A Parent’s Complete Guide to Creighton University (2026-2027)


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What is the one thing every Creighton University parent needs to know before move-in?

When families research Creighton University, they often start by asking about rankings, costs, or what Omaha, Nebraska is actually like as a college city. Those are reasonable questions and this guide answers all of them.

But the single most important thing to understand about Creighton before any of those considerations is this: no comparably sized private university in the country offers a more integrated health science pathway than Creighton does, and for families with a student who wants to pursue medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, or physician assistant studies, that fact changes the entire college comparison calculus.

Creighton operates its School of Medicine, School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, School of Dentistry, College of Nursing, and graduate health programs all on the same compact 140-acre campus in Midtown Omaha. Pre-med, pre-pharmacy, pre-dental, and pre-health students at Creighton are not simply preparing to apply to external professional programs at other institutions. Many are preparing to advance directly into Creighton’s own professional programs, which are accredited, nationally respected, and geographically co-located with the undergraduate college. This is not a nominal advantage. It means your student can spend their undergraduate years building relationships with faculty who teach in those professional programs, understanding exactly what those programs require, gaining clinical exposure in Omaha’s strong healthcare ecosystem (which includes the Nebraska Medicine complex adjacent to campus), and competing for admission with a network advantage that students at larger research universities or purely undergraduate colleges simply do not have. For a family weighing the sticker price of a Creighton education against a flagship state university, this pipeline factor is genuinely transformative.

Beyond health sciences, Creighton offers a full university experience rooted in the 450-year-old Jesuit intellectual tradition. The Heider College of Business has genuine strength in accounting, finance, and entrepreneurship, with Omaha’s financial services and agriculture sectors providing meaningful internship and placement pipelines. The College of Arts and Sciences delivers the rigorous Jesuit Core Curriculum, which requires students across all majors to engage deeply with philosophy, theology, ethics, natural science, and writing. The School of Law is a well-regarded regional program with strong placement in the Nebraska and across the Great Plains legal market. What unites all of these schools is the Jesuit concept of cura personalis, a Latin phrase meaning “care for the whole person,” which manifests at Creighton as small class sizes, faculty who know students by name, a deeply embedded service-learning tradition, and an institutional culture that refuses to treat academic achievement as an end in itself.

Omaha deserves more credit than families from coastal or Sunbelt backgrounds typically give it. With a metro population of approximately 1 million people, Omaha is a genuine mid-sized American city with a serious food scene, a nationally acclaimed zoo and aquarium, a strong arts community anchored by the Joslyn Art Museum, a revitalized historic district in the Old Market neighborhood, and an economy anchored by financial services, agriculture, healthcare, and technology. Warren Buffett lives here. Berkshire Hathaway is headquartered here. The cost of living is meaningfully lower than comparable college cities, which has real implications for students who live off campus after their first or second year and for parents who visit. Omaha is the kind of city that surprises people who arrive with low expectations and keeps them coming back.

Finally, Creighton basketball is not a footnote to the academic conversation. The Bluejays compete in the Big East Conference alongside Georgetown, Villanova, Xavier, Marquette, UConn, and Providence, and under head coach Greg McDermott the program has become a genuine national presence, appearing in the NCAA Tournament with regularity and producing NBA-level talent. For a university of 9,000 undergraduates, the basketball culture is outsized in the best possible way. A Big East home game at the CHI Health Center arena downtown is a memorable college experience, and the sense of collective identity that basketball creates at Creighton is something families feel the first time they walk onto campus on a game day.


Quick Facts for Creighton University Families

Family WeekendCreighton Family Weekend 2026 is October 2 to 4, 2026.
Location Omaha, Nebraska 68178
Enrollment ~9,000 undergraduates (~13,000 total)
Type Private Jesuit Catholic Research University, Big East Conference
Tuition (2026-27) ~$48,000/year (verify at creighton.edu)
Room and Board ~$12,000-$14,000/year (verify at creighton.edu)
Total Cost ~$62,000-$64,000/year (verify at creighton.edu)
Graduation Rate ~82% (6-year)
Median Earnings (10 years post-grad) ~$62,000
Nearest Airport OMA (Omaha Eppley Airfield, 8 miles north)

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A Note on Go Jays

The Creighton community greets each other and closes emails and texts with “Go Jays,” short for the Bluejays, the university mascot. Billy Bluejay, the school’s beloved costumed mascot, appears at every athletic event and many campus traditions, and you will see Bluejay blue everywhere on campus from orientation weekend through graduation.

The phrase “Go Jays” functions the way “Go Dawgs” or “Roll Tide” functions at other schools, as a shorthand for community membership, a signal of belonging, and a warm acknowledgment that you are part of something specific and shared. As a parent, learning to say it comfortably is one of the small but genuine pleasures of becoming a Bluejay family.

The deeper cultural identity at Creighton flows from the Jesuit concept of cura personalis, and it shapes the university in ways that are visible and practical rather than merely philosophical. Class sizes at Creighton are small by university standards, with many upper-division courses enrolling fewer than 25 students, and faculty are expected to be genuinely accessible. The Jesuit Core Curriculum, which all students complete regardless of major, ensures that pre-med students read philosophy and business students engage with theology and ethics, creating a campus intellectual culture with genuine breadth. Service learning is embedded throughout the curriculum, and Creighton’s Urban Service Trip program, Alternative Break program, and community engagement partnerships with Omaha nonprofits give students ongoing opportunities to translate the Jesuit mission into action. The result is a campus culture that takes academic ambition seriously without losing the warmth and orientation toward community that distinguishes Jesuit universities from purely research-focused institutions.

Creighton basketball is a genuine pillar of campus life and an important context for parents to understand before Family Weekend or a game-day visit. The Bluejays compete in the Big East, which is the premier mid-major basketball conference in the country, and games against Georgetown, Villanova, Xavier, and Marquette bring a level of competition and atmosphere that is unusual for a school of Creighton’s size. Home games are split between the CHI Health Center arena downtown (a 19,000-seat NBA-ready arena) and campus facilities, and the student section at a marquee Big East matchup is loud, organized, and genuinely fun. Under Greg McDermott, who joined the program in 2010, Creighton has built a reputation for developing skilled guards and winning with precision offense, and the program’s consistency in the NCAA Tournament has raised the university’s national profile in ways that complement the academic and health science reputation. For families who want their student to have a big-game athletic experience at a school small enough to actually know their professors, Creighton threads that needle unusually well.


How do parents get to Creighton University? Travel guide from the nearest major airport

Omaha Eppley Airfield (airport code OMA) is located approximately 8 miles north of the Creighton campus and serves as the primary arrival point for families flying in for move-in, Family Weekend, and graduation.

Despite Omaha’s mid-sized footprint, the airport has surprisingly strong direct service, including nonstop flights from Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Phoenix, and a growing list of additional markets. Families flying from the East Coast will typically connect through Chicago or Dallas. The drive from OMA to campus is straightforward, running south on Abbott Drive and connecting to downtown Omaha surface streets or the interstate spur. Rideshare services are active at OMA, and the drive to campus takes roughly 20 to 30 minutes depending on traffic.

For families driving, Omaha sits directly at the intersection of I-80 and I-29, two of the major east-west and north-south interstate arteries in the country, which makes it genuinely accessible from a wide radius. From Lincoln, Nebraska, the drive west on I-80 is approximately 50 miles and takes about 50 minutes. From Kansas City, the drive north on I-29 is roughly 3 hours. From Des Moines, the drive west on I-80 is approximately 2.5 hours. From Minneapolis, families can expect a 6-hour drive south on I-35 and then connecting to Omaha. Students from Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, and the broader upper Midwest often find Omaha an unusually convenient college location that keeps home within reasonable driving distance.

Once in Omaha, a car is useful but not essential for daily student life. The Creighton campus is entirely walkable within itself, and the Midtown Omaha neighborhood surrounding the university is accessible on foot and by bike. The Old Market, Blackstone District, and other popular destinations are 10 to 15 minutes by rideshare. For parents visiting, a rental car provides the most flexibility, and parking near campus is generally far easier than at urban universities in coastal cities. Omaha’s grid street layout makes navigation straightforward, and the city lacks the traffic congestion that makes visits to schools in Boston, Los Angeles, or New York logistically complicated.


What do parents need to know about Creighton University move-in day 2026?

Creighton’s freshman move-in day for fall 2026 typically falls in late August (verify the exact date at creighton.edu), and families should arrive prepared for Omaha’s August weather conditions.

Late August in Omaha is hot, often reaching 85 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit, and the humidity runs higher than many families from drier climates expect from Nebraska. Pack accordingly: lightweight clothing, water bottles, sunscreen, and the understanding that moving heavy items through warm, humid air is genuinely taxing. Families who move efficiently and take breaks for water and rest will have a much better experience than those who try to power through.

Creighton organizes move-in through a staggered arrival window system, which means each family receives an assigned time slot to report to their residence hall. This system significantly reduces the bottleneck that made move-in day chaotic at universities a generation ago, and Creighton executes it well. An extensive volunteer presence, drawn from upperclassmen, faculty, and staff, meets families at their vehicles with carts and genuine enthusiasm. Bluejay parents consistently report that the Creighton move-in volunteer corps is one of the warmest and most well-organized they have encountered. Your student will be directed to their room quickly, and the unloading process typically moves faster than families anticipate.

Following move-in, Creighton’s freshman orientation program runs for several days and introduces new students to the academic, social, and spiritual dimensions of Bluejay life. The orientation programming includes community-building activities, academic advising sessions, campus tours, Mission and Ministry introductions, and small-group experiences designed to help students form friendships before classes begin. Parents are typically included in portions of orientation day programming before a formal farewell, and the tone is warm and well-organized. Creighton is practiced at managing the transition moment that separates families, and the staff and student leaders handle it with genuine care.

Practical move-in tips for Creighton families:

  • Arrive at your assigned time slot, not earlier; early arrivals disrupt the staggered system and will be asked to wait
  • Wear athletic clothes and closed-toe shoes for moving, not travel clothes
  • Bring cash for tips if you use any local hauling or moving assistance
  • Pre-label all boxes and bins with your student’s name, hall, and room number
  • Download the Creighton campus map and identify parking near your student’s hall before arrival day
  • Plan to have lunch or dinner in the Blackstone District or Old Market after move-in is complete; these are excellent neighborhoods for a first family meal in Omaha
  • Confirm the specific move-in logistics and time-slot assignment portal at creighton.edu well in advance of August


The Residence Halls: Where Your Student Might Live

Creighton guarantees housing for all incoming freshmen, and the residential life program is organized to create strong community among first-year students.

Most freshmen are assigned to one of several traditional residence halls clustered in the central and northern portions of campus, and the residence life staff within each hall runs programming throughout the year designed to build the kind of peer community that supports student retention and belonging. The Jesuit residential tradition at Creighton means that the halls are not merely places to sleep: they are considered part of the educational experience, and the presence of Campus Ministers and Resident Advisors trained in both pastoral care and community-building reflects that philosophy.

Deglman Hall is one of the primary freshman residence halls and exemplifies the traditional Creighton residential experience. It offers traditional double-occupancy rooms organized around a community programming model shaped by the Jesuit residential tradition, and its location in the central campus area means freshmen are walking distance from academic buildings, the student center, and the dining hall. Gallagher Hall is a traditional hall connected to the main freshman residential community and similarly oriented toward first-year community building. Kiewit Hall is a traditional hall in a central campus location and is one of the most common freshman assignments. McGloin Hall is positioned close to the health science buildings, making it a particularly practical assignment for students in pre-health, nursing, or pharmacy programs who will spend significant time in those academic facilities from day one.

For upperclassmen, Creighton’s on-campus options shift toward greater independence. Swanson Hall offers suite-style housing where students share common spaces and bathrooms between a smaller group, which is a popular choice for sophomores transitioning out of traditional hall living. Davis Square, located on the northeast corner of campus, offers apartment-style housing where students have private or semi-private bedrooms, kitchen access, and a living room, which reflects the lifestyle of off-campus apartment living while remaining within the campus community. Village at 24th Street is another apartment-style upperclassman housing option that provides similar amenities and independence.

After their freshman and sophomore years, many Creighton students choose to live off campus in Midtown Omaha, the Dundee neighborhood, or the Blackstone District area. These neighborhoods are within easy reach of campus and offer a quality of apartment living at price points that are genuinely surprising to families accustomed to off-campus rents in expensive college markets. A two-bedroom apartment within walking or biking distance of campus regularly runs $900 to $1,400 per month, and the neighborhoods themselves are safe, walkable, and full of the restaurants and coffee shops that make student life enjoyable. Off-campus housing in Omaha is one of the most underrated practical advantages of choosing Creighton, and families should factor it into the long-term financial picture when comparing against schools in higher-cost-of-living markets.


How much does Creighton University cost? Tuition, financial aid, and scholarships for 2026-27

Creighton’s sticker price is typical of competitive private Jesuit universities, and like those peers, Creighton meets a significant portion of demonstrated financial need for many families. The financial aid office encourages all families to complete the FAFSA and the CSS Profile, which Creighton uses to assess institutional aid eligibility, as early as possible.

Expense Cost
Tuition and Fees ~$48,000 (verify at creighton.edu)
Room and Board ~$12,000-$14,000 (verify at creighton.edu)
Books and Supplies ~$1,200
Personal and Transportation ~$2,500
Estimated Total ~$63,700-$65,700 (verify at creighton.edu)

Creighton’s sticker price is typical of competitive private Jesuit universities, and like those peers, Creighton meets a significant portion of demonstrated financial need for many families. The financial aid office encourages all families to complete the FAFSA and the CSS Profile, which Creighton uses to assess institutional aid eligibility, as early as possible. The university’s merit scholarship programs are among its most important tools for making a Creighton education financially accessible.

The Trustee Scholarship is Creighton’s highest merit award and is highly competitive, typically going to students at the very top of the applicant pool. The Presidential Scholarship and the Deans’ Scholarship recognize strong academic credentials across a broader range of admitted students and can significantly reduce the net cost of attendance. The Ignatian Scholarship is a distinctive award that honors students who exemplify the Jesuit values of service, leadership, and care for others, and it reflects Creighton’s commitment to recruiting students whose character aligns with the university’s mission, not only their test scores and GPA. Families should research all of these awards carefully during the application process, as merit aid can substantially change the financial comparison between Creighton and lower-sticker-price alternatives.

One financial calculation that families often overlook is the economic value of the health science pipeline itself. If your student is admitted to Creighton as a pre-health undergraduate and subsequently advances into one of Creighton’s own professional programs, the network advantage, the reduced application uncertainty, and the continuity of relationships and clinical experiences represent real economic value that does not appear in a sticker-price comparison. Families considering Creighton against a flagship state university at lower nominal cost should honestly account for the total investment required to reach professional school admission, including the cost of gap years, failed application cycles, and the career-start delay that can result from a less integrated pathway.

FAFSA guide for Creighton families

Full college cost planning guide


Omaha: What Parents Need to Know

Omaha is one of the most consistently underrated American cities in the context of college life, and families who arrive expecting a small Great Plains town are typically pleasantly surprised by what they find.

With a metropolitan area of approximately 1 million people, Omaha has the infrastructure and cultural amenities of a genuine mid-sized American city. The local economy is anchored by financial services, healthcare, agriculture, insurance, and a growing technology sector, and the presence of Berkshire Hathaway headquarters and Warren Buffett’s lifelong residence here has given the city a profile in business and finance that punches well above its geographic weight. For business students and finance-track undergraduates, Omaha’s professional network is genuinely strong and accessible.

The Old Market is the first destination every parent should visit on their first trip to Omaha. Located approximately 15 minutes from the Creighton campus by car or rideshare, the Old Market is a walkable historic district with cobblestone streets, renovated brick warehouse buildings, excellent restaurants, independent galleries, boutique shops, and a genuine sense of place that rivals the best urban neighborhoods in much larger American cities. Spending an afternoon in the Old Market after move-in or on a Family Weekend visit is essentially mandatory, and it consistently converts parents who arrived skeptical about Omaha into genuine advocates for the city. For restaurant recommendations during parent visits: The Grey Plume is the premier fine dining destination in Omaha, nationally recognized for its sustainable and locally sourced menu and consistently excellent for a celebratory parent dinner. Block 16, a street food institution in the Old Market, has received national acclaim and is worth the line. Jackson Street Tavern in the Old Market is reliable, warm, and excellent for a casual parent dinner. Jams in the Old Market serves Italian in a setting that works well for a larger family gathering.

The Blackstone District sits on the edge of the Creighton campus and has been one of Omaha’s most significant recent urban revitalization stories. A cluster of renovated early-twentieth-century commercial buildings now houses a concentration of restaurants, cocktail bars, coffee shops, and boutiques that are genuinely popular with Creighton students, faculty, and the broader Omaha young professional community. For parents, the Blackstone District is the most convenient option for a meal or drink near campus, and it has the added benefit of being the neighborhood your student will spend time in regularly, so visiting it gives families a clearer picture of what everyday Creighton life looks like.

Beyond dining and nightlife, Omaha has cultural institutions that hold up to serious comparison. The Joslyn Art Museum houses a genuinely excellent permanent collection spanning ancient through contemporary art, with particular strength in American West painting and sculpture, and admission on Sundays is free. The Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is consistently ranked among the best zoological institutions in the country, operates world-class enclosed habitat exhibits including a desert dome and rainforest, and is absolutely worth an afternoon on a longer parent visit. For families who need grocery access near campus, HyVee locations serve the Midtown and surrounding neighborhoods and are the primary grocery option for Creighton students.

One important practical note for parents: the Nebraska Medicine complex and the University of Nebraska Medical Center campus are directly adjacent to Creighton, which means that if your student ever needs specialized medical care, world-class facilities are literally within walking distance of the residence halls. This is an unusually significant practical advantage that families rarely consider during college selection but deeply appreciate if it ever becomes relevant.


When is Creighton University Family Weekend 2026 and how do parents plan for it?

Family Weekend 2026

Creighton Family Weekend 2026 is October 2 to 4, 2026.

Creighton runs a combined event for alumni, families, and friends called Creighton Days.

Confirm the schedule and registration on the official family weekend page, and reconfirm the date before booking travel in case it changes. Hotels near campus sell out early, so book as soon as dates are confirmed.

Comparing schools? See our 2026 parents weekend and family weekend dates for every college in one place.

Tuition Refund if Withdrawing

Creighton University refunds tuition on a declining schedule after the semester starts, so timing a withdrawal matters.

The refund clock is tied to the date a student gives formal written notice of withdrawal, not the date they stopped attending. Several fees, including application, university, and technology fees, are charged in full and never refundable, even during the 100% tuition-refund week.

Refund schedule: for a full semester counted from the first day of the term: 100% refund days 1 to 7, 80% days 8 to 14, 60% days 15 to 21, 40% days 22 to 28, 20% days 29 to 35, 0% from day 36 onward. Shorter terms use a proportionally compressed version. The exact current academic-year label was not visible on the source page, though the day-based structure is a standing policy that doesn’t need annual refreshing. Confirmed via the official Creighton University refund policy page. Policies and dates change every term, so verify directly before making a decision.

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Freshman Car & Parking

Freshmen may bring a car to Creighton, but are limited to two specific parking garages away from the core of campus.

Freshman parking is confined to the 30th Street Garage and City Garage, so a car adds a walk or shuttle step that upperclassman parking doesn’t require.

Freshman permit cost: $700/year ($350/semester) for the Residential Freshman Permit. Confirmed via the official Creighton parking page. Policies can change year to year, so verify before move-in.

Creighton Family Weekend is typically held in October and is coordinated by the Office of Student Life. The weekend brings families to campus for a combination of formal programming, campus events, athletic opportunities, and informal time with students.

The university designs the weekend to give parents a meaningful window into the current reality of their student’s life at Creighton: the academic culture, the social environment, the campus spaces where students spend their time, and the Omaha city context that frames the whole experience. Families consistently rate Creighton’s Family Weekend among the better-organized versions of this tradition, reflecting the Jesuit emphasis on community and hospitality. Confirm dates and registration at creighton.edu as the academic year approaches.

Creighton basketball is the dominant athletic tradition and the most powerful lens through which parents can understand what game-day culture feels like at Creighton. The Big East schedule brings marquee opponents to Omaha throughout the season: Georgetown, Villanova, Xavier, Marquette, UConn, and Providence, among others. When Creighton hosts a top-tier Big East opponent at the CHI Health Center arena downtown, the atmosphere is genuinely excellent, and the student section is loud and organized in a way that reflects years of investment in basketball culture. Families visiting for a game should buy tickets early, as marquee Big East matchups sell out. The Battle of the Bluejays, the basketball rivalry between Creighton and Drake University, carries the particular intensity of a regional grudge match and is worth attending if it falls during a visit. The CHI Health Center arena is accessible by rideshare from campus in roughly 10 minutes, and the downtown location makes it easy to combine a game with dinner in the Old Market.

If your student is in one of Creighton’s health science programs, the white coat ceremony is one of the most emotionally significant academic traditions you will attend as a parent. The white coat ceremony marks a student’s formal entry into a health profession program and is rich with ritual, mentorship, and the visible weight of professional identity. For families who have supported a student through the demanding pre-health undergraduate path, watching that student receive and wear a white coat for the first time in a ceremony surrounded by peers, faculty, and family is a deeply moving experience. Creighton’s health professional programs conduct these ceremonies with the care and formality the moment deserves.

For hotel accommodations during Family Weekend or game visits, Omaha has strong inventory at reasonable prices. The Magnolia Hotel is a well-regarded boutique property in downtown Omaha with excellent service and a central location. The Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel is a design-forward property in the Midtown Omaha area that is particularly convenient to the Creighton campus. Hotels in the Old Market area and the broader Midtown neighborhood provide the combination of campus proximity and access to Omaha’s best dining and entertainment that makes parent visits genuinely enjoyable.


How can parents support their Creighton University student’s mental health?

Creighton takes student mental health seriously as a matter of both Jesuit mission and institutional responsibility, and the resources available to Bluejay students are meaningfully strong for a university of Creighton’s size.

The Creighton University Counseling Center provides individual therapy, group therapy, crisis support, and psychiatry referral services to enrolled students, and the center’s staff are trained in the particular stressors of the high-achieving student population that Creighton attracts. The Student Health Center provides integrated primary care and can coordinate with the Counseling Center on cases where physical and mental health concerns intersect. For students who want support that extends beyond clinical counseling into the spiritual and existential dimensions of their experience, the Mission and Ministry office offers pastoral care and one-on-one spiritual direction from Jesuit-trained pastoral ministers, which is a genuinely distinctive resource that distinguishes Creighton from secular universities.

Parents of pre-med, pre-pharmacy, pre-dental, and pre-health students should understand the specific mental health context of that path at Creighton. The integrated pipeline is an extraordinary opportunity, and it comes with a correspondingly high-stakes academic culture. GPA calculations matter in ways that feel existentially real from the very beginning of freshman year. The pressure intensifies in sophomore and junior year as professional school admissions become concrete, as MCAT, DAT, and PCAT preparation begins to compete with coursework for cognitive bandwidth, and as students around them succeed or struggle visibly in the same race. This is not a reason to avoid Creighton or the health science path, but it is a reason for families to stay engaged, to maintain open communication with their student about academic stress, and to normalize seeking support from the Counseling Center and Mission and Ministry office before stress becomes crisis.

Nebraska winters also deserve honest preparation. From November through March, Omaha is cold, grey, and windy, with temperatures regularly dropping below freezing and periodic significant snowfall. Students from the Gulf Coast, California, Florida, or the Southwest are often genuinely caught off guard by their first Nebraska winter, and the combination of reduced sunlight, cold temperatures that make outdoor activity less appealing, and the academic pressure of second-semester freshman year can be a challenging convergence. Encourage your student to prepare practically, including proper winter clothing, a light therapy lamp if they are sensitive to light reduction, and an intentional commitment to maintaining social connections and physical activity through the winter months. The Creighton community is warm and supportive, and most students get through this transition well with some preparation.

Mental health and safety resources:

  • Counseling Center: contact via creighton.edu/counseling
  • Student Health Center: contact via creighton.edu/health
  • Mission and Ministry: contact via creighton.edu/ministry
  • Crisis Line: call or text 988
  • Creighton Safety (non-emergency): contact via creighton.edu/safety

Who do Creighton University parents contact? Essential numbers and websites for families

Verify all phone numbers and URLs at creighton.edu before using, as contact information is subject to change.

  • Parent and Family Programs: contact via creighton.edu/parents
  • Dean of Students: contact via creighton.edu/studentlife
  • Residence Life: contact via creighton.edu/housing
  • Financial Aid: contact via creighton.edu/financialaid
  • Counseling Center: contact via creighton.edu/counseling
  • Mission and Ministry: contact via creighton.edu/ministry
  • Campus Safety (non-emergency): contact via creighton.edu/safety
  • Registrar: contact via creighton.edu/registrar
  • Emergency: 911

Creighton’s Academic Strengths

Creighton’s academic identity is defined by the unusual breadth and integration of its health science enterprise, but it is not a single-purpose professional school.

It is a comprehensive Jesuit university where the health sciences, business, arts, law, and the liberal arts coexist within a unified institutional culture shaped by the Jesuit core commitments to intellectual rigor, ethical formation, and service to others.

The School of Medicine is one of the oldest Jesuit medical schools in the country, is accredited by the LCME, and has a particular strength in primary care and family medicine consistent with the Jesuit mission of service to underserved communities. The school maintains strong residency placement outcomes and has a reputation for producing physicians who are both technically excellent and humanistically oriented. The School of Pharmacy and Health Professions houses pharmacy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and physician assistant programs that are all highly regarded in their respective fields and benefit from the interprofessional education environment that the co-located campus creates. Students in these programs work alongside peers in medicine, nursing, and dentistry in ways that genuinely reflect how healthcare teams function in practice, which is an educational advantage that translates directly into professional effectiveness.

The College of Nursing offers strong BSN and DNP programs with excellent clinical placement relationships with Omaha’s healthcare institutions, including Nebraska Medicine and a network of regional hospital and clinical partners. The Creighton School of Dentistry is among the most respected dental schools in the Great Plains region and provides strong preparation for both private practice and specialty training. The Heider College of Business brings particular strength in accounting, finance, and entrepreneurship, and its Omaha location creates genuine internship and employment pipelines with the city’s financial services, insurance, and agriculture sectors. Creighton business graduates competing for positions in the Omaha, Kansas City, and broader Great Plains markets benefit from alumni networks and employer relationships that are meaningfully stronger than what a geographically distant business school could offer.

The College of Arts and Sciences delivers the full breadth of a liberal arts education under the Jesuit Core Curriculum, with notable strength in pre-health sciences, philosophy, political science, and environmental science. Students who arrive at Creighton in the College of Arts and Sciences and later identify an interest in business or health professions have clear pathways to those programs, and the shared Core Curriculum ensures that all Creighton graduates, regardless of professional destination, have engaged deeply with ethics, writing, natural science, philosophy, and theology. The School of Law is a well-regarded regional program with strong placement in the Nebraska and Great Plains legal market, and its co-location on the Creighton campus makes it a visible and accessible next step for undergraduates considering legal careers.

What is genuinely unusual at Creighton, and worth emphasizing as a closing academic point, is the interprofessional education that emerges naturally from having undergraduate and graduate health students studying on the same compact campus. A pre-med junior shares campus resources and sometimes coursework with pharmacy doctoral students, nursing undergraduates, and dental students. This cross-pollination creates a healthcare-focused campus culture that takes interprofessional collaboration seriously in ways that most standalone undergraduate institutions simply cannot replicate, and it prepares Creighton graduates for the team-based reality of modern healthcare practice from the first year of professional training.

You Are a Bluejay Family Now

Choosing Creighton means choosing an institution that will know your student by name, challenge them intellectually across disciplines they did not expect to love, and send them into the world as what the Jesuit tradition calls a “person for others.” Whether your student is a future physician or a future accountant or a future lawyer or a future nonprofit director, the cura personalis at Creighton means the university is genuinely trying to form a whole person, not simply credential a professional. That is not a marketing line at Creighton. It is a lived institutional practice that you will see in the accessibility of faculty, the seriousness of service programming, and the warmth of the community that moves-in day volunteers and Mission and Ministry staff and residence life counselors demonstrate every year.

Omaha will surprise you. The Old Market will become a parent visit tradition. The Nebraska winter will build character. The Bluejay basketball season will give your family something to follow from November through March that creates conversation and community. And if your student is in the health science pipeline, the day they put on a white coat at a Creighton ceremony will be one of the proud moments of your parenting life.

Welcome to Bluejay country. Go Jays.


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Last updated: May 2026. Tuition, dates, and policies subject to change. Verify all time-sensitive information at creighton.edu and creighton.edu/parents.

Where to stay near Creighton University

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What is Creighton University’s graduation rate?

Creighton University graduates 73.9% of students in four years; another 9.5 points finish within six. About 94.2% of first-year students return for sophomore year. Each bar is compared to the national average, marked by the vertical line.

Four-year graduation73.9%
24.9 pts above national
Six-year graduation83.4%
19.4 pts above national
First-year retention94.2%
13.2 pts above national

Here is how to read these numbers: the four-year and six-year rates show how many students finish on time and eventually, and retention shows how many return after the first year. Wherever your student lands, the habits that keep them on track matter most: a full, well-sequenced course load, an advisor meeting every term, and using campus support early. See why most students don’t graduate in four years and how to choose the right classes in the right order.

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, most recent available data. National averages: NCES. Figures are for first-time, full-time bachelor’s-seeking students.

Before Move-In

The college parent playbook for freshman year

Once you have picked the school, our 2026 Kindle book The College Parent Guide: Freshman Year walks you through the year ahead: what to say, when to step in, and when to hang back. Free companion toolkits and a school-specific packing list come with it.

Get it on Kindle See what is inside

Free planning tools: College Cost Calculator · College Match Tool

Academic Calendar

Key dates for the Creighton University 2026-2027 academic year. Always verify at the official Registrar page before making travel plans.

EventDate
Fall 2026 classes beginAugust 18, 2026
Fall breakOctober 11-18, 2026
Thanksgiving recessNovember 25-29, 2026
Fall finalsDecember 7-12, 2026
Spring 2027 classes beginJanuary 12, 2027
Spring breakMarch 7-14, 2027
Spring finalsMay 6-10, 2027
CommencementMay 15, 2027

Winter break housing: Most Creighton University residence halls close for winter break. Students who need to stay on campus must apply for break housing through Residential Life in November. Check the housing portal for specific closure dates and application deadlines.

What to Pack for Creighton University

When it is time to shop, start with our college dorm packing list, then look at the two things Creighton families ask about most: a dorm-approved mini fridge and Twin XL bedding worth buying once. For the shared-bathroom reality, our dorm bathroom essentials guide covers the shower-caddy basics.

Every dorm is different, but these are the items parents of Creighton University students buy most. Ship directly to campus and skip the trunk-stuffing stress.

Twin XL Bedding Set

Sheets, comforter, and pillowcases — buy before you arrive so the bed is ready day one.

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Shower Caddy & Flip Flops

Shared bathrooms require these. Get a hanging caddy and waterproof sandals before move-in.

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Surge Protector Power Strip

Most dorms allow 6-outlet surge protectors with USB ports. Check your school’s policy first.

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Want the full list? See our complete college packing list →

Shipping to campus? Students get 6 months of Amazon Prime for Young Adults free, then half price on the student’s own account. Here is how it works.

What A Parent’s Complete Guide to Creighton University (2026-2027) Parents Are Saying

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Independent Resource: UniversityParent.com is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to any college or university. Always verify details — deadlines, costs, and policies — directly with the school. Creighton University Official Website ↗