Private nonprofit · College

Cedar Crest College

Allentown, Pennsylvania · Midsize city

84.1%
Admit rate
$18,659
Avg net price
60%
Graduation rate
$59,460
Median earnings

Cedar Crest College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Allentown, Pennsylvania (midsize city setting), enrolling 834 undergraduates. It is a women's college.

Private nonprofitSmall · 834 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 84% admitNCAA Division III without footballCold wintersSnowy

About Allentown, Pennsylvania

Allentown is a city in eastern Pennsylvania, United States. On May 18, 1732, the land was deeded by Thomas Penn, one of three sons of William Penn, founder of the colonial era Province of Pennsylvania, to Joseph Turner, a Philadelphia-based iron manufacturer and politician. Allentown Symphony Orchestra performs at Miller Symphony Hall, located on N. 6th Street in Center City. The city has a musical heritage of civilian concert bands and is home to Allentown Band, the nation's oldest civilian concert band, founded in 1828. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
2 miles to Allentown, PA
To the ocean
47 miles
Nearest airport
6 miles to Lehigh Valley (ABE)

How Cedar Crest College compares

Selectivity84.1%

More selective than 37% · #60 most selective of 111 in Pennsylvania

Graduation rate60%

Higher than 61% · #56 of 116 in Pennsylvania

First-year retention71%

Higher than 33%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$59,460

Higher than 66% · #69 of 116 in Pennsylvania

Average net price$18,659

Cheaper than 56% · #27 cheapest of 112 in Pennsylvania

Median debt at graduation$27,000

Lower than 11%

Student–faculty ratio9 : 1

Lower than 83%

Undergraduate enrollment834

Larger than 32%

Percentiles compare Cedar Crest College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Pennsylvania.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

1,254students
  • Undergraduate83467%
  • Graduate42033%

Undergraduates by gender

834undergrads
  • Women79695%
  • Men385%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White47%
  • Black10%
  • Hispanic18%
  • Asian3.6%
  • Other or multiracial22%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
834
Graduate enrollment
420
Student–faculty ratio
9 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
44%
First-generation students
43%
Students over 25
26%
Median family income
$39,394
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$65,565
Endowment
$44,484,462

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 155 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Pennsylvania67%
  • Other U.S. states32%
  • International1.3%

A regional draw: about 67% of first-years come from Pennsylvania, the rest from elsewhere.

1% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
84.1%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$46,314
Room & board
$13,406
Books & supplies
$4,000
Total cost of attendance
$57,206
Average net price
$18,659

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
60%
Graduated on time (4 years)
51%
First-year retention
71%
Transferred to another college
29%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$48,295
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$59,460
Median debt at graduation
$27,000
Students with federal loans
70%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
49%

About 9% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
51%
Low-income (Pell)
16%
First-generation
17%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
440
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
53%
Housing charge (year)
$5,750
Meal plan (year)
$7,251
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III without football
Varsity athletes
165 (0 men · 165 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (11)

Track and Field (Outdoor)23
Soccer22
Field Hockey20
Lacrosse18
Softball16
Swimming15
Basketball13
Volleyball11
Wrestling10
Tennis9
Cross Country8

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
3
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,290 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

1.3reported offenses a year
1.0 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
0.7
Rape
0.3
Burglary
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$21,044
$30–48k
$24,250
$48–75k
$21,490
$75–110k
$19,909
$110k+
$11,008

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$90,860

$21,490/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

99%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$27,813
average award, among those who get one

Cedar Crest College discounts heavily: 99% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $27,813. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 133 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$59,460
Typical debt at graduation
$27,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
45%
Out-earn a HS grad
70%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$59,203
Men
$62,414

Men out-earn women by $3,211 (5%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
86°F
Winter low
22°F
Annual rain
47.4″
Annual snow
33.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.65.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Allentown Intl AP, PA US station (5.8 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Cedar Crest College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Cedar Crest College side by side →

Colleges near Cedar Crest College

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.