Dominican University of California

Dominican University of California

Former names	Dominican College (1890–1931) Dominican College of San Rafael (1931–2000)
Motto	Veritas Fax Ardens (Latin)
Motto in English	Truth is a Flaming Torch
Type	Private university
Established	1890; 134 years ago (1890)
Founder	Dominican Congregation of the Most Holy Name
Academic affiliations	CIC CONAHEC NAICU
Endowment	$33 million
President	Nicola Pitchford
Students	1,842 (2021–2022)
Location	San Rafael , California , United States 37°58′47″N 122°30′48″W / 37.97972°N 122.51333°W / 37.97972; -122.51333
Campus	Suburban 80 acres (32 ha)
Colors	Black  -  Gold  -  White
Nickname	Penguins
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division II – PacWest
Mascot	Chilly the Penguin
Website	www.dominican.edu

Dominican University of California is a private university in San Rafael, California. It was founded in 1890 as Dominican College by the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael. It is one of the oldest universities in California.

Dominican is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). More than 60 academic majors, minors and concentrations, including 11 graduate programs are offered with an average class size of 16. In fall 2020, Dominican had 1374 undergraduate students, including 354 transfer students. Ninety-one percent of students are from California, 6% are from other states and 3% from other nations. In fall 2020, 100% of incoming first-year students received financial aid, 68% identify as ethnically diverse and 23% are the first in their family to attend college. In 2019, Dominican University of California introduced a Test-Optional Policy, allowing first-year students applying for admission to have the option to submit SAT or ACT scores, beginning with the fall 2020 cohort.

The university is a member of NCAA Division II and competes in the Pacific West Conference.