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Carlisle, PA · Private · 2,273 undergraduates · urban

Dickinson College

Selective

Dickinson builds its liberal arts identity around global education, sustainability and active learning rather than treating them as side programs.

Campus image / Publicly hosted campus image

Institutional profile

Highly regarded Strong in academic standing, and strong in career outcomes.
Academic Strong Affordability Solid Career Strong Mobility Steady Experience Solid
Academic standing Strong
Affordability Solid
Career outcomes Strong
Mobility Steady
Student experience Solid
Admission
43.1% admitted

7,185 applicants in the reported year

Price by income
Varies across five income ranges

Compare recent average annual costs by household income

Completion
83.1%

$70,204 median earnings 10 years after enrollment

What sets Dickinson College apart

Academic design

A flexible arts-and-sciences curriculum encourages self-directed academic paths while embedding global perspective and sustainability across fields.

Campus pattern

The residential Carlisle campus is anchored by Old West and traditions that symbolically bookend students' arrival and graduation.

Career & value signal

The Dickinson College Farm and sustainability curriculum turn environmental study into hands-on research, operations and community engagement.

Can I get in?

43.1% admitted

Start with the academic record, then make the intended direction and school-specific fit concrete.

Recent applicant pool

7,185

About 43 in every 100 applicants were admitted.

Admission rate 43.1%
Entering class

Record over scores

No score range is published for the entering class, so the transcript, the course rigor, and the required materials carry the file.

Testingoptional
Return for a second year90.3%
Finish the degree83.1%

In the season card

Where your GPA sits in the entering class

The full entering-class GPA distribution for Dickinson College, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.

See where I land

In the season card

What Dickinson College weighs when it reads a file

See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.

  • Course rigor  
  • GPA  
  • Test scores  
  • Essay  
  • Recommendations  
  • Extracurriculars  
  • Demonstrated interest  
See what counts here

What moves the application

The evidence that separates a strong file

01

Show preparation for this curriculum

A flexible arts-and-sciences curriculum encourages self-directed academic paths while embedding global perspective and sustainability across fields.

02

Make institutional fit specific

Dickinson builds its liberal arts identity around global education, sustainability and active learning rather than treating them as side programs.

03

Use the application route carefully

Keep academic direction and school-specific choices coherent across the application.

How to apply

Rounds, route, and required materials

Build the calendar around the earliest realistic application round and assemble each required item once.

Early DecisionNov 15
Early Decision IIJan 15
Early ActionNov 15
Regular DecisionJan 15
Fee and waiverNo application fee

Fee waiver: accepted

Can I afford it?

Compare annual cost by household income.

Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.

Published annual cost$93,706
Average annual cost after aid$38,000
Affordability profileSolid

College funding

Scholarships and financial aid

Review available aid, application requirements, and renewal terms.

Dickinson College publishes seven merit awards, the largest reaching full tuition or more. two require a separate scholarship application. All of them renew past the first year.

Reviewed with admission An award reaching full tuition or more

Open across the university · Merit · Competitive · Renews each year

Separate scholarship application An award reaching full tuition or more

Open across the university · Merit · Competitive · Renews each year

Separate scholarship application Merit scholarship

Open across the university · Merit · Competitive · Renews

Reviewed with admission Merit scholarship

Open across the university · Merit · Competitive · Renews

Reviewed with admission An award reaching full tuition or more

Open across the university · Merit and financial need · Competitive · Renews

Reviewed with admission An award reaching $20,000 a year or more

For a named field · Merit · Competitive · Renews each year

Life sciences
Reviewed with admission An award under $5,000 a year

For a named field · Merit · Competitive · Renews each year

Music

In the season card

These seven awards, by name

What each one is called, what it pays, the grades and scores it asks for, and what to send.

  • The name of each award 
  • What it pays 
  • The grades and scores it asks for 
  • How to be considered 
  • What to send, and where 
See the full read
Open financial aid plan

In the season card

Average annual cost by household income at Dickinson College

Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.

  • $0–30k 
  • $30–48k 
  • $48–75k 
  • $75–110k 
  • $110k+ 
Open the price by income

Is it worth it?

Completion, debt, and earnings

Read completion, borrowing, field mix, and earnings together. One university-wide earnings figure does not describe every student path.

Complete within 8 years83.1%

Degree completion across the reported entering cohort

Return after year one90.3%

First-year students who return for year two

Median federal debtWhat students owe on the way out

And what that comes to against what they earn.

Median earnings$70,204

Reported 10 years after enrollment

Academic portfolio

Largest bachelor’s fields

How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.

International Business

Recent graduates50
Median earnings$84,990

Economics

Recent graduates38
Median earnings$78,378

Political Science and Government

Recent graduates35
Median earnings$59,834

Psychology, General

Recent graduates30
Median earnings$58,706

English Language and Literature, General

Recent graduates23
Median earnings$57,603

What is campus life like?

Dickinson College beyond the classroom

The residential Carlisle campus is anchored by Old West and traditions that symbolically bookend students' arrival and graduation.

Academics

A defining academic feature

A flexible arts-and-sciences curriculum encourages self-directed academic paths while embedding global perspective and sustainability across fields.

Campus setting

What shapes an ordinary week

The residential Carlisle campus is anchored by Old West and traditions that symbolically bookend students' arrival and graduation.

Career & value

Where the degree can lead

The Dickinson College Farm and sustainability curriculum turn environmental study into hands-on research, operations and community engagement.

2,273 undergraduatesMid-Atlanticurban setting100% of first-year students live on campus