,·Private (Catholic, independent)·Est. 1948
“A small private Catholic university in suburban Rochester — a tight-knit liberal-arts core wrapped around top-ranked nursing and pharmacy schools.”
St. John Fisher University (renamed from St. John Fisher College in 2022) is a private Catholic, independent university in Pittsford, New York, just outside Rochester. Founded in 1948 by the Congregation of St. Basil, Fisher remains a small, primarily undergraduate institution — about 2,800 undergraduates and 900 graduate students — built around a residential, liberal-arts core and a set of professional schools that punch well above the school's size. Fisher's academic structure spans five schools: the School of Arts and Sciences (the largest), the School of Business (AACSB-accredited), the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. School of Education, the Wegmans School of Nursing, and the Wegmans School of Pharmacy — the latter being one of only eight pharmacy schools in New York State and the first in the Rochester region. Nursing is consistently the school's most popular major, with about 200 BSN degrees awarded each year, and the integrated Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program draws students from across the Northeast. For international students, Fisher offers the calm and structure of a small, Catholic-identity campus with strong faculty access, generous merit aid (98% of undergraduates receive grant or scholarship support; average aid ~$22,380), and a SEMESTER calendar. The university is test-optional, accepts the Common Application, and reviews applications on a rolling basis with a December 1 Early Decision deadline. Pittsford is one of the most-livable suburbs in upstate New York, and Rochester proper offers a healthcare and tech employment base anchored by Wegmans, Paychex, the University of Rochester Medical Center, and L3Harris.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
Test Optional — You can submit scores if they help your case, but they're not required.
Official SourceThe deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Tuition & Fees (All Students)
$42,773 – $43,174
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
Fisher's largest school — home to biology, psychology, English, mathematics, history, communication, and the natural sciences. Foundation for pre-health and pre-law students.
AACSB-accredited business school offering majors in accounting, finance, marketing, management, and sport management. Strong placement into Rochester corporate employers (Wegmans, Paychex, M&T Bank).
Founded in 2003 with support from the Wegmans family. Offers traditional BSN, accelerated BSN, MSN (FNP, leadership), and DNP pathways. Clinical sites span URMC, Rochester Regional Health, and Strong Memorial.
One of only eight pharmacy schools in New York State and the first in the Rochester area. Offers a 4-year PharmD as well as combined BS/PharmD pathways.
Prepares teachers and educational leaders for K-12 and higher education through BS, MS, and doctoral programs in education and educational leadership.
4 years
Wegmans School of Pharmacy program — the first PharmD offering in the Rochester area. Strong board-pass rates and placement into community, hospital, and industry pharmacy roles.
4 years
Direct-entry BSN at the Wegmans School of Nursing — Fisher's most popular major, with NCLEX pass rates consistently above the national average and clinical placements at URMC.
4 years
Strong pre-health pipeline (medical, dental, pharmacy, PA) with undergraduate research opportunities and small upper-division class sizes.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $41,190
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
