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.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 2,128 undergradsLarge suburbAccessible · 77% admitNCAA Division III without footballCold wintersSnowy

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

Selectivity77.1%

More selective than 50% · #41 most selective of 111 in Pennsylvania

SAT average1186

Higher than 54%

Graduation rate72%

Higher than 82% · #30 of 116 in Pennsylvania

First-year retention83%

Higher than 70%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$61,295

Higher than 70% · #63 of 116 in Pennsylvania

Average net price$31,643

Cheaper than 13% · #96 cheapest of 112 in Pennsylvania

Median debt at graduation$25,788

Lower than 26%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment2,128

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

2,934students
  • Undergraduate2,12873%
  • Graduate80627%

Undergraduates by gender

2,128undergrads
  • 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)

All students
64%
Low-income (Pell)
47%
First-generation
54%

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)

Soccer67
Track and Field (Outdoor)64
Lacrosse60
Baseball38
Basketball35
Cross Country35
Softball28
Field Hockey22
Volleyball21
Tennis19
Golf9

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.

0.7reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
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
$24,007
$30–48k
$25,400
$48–75k
$26,096
$75–110k
$29,982
$110k+
$34,878

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
$108,613

$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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$26,212
average award, among those who get one

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.

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
$60,014
Men
$63,808

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

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.85.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Springtown 1 Nne, PA US station (5.6 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 DeSales University

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

Colleges near DeSales University

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.