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.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 2,273 undergradsSmall citySelective · 42% admitNCAA Division III with football · Centennial ConferenceCold winters

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
To the ocean
70 miles
Nearest airport
23 miles to Harrisburg (MDT)

How Dickinson College compares

Selectivity42.1%

More selective than 88% · #13 most selective of 111 in Pennsylvania

SAT average1391

Higher than 89%

Graduation rate80%

Higher than 89% · #19 of 116 in Pennsylvania

First-year retention92%

Higher than 89%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$70,204

Higher than 83% · #21 of 116 in Pennsylvania

Average net price$37,607

Cheaper than 6% · #106 cheapest of 112 in Pennsylvania

Median debt at graduation$19,000

Lower than 80%

Student–faculty ratio11 : 1

Lower than 68%

Undergraduate enrollment2,273

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

2,276students
  • Undergraduate2,273100%
  • Graduate30%

Undergraduates by gender

2,273undergrads
  • 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)

All students
68%
Low-income (Pell)
84%
First-generation
81%

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)

Lacrosse89
Track and Field (Indoor)78
Track and Field (Outdoor)78
Football77
Soccer68
Cross Country43
Baseball38
Swimming33
Basketball32
Squash27
Field Hockey23
Golf23
Tennis18
Softball16
Volleyball16

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.

28reported offenses a year
23 violent a year4.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
12
Fondling
11
Burglary
4.0
Aggravated assault
1.0
Motor vehicle theft
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
$40,755
$30–48k
$15,081
$48–75k
$16,316
$75–110k
$22,696
$110k+
$45,175

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
$68,948

$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.

94%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$39,234
average award, among those who get one

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.

Strong value

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.

Women
$68,485
Men
$75,083

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

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.85.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Carlisle Wtp, PA US station (1.7 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 Dickinson College

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

Colleges near Dickinson 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.