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.
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
- Nearest big city
- 18 miles to Providence, RI
- To the ocean
- 18 miles
- Nearest airport
- 25 miles to Rhode Island T. F. Green (PVD) · major hub
How Dean College compares
More selective than 57% · #35 most selective of 63 in Massachusetts
Higher than 47% · #52 of 66 in Massachusetts
Higher than 26%
Higher than 11% · #63 of 67 in Massachusetts
Cheaper than 14% · #44 cheapest of 65 in Massachusetts
Lower than 34%
Lower than 35%
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
- 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)
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)
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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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.
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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, West Medway, MA US station (3.8 mi from campus).
What Dean College graduates study — and earn
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 →
Columbus College of Art & Design
Columbus, Ohio · Large city · 1 mi to Columbus
- Students
- 882
- Admission
- 68%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $41k
William Woods University
Fulton, Missouri · Distant town · 22 mi to Columbia
- Students
- 1,300
- Admission
- 71%
- Net price
- $27k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $42k
Lees-McRae College
Banner Elk, North Carolina · Distant rural · 55 mi to Asheville
- Students
- 873
- Admission
- 77%
- Net price
- $28k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $43k
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
Saint Mary of the Woods, Indiana · Fringe rural · 72 mi to Indianapolis
- Students
- 853
- Admission
- 72%
- Net price
- $32k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $44k
Converse University
Spartanburg, South Carolina · Small city · 28 mi to Greenville
- Students
- 1,173
- Admission
- 68%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1138
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $41k
Tiffin University
Tiffin, Ohio · Distant town · 41 mi to Toledo
- Students
- 2,051
- Admission
- 80%
- Net price
- $27k
- SAT
- 986
- GPA
- 2.9
- Earnings
- $36k
Colleges near Dean College
Tri County Regional Vocational Technical High School
Franklin, MA · Public · Certificate · 72 students
Lincoln Technical Institute-Lincoln
Lincoln, RI · Private for-profit · Certificate · 659 students
Blackstone Valley Vocational Regional School District
Upton, MA · Public · Certificate · 42 students
Bryant University
Smithfield, RI · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 3,194 students
Wheaton College (Massachusetts)
Norton, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,773 students
New England Tractor Trailer Training School of Rhode Island
Pawtucket, RI · Private for-profit · Certificate · 646 students
Framingham State University
Framingham, MA · Public · Bachelor's · 2,566 students
Wellesley College
Wellesley, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,300 students
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.













