


Courtesy of University of Dallas
The University of Dallas is a private Catholic university founded in 1956 in Irving, Texas. Established with support from the Catholic Diocese of Dallas, it developed around a liberal arts education that remains central to its undergraduate identity.
The university later added graduate study in the liberal arts, business, and ministry. Its Rome Program became a distinctive part of the undergraduate experience: students can study at the university's campus near Rome while continuing work toward a Dallas degree. Those developments help explain why a university in the Dallas-Fort Worth area places unusual emphasis on both a common academic curriculum and study in Italy.
The University of Dallas organizes its undergraduate liberal arts programs primarily through Constantin College of Liberal Arts. Its other major academic units include the Braniff Graduate School of Liberal Arts and the Satish and Yasmin Gupta College of Business; the university also offers graduate education related to ministry.
Undergraduates can pursue subjects such as biology, business, economics, English, history, philosophy, politics, psychology, and theology. Graduate offerings include business degrees and advanced study in the liberal arts. Prospective students should examine the catalog for their intended degree: the university's common core gives students substantial work outside their major, which affects course planning and the room available for electives.
The University of Dallas is in Irving, Texas, within the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. Its campus offers a more contained setting than a downtown university, while putting regional employers, cultural institutions, and graduate-study opportunities within reach.
Location also affects everyday logistics. Students who commute or take off-campus jobs should account for travel across a large metropolitan area; having a car may be useful even when some trips can be made by transit or rideshare. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is the nearest major airport, a consideration for students traveling from other states or to the university's Rome campus.
The University of Dallas describes its purpose in terms of Catholic higher education and the pursuit of truth through liberal learning. Its educational approach emphasizes sustained engagement with literature, philosophy, theology, history, mathematics, and the sciences rather than treating a major as a student's entire education.
That identity has practical implications. Students should expect required study across disciplines and opportunities to encounter Catholic intellectual traditions, regardless of their own religious background. The university's stated mission describes its priorities; whether its curriculum and campus environment fit an individual student depends on that student's academic goals and preferences.
Name of the institution
University of DallasLevel of institution
Four or more yearsControl of institution
PrivateSetting type
City: LargeInstitutional Category
Degree - granting, primarily baccalaureate or aboveInstitution size category
1,000 - 4,999Religious affiliation
Catholic (Roman Catholic Church)School type
UniversityMain student body
CoeducationalCalendar system
SemestersFoundation year
1956University of Dallas is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Accreditation confirms that the school meets quality standards and is required for students to receive federal financial aid.
Bachelor's degree
Postbaccalaureate certificate
Master's degree
Doctor's degree - research/scholarshipData last updated on November 5, 2026
Data sources: IPEDS 2024-25, Peterson 2026, College Scorecard 10/2026, Clery 2024 (2023-24), OpenAlex 2026
Figures on this profile come from federal and third-party datasets in the editions listed above and are refreshed periodically, so they may differ from what the institution currently reports. Confirm costs, deadlines and requirements with the school before making decisions.