Private nonprofit · College
Dickinson College
Carlisle, Pennsylvania · Small city
- 42.1%
- Admit rate
- $37,607
- Avg net price
- 80%
- Graduation rate
- $70,204
- Median earnings
Dickinson College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Carlisle, Pennsylvania (small city setting), enrolling 2,273 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Dickinson College's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 42.1%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1310–1460
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.86
Enter a test score to see where you land against Dickinson College's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Dickinson College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Carlisle is a borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The French-born fur trader James Le Tort may have built a cabin in the area as early as 1720. During the colonial era, Scots-Irish settlers began to settle in the Cumberland Valley beginning in the early 1730s. Carlisle is famous to many people for its car shows, put on regularly by Carlisle Events throughout the spring, summer, and fall at the Carlisle Fairgrounds. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 17 miles to Harrisburg, PA
- To the ocean
- 70 miles
- Nearest airport
- 23 miles to Harrisburg (MDT)
How Dickinson College compares
More selective than 88% · #13 most selective of 111 in Pennsylvania
Higher than 89%
Higher than 89% · #19 of 116 in Pennsylvania
Higher than 89%
Higher than 83% · #21 of 116 in Pennsylvania
Cheaper than 6% · #106 cheapest of 112 in Pennsylvania
Lower than 80%
Lower than 68%
Larger than 61%
Percentiles compare Dickinson 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
- Undergraduate2,273100%
- Graduate30%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women1,29957%
- Men97443%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White67%
- Black3.6%
- Hispanic7.6%
- Asian4.6%
- Other or multiracial18%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 2,273
- Graduate enrollment
- 3
- Student–faculty ratio
- 11 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 13%
- First-generation students
- 12%
- Students over 25
- 0%
- Median family income
- $100,109
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $90,306
- Endowment
- $627,548,242
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 525 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Pennsylvania22%
- Other U.S. states62%
- International16%
A national draw — only 22% of first-years come from Pennsylvania; 62% arrive from other states.
16% 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
- 42.1%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1310–1460
- SAT average
- 1391
- SAT reading
- 670–740
- SAT math
- 640–720
- ACT composite
- 30–33
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.86
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $65,650
- Room & board
- $17,100
- Books & supplies
- $1,324
- Total cost of attendance
- $82,902
- Average net price
- $37,607
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)
- 80%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 68%
- First-year retention
- 92%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $57,110
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $70,204
- Median debt at graduation
- $19,000
- Students with federal loans
- 39%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 88%
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
- 2,078
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 91%
- Housing charge (year)
- $8,500
- Meal plan (year)
- $8,000
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III with football
- Football conference
- Centennial Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 659 (398 men · 261 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 (15)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- D
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 12.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 70
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 13
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 5 campuses (2,314 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.
$16,316/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.
Dickinson College discounts heavily: 94% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $39,234. 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 577 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)
- $70,204
- Typical debt at graduation
- $19,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 27%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 76%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.7 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.
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 $6,598 (10%) 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
- 20°F
- Annual rain
- 48″
- Annual snow
- 27.7″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Carlisle Wtp, PA US station (1.7 mi from campus).
What Dickinson 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 Dickinson College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Dickinson College side by side →
Gettysburg College
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania · Fringe town · 35 mi to Harrisburg
- Students
- 2,099
- Admission
- 39%
- Net price
- $31k
- SAT
- 1379
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $72k
Furman University
Greenville, South Carolina · Large suburb · 6 mi to Greenville
- Students
- 2,379
- Admission
- 43%
- Net price
- $30k
- SAT
- 1371
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $69k
Whitman College
Walla Walla, Washington · Small city · 118 mi to Spokane
- Students
- 1,531
- Admission
- 38%
- Net price
- $33k
- SAT
- 1410
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $68k
Connecticut College
New London, Connecticut · Small city · 40 mi to Hartford
- Students
- 1,937
- Admission
- 37%
- Net price
- $36k
- SAT
- 1432
- GPA
- 3.9
- Earnings
- $75k
Clark University
Worcester, Massachusetts · Midsize city · 1 mi to Worcester
- Students
- 2,214
- Admission
- 40%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- 1370
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $62k
Occidental College
Los Angeles, California · Large city · 6 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 1,877
- Admission
- 44%
- Net price
- $38k
- SAT
- 1452
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $76k
Colleges near Dickinson College
Messiah University
Mechanicsburg, PA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,259 students
Central Penn College
Summerdale, PA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 662 students
Harrisburg University of Science and Technology
Harrisburg, PA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 615 students
Harrisburg Area Community College
Harrisburg, PA · Public · Associate · 9,533 students
Barber and Beauty Academy of Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, PA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 47 students
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
Shippensburg, PA · Public · Bachelor's · 4,086 students
Empire Beauty School-Harrisburg
Harrisburg, PA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 152 students
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg
Middletown, PA · Public · Bachelor's · 4,031 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.













