Private nonprofit · University
DeSales University
Center Valley, Pennsylvania · Large suburb
- 77.1%
- Admit rate
- $31,643
- Avg net price
- 72%
- Graduation rate
- $61,295
- Median earnings
DeSales University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Center Valley, Pennsylvania (large suburb setting), enrolling 2,128 undergraduates. It has a Roman Catholic religious affiliation.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against DeSales University's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 77.1%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1090–1260
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.41
Enter a test score to see where you land against DeSales University's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and DeSales University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Center Valley, Pennsylvania
Center Valley is an unincorporated community located one mile north of Coopersburg, at the intersection of Pennsylvania State Routes 309 and 378 in Upper Saucon Township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, United States. Centennial Bridge in Center Valley, built in 1876, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. The bridge was demolished in 2013. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 8 miles to Allentown, PA
- To the ocean
- 41 miles
- Nearest airport
- 9 miles to Lehigh Valley (ABE)
How DeSales University compares
More selective than 50% · #41 most selective of 111 in Pennsylvania
Higher than 54%
Higher than 82% · #30 of 116 in Pennsylvania
Higher than 70%
Higher than 70% · #63 of 116 in Pennsylvania
Cheaper than 13% · #96 cheapest of 112 in Pennsylvania
Lower than 26%
Lower than 59%
Larger than 59%
Percentiles compare DeSales University 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
- Undergraduate2,12873%
- Graduate80627%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women1,39866%
- Men73034%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White68%
- Black5.7%
- Hispanic16%
- Asian5.4%
- Other or multiracial4.7%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 2,128
- Graduate enrollment
- 806
- Student–faculty ratio
- 12 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 24%
- First-generation students
- 30%
- Students over 25
- 14%
- Median family income
- $65,095
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $80,145
- Endowment
- $105,714,112
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 77.1%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1090–1260
- SAT average
- 1186
- SAT reading
- 550–640
- SAT math
- 540–620
- ACT composite
- 27–28
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.41
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $46,800
- Room & board
- $13,800
- Books & supplies
- $1,485
- Total cost of attendance
- $62,745
- Average net price
- $31,643
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)
- 72%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 64%
- First-year retention
- 83%
- Transferred to another college
- 18%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $52,721
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $61,295
- Median debt at graduation
- $25,788
- Students with federal loans
- 64%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 67%
About 8% 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
- 1,160
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 55%
- Housing charge (year)
- $6,400
- Meal plan (year)
- $7,400
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III without football
- Varsity athletes
- 398 (212 men · 186 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)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.2 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,972 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.
$26,096/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.
DeSales University discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $26,212. 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 505 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)
- $61,295
- Typical debt at graduation
- $25,788
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 42%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 69%
Typical debt would take roughly 4.2 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $3,794 (6%) 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
- 83°F
- Winter low
- 19°F
- Annual rain
- 53.4″
- Annual snow
- 41.1″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Springtown 1 Nne, PA US station (5.6 mi from campus).
What DeSales University 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 DeSales University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare DeSales University side by side →
Arcadia University
Glenside, Pennsylvania · Large suburb · 10 mi to Philadelphia
- Students
- 1,948
- Admission
- 80%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- 1190
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $58k
Elizabethtown College
Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania · Large suburb · 17 mi to Lancaster
- Students
- 1,868
- Admission
- 78%
- Net price
- $27k
- SAT
- 1204
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $62k
Concordia University-Wisconsin
Mequon, Wisconsin · Large suburb · 15 mi to Milwaukee
- Students
- 2,197
- Admission
- 78%
- Net price
- $36k
- SAT
- 1190
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $56k
St Bonaventure University
Saint Bonaventure, New York · Remote town · 59 mi to Buffalo
- Students
- 2,012
- Admission
- 82%
- Net price
- $27k
- SAT
- 1197
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $57k
Nazareth University
Rochester, New York · Large suburb · 6 mi to Rochester
- Students
- 1,873
- Admission
- 75%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- 1216
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $56k
Susquehanna University
Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania · Distant town · 36 mi to Harrisburg
- Students
- 2,163
- Admission
- 81%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- 1232
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $62k
Colleges near DeSales University
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Lehigh Valley
Center Valley, PA · Public · Bachelor's · 859 students
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 5,898 students
St Lukes Hospital School of Nursing
Bethlehem, PA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 329 students
International Institute for Restorative Practices
Bethlehem, PA · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Moravian University
Bethlehem, PA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,949 students
Welder Training and Testing Institute
Allentown, PA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 55 students
Lehigh Valley Barber School
Bethlehem, PA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 77 students
Miller-Motte College-Berks Technical Institute-Allentown
Allentown, PA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 285 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.










