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School data & stats
Outcomes
Cost
Community
Overview
The University of Dayton is a Catholic university founded by the Marianist order, and the Marianist emphasis on community and family runs through nearly every part of campus life, from how residence halls are organized to the service traditions students take part in. It has grown into one of the larger Catholic universities in the country while keeping that community-first character central to its identity.
Academics
Engineering, business, and teacher education are the strongest and most established programs, and the university runs one of the larger university-affiliated applied research operations in the country through the University of Dayton Research Institute, giving undergraduates real exposure to funded, industry-connected research well beyond what a school its size would typically offer. A Marianist core curriculum threads ethics and community themes through general education regardless of major.
Campus & student life
The student neighborhood directly south of campus — blocks of front-porch houses that have become a defining tradition — is central to Dayton's social culture, with porches serving as informal gathering spaces and a symbol of the university's community-oriented ethos. Flyers basketball is a genuine unifying force on campus, and UD Arena's role as a regular host of NCAA tournament First Four games gives the university outsized national visibility each March relative to its size.
Getting in
The admissions process reflects the university's Catholic, Marianist values — community fit and service orientation matter alongside academic preparation — and the university has a reputation for reading applications holistically rather than by formula.
After graduation
Engineering and business graduates move steadily into Ohio and Midwest employers, aided by UDRI's industry and defense-research connections, and the university's Marianist and Catholic school networks support graduates entering education.
Worth knowing
The front-porch neighborhood tradition is genuinely distinctive and often the detail alumni describe first when asked what made Dayton feel different from other Catholic universities its size.
Admissions
Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)
Applying
udayton.edu ↗High school coursework
RequiredHigh school diploma required and GED accepted (CDS C3); CDS C4 recommends, but does not require, a general college-preparatory program; CDS C5 has no unit counts in the Required column
Recommended16 total academic units (recommended) · 4 units of English · 4 units of Mathematics · 4 units of Science (1 of which must be lab) · 2 units of Foreign Language · 4 units of Social Studies · 4 units of History · 4 units of Computer Science · 4 units of Visual/Performing Arts
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