% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $38,400; aid recipients pay $26,662 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $51,655.

    Acceptance rate
    90.8%
    Average net price
    $26,662
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $51,655
    6-yr graduation rate
    54.0%
    US News · Regional univ. (North)#146 of 170Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#1093 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#1368 of 2,605

    2,404 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 70 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Albertus Magnus College

    New Haven, CTPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Albertus Magnus College: U.S. News ranks it #120 on Regional Universities (North) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1447 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1143 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3 stars. It enrolls 991 undergraduates, admits 59.3% of applicants, and posts a 51.5% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $41,908; aid recipients pay $34,028 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $60,144.

    Acceptance rate
    59.3%
    Average net price
    $34,028
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $60,144
    6-yr graduation rate
    51.5%
    US News · Regional univ. (North)#120 of 170Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#1447 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#1143 of 2,605+1 more on profile

    991 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 70 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    St. Thomas Aquinas College

    Sparkill, NYPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    St. Thomas Aquinas College: U.S. News ranks it #120 on Regional Universities (North) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1363 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1271 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3 stars. It enrolls 972 undergraduates, admits 93.0% of applicants, and posts a 54.0% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $39,450; aid recipients pay $19,994 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $62,909.

    Acceptance rate
    93.0%
    Average net price
    $19,994
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $62,909
    6-yr graduation rate
    54.0%
    US News · Regional univ. (North)#120 of 170Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#1363 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#1271 of 2,605+1 more on profile

    972 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 70 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Rivier University against these