Private nonprofit · College

Dean College

Franklin, Massachusetts · Large suburb

73.7%
Admit rate
$30,684
Avg net price
54%
Graduation rate
$38,109
Median earnings

Dean College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Franklin, Massachusetts (large suburb setting), enrolling 1,089 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,089 undergradsLarge suburbAccessible · 74% admitNCAA Division III with football · Eastern Collegiate Football ConferenceCold wintersSnowyNear the coast

About Franklin, Massachusetts

The Town of Franklin is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Franklin was first settled by Europeans in 1660 and officially incorporated during the American Revolution. As noted, the Franklin Public Library is the first public library in America, the original books of which were donated by Benjamin Franklin. Across the street from the library is Dean College. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
To the ocean
18 miles
Nearest airport
25 miles to Rhode Island T. F. Green (PVD) · major hub

How Dean College compares

Selectivity73.7%

More selective than 57% · #35 most selective of 63 in Massachusetts

Graduation rate54%

Higher than 47% · #52 of 66 in Massachusetts

First-year retention68%

Higher than 26%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$38,109

Higher than 11% · #63 of 67 in Massachusetts

Average net price$30,684

Cheaper than 14% · #44 cheapest of 65 in Massachusetts

Median debt at graduation$25,000

Lower than 34%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment1,089

Larger than 40%

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

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

1,089undergrads
  • Women44040%
  • Men64960%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White63%
  • Black11%
  • Hispanic12%
  • Asian1.7%
  • Other or multiracial12%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,089
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
34%
First-generation students
32%
Students over 25
5%
Median family income
$51,545
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$66,609
Endowment
$68,822,856

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 339 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Massachusetts48%
  • Other U.S. states50%
  • International2.1%

A regional draw: about 48% of first-years come from Massachusetts, the rest from elsewhere.

2% 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
73.7%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$46,526
Room & board
$19,864
Books & supplies
$1,000
Total cost of attendance
$64,889
Average net price
$30,684

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)
54%
Graduated on time (4 years)
42%
First-year retention
68%
Transferred to another college
35%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$30,046
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$38,109
Median debt at graduation
$25,000
Students with federal loans
72%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
46%

About 12% 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
42%
Low-income (Pell)
40%
First-generation
40%

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
1,028
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
94%
Housing charge (year)
$12,122
Meal plan (year)
$7,070
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
Eastern Collegiate Football Conference
Varsity athletes
381 (266 men · 115 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 (10)

Football78
Soccer58
Lacrosse56
Baseball51
Volleyball37
Basketball35
Field Hockey21
Cross Country18
Softball16
Golf11

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
11.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
20
Property offenses (2022–2024)
16

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,092 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.

12reported offenses a year
6.7 violent a year5.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
6.7
Burglary
5.3

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
$26,996
$30–48k
$26,798
$48–75k
$28,640
$75–110k
$31,161
$110k+
$34,318

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
$124,116

$28,640/year × about 4.3 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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$29,285
average award, among those who get one

Dean College discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $29,285. 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 336 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)
$38,109
Typical debt at graduation
$25,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
66%
Out-earn a HS grad
47%

Typical debt would take roughly 6.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Weigh it value

The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.

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
$26,699
Men
$38,527

Men out-earn women by $11,828 (44%) 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
84°F
Winter low
17°F
Annual rain
50.4″
Annual snow
51.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.55.1JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, West Medway, MA US station (3.8 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 Dean College

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

Colleges near Dean 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.