As tuition rises, University of Dayton moves above national average

The University of Dayton's Founders Hall has been closed for the past two academic years

Gabriel Ward

DAYTON, Ohio – As high school seniors begin to make life-altering decisions about where they will be spending the next chapter of their academic career, one question is always at the top of their minds: Is the school I’m attending worth the price I will be paying? 

With tuition prices continuing to rise throughout the United States, and private universities having a historically higher cost of attendance, students are having to rely more on scholarships, loans and grants to attend college. The University of Dayton is no different. According to College Tuition Compare, in the 2015-16 academic year, the total cost of tuition and fees was $39,090. That number skyrocketed to $49,140 in the 2024-25 academic year.

But that's just the sticker price and only tells a small piece of the story. Almost every student at the University of Dayton is on some form of scholarship. In a survey sent out to the UD communication department (as well as being available to any UD student), every student who chose to respond had some form of scholarship, with 27.3 percent being $23,001 to $29,000, 24.2 percent receiving scholarships of $19,001 to $23,000 and 21.2 percent receiving more than $33,000 per year.

In a statement, University of Dayton officials said, “In recent years, growth in need‑based and merit‑based financial aid has significantly outpaced increases in our published tuition price. We continue to invest in scholarships, financial aid, experiential learning, holistic advising, technology, student services and campus facilities to ensure students have the resources they need to thrive.”

Although the trend of quickly rising tuition prices and scholarships that are increasing at a much slower rate is a common thing across the country, at UD, the issue is much more glaring. From the 2015-16 academic year up until the 2021-22 academic year, the University of Dayton actually had a lower sticker price for tuition and fees in comparison to the average private nonprofit four-year university. But that all changed in 2022-23 when, for the first time in at least seven years, the University of Dayton exceeded the national average for tuition and fees among private nonprofit four-year universities.

Even though tuition has increased at UD over the past decade, the increase is mostly due to economic trends instead of inflation. For example, next year, UD is adding a health and well-being cost of $600 in order to help cover the new expansion of the RecPlex on campus. But even with scholarships and tuition increases below the rate of inflation, the university's position compared to its peers has changed.

Another part of the price to attend comes from room and board. For non-commuters, this price can be a large deterrent when deciding what school to choose. 

Christina Smith, the assistant vice president and executive director of Housing and Residence Life, explained that “Housing and Residence Life collaborates with Enrollment Management and Finance & Administrative Services to determine a percentage increase to housing rates. The increase is shared with the Board of Trustees for approval in November for the following academic year. This year, the increase to the standard first year housing rate was 2%.”

For years, Dayton’s tuition and fees were below the national average, but that all changed in 2022-23 when the sticker price finally jumped above the national average, and since then, the gap has only widened.

When Dayton’s tuition changes from year to year, it does not impact the students already enrolled, as their tuition is locked, university officials clarified in their statement, saying, “We also work hard to keep UD as affordable and predictable as possible. Our transparent tuition plan provides students and families with a clear four‑year overview of their costs, allowing them to understand their educational investment upfront.”

But it still drastically impacts which students can even consider becoming Flyers. For people deciding between multiple private universities, Dayton’s continuously rising sticker price can be the difference in where they attend.

As seniors make their final choices about where they will be spending their next four years, they are not just discussing the nationwide rising tuition, but rather where Dayton sits in the landscape of private education.