Overview

By comparing ourselves to a group of referent institutions, we can identify areas of distinctiveness and benchmark our performance over time. In 2022, the Beyond Boundaries Steering Committee (BBSC) identified 23 private, not-for-profit institutions to replace the referent group established in 2015 and previously used to assess the strategic plan's metrics. The BBSC collaborated with the Office of Institutional Research on a cluster analysis which used data from publicly available sources. The BBSC recommended a list of peer and aspirational schools and sought feedback from the University Academic Senate, Staff Senate, and University Leadership Council in spring 2022. In summer 2022, the peer and aspirant group was approved by the Executive Leadership. This new group replaces the 22 referent institutions previously used to benchmark the Beyond Boundaries strategic plan. 

 

Marquette | BC | Case Western Reserve | Creighton | Dayton | Denver | Emory | Fordham | Georgetown | Gonzaga | Lehigh | Loyola Marymount | Loyola Chicago | Miami | Rochester | SLU | San Diego | Santa Clara | SMU | Texas Christian | Tufts | Tulane | Villanova Wake Forest

 

Marquette University (MU)

Milwaukee, WI
Religious affiliation: Catholic, Jesuit
Fall 2021 student enrollment:  11,320

 

Boston College (BC)

Chestnut Hill, MA
Religious affiliation: Catholic, Jesuit
Fall 2021 student enrollment:  15,577

 

Case Western Reserve University

Cleveland, Ohio

Religious Affiliation: None

Fall 2021 student enrollment: 12,142

 

Creighton University

Omaha, Nebraska

Religious Affiliation: Catholic, Jesuit

Fall 2021 student enrollment: 8,735

 

Emory University

Atlanta, GA
Religious affiliation: Methodist
Fall 2021 student enrollment: 14,779

 

Fordham University

Bronx, NY
Religious affiliation: Catholic, Jesuit
Fall 2021 student enrollment: 16,986

 

Georgetown University

Washington, DC
Religious affiliation: Catholic, Jesuit
Fall 2021 student enrollment: 20,935

 

Gonzaga University

Spokane, Washington
Religious affiliation: Catholic, Jesuit
Fall 2021 student enrollment: 7,381

 

Lehigh University

Bethlehem, PA
Religious affiliation: none
Fall 2021 student enrollment: 7,263

 

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA
Religious affiliation: Catholic, Jesuit
Fall 2021 student enrollment: 10,184

 

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, IL
Religious affiliation: Catholic, Jesuit
Fall 2021 student enrollment: 17,498

 

Saint Louis University (SLU)

Saint Louis, MO
Religious affiliation: Catholic, Jesuit
Fall 2021 student enrollment: 13,474

 

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, CA
Religious affiliation: Catholic, Jesuit
Fall 2021 student enrollment:  8,918

 

Southern Methodist University (SMU)

Dallas, TX
Religious affiliation: Methodist
Fall 2021 student enrollment: 12,385

 

Texas Christian University (TCU)

Fort Worth, TX
Religious affiliation: Christian
Fall 2021 student enrollment: 11,938

 

Tufts University

Medford, MA
Religious affiliation: none
Fall 2021 student enrollment: 13,293

 

Tulane University of Louisiana

New Orleans, LA
Religious affiliation: none
Fall 2021 student enrollment: 13,293

 

University of Dayton

Dayton, OH
Religious affiliation: Catholic
Fall 2021 student enrollment: 11,971

 

University of Denver

Denver, CO
Religious affiliation: none
Fall 2021 student enrollment: 14,130

 

University of Miami

Coral Gables, FL
Religious affiliation: none
Fall 2021 student enrollment: 19,096

 

University of Rochester

Rochester, NY
Religious affiliation: none
Fall 2021 student enrollment: 12,039

 

University of San Diego

San Diego, CA
Religious affiliation: Catholic
Fall 2021 student enrollment: 9,041

 

Villanova University

Villanova, PA
Religious affiliation: Catholic
Fall 2021 student enrollment: 10,870

 

Wake Forest University

Winston Salem, NC
Religious affiliation: none
Fall 2021 student enrollment: 8,947