History
The 16th oldest college in the United States, Dickinson was chartered in 1783 and founded by Benjamin Rush. It was the first college chartered in the newly recognized United States and was named in honor of John Dickinson, a signer of the U.S. Constitution.
Character
A highly selective liberal-arts college with a global curriculum that makes connections between and among academic disciplines.
Degrees Granted
Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science
Campus
180-acre campus; 61 separate general and special-interest housing facilities; three LEED gold-certified buildings; variety of dining options including gluten-free, kosher, organic, vegan, vegetarian, local fruit and vegetables from the USDA certified-organic College Farm.
Enrollment
2,340 full-time students representing 44 states and territories and 41 foreign countries; 14 percent students of color and 6 percent international. See Class Profile for additional details.
Academic Features
42 majors, including 13 languages, that emphasize a global perspective within innovative interdisciplinary programs and opportunities that take studies into the field through hands-on learning and research in such areas as computer science, mathematics, the physical sciences, international business and management, economics and security studies.
Faculty
240 faculty members, 96 percent of whom hold Ph.D.s or the highest degree in their field.
Student-Faculty Ratio
10:1
Average Class Size
17
Extracurriculars
More than 130 student-run clubs and activities, including music and drama, publications, fraternities and sororities and religious, political, special-interest and community-service organizations.
Athletics
Member of the Centennial Conference (NCAA Division III); 11 men’s and 12 women’s varsity sports, plus club and intramural sports. To date, 170 student-athletes have been named All-American.
Sustainability
Dickinson is recognized as a leader among educational institutions committed to sustainability and green initiatives. The Center for Sustainability Education provides assistance as Dickinson integrates sustainability into its academics, facilities, operations and campus culture. Dickinson has received the highest awards from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, Sierra Club, Sustainable Endowments Institute, Princeton Review and Second Nature.
Global Education
Dickinson sponsors more than 40 programs on six continents in 24 countries. The college has 14 programs of its own in Australia, Cameroon, China, England (two), France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Russia, Spain and the United States. More than half of Dickinson students study abroad.
Admission
Applicants are expected to have pursued a college-preparatory course of study, including substantial sequences in math, foreign languages and science. SAT and ACT scores are optional. Interviews and campus visits are strongly recommended.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Tuition for 2011-12 is $42,610. Room and board is $10,800. and a $450 student-activities fee also is required. Dickinson awarded more than $38 million in grants in the 2011-12 academic year, and 63 percent of students received merit or need-based aid.
Academic Scholarships
Dickinson offers scholarships not based on need to about 6 percent of its entering class. Consideration is based on classroom performance, testing and significant commitment and leadership in school or community activities.
Awards
Awards for postgraduate study include Fulbright, George J. Mitchell, Rotary Ambassadorial, Kathryn Wasserman Davis Projects for Peace, the Carnegie Junior Fellowship, Udall and Goldwater.
Postgraduate Plans
96 percent of Dickinsonians are either employed or accepted into a graduate program one year after graduation. Graduate school acceptance rates are strong: 81 percent for law school and 88 percent (of those recommended) for medical school. Students have received job offers from institutions that include Citibank, Barclays Capital and Goldman Sachs.
Graduate School Partners
Top business, law, engineering and medical schools offer programs to accelerate admission for Dickinson graduates or give graduates credit for undergraduate courses. The college has agreements with internationally renowned institutions such as Columbia and Johns Hopkins universities. Learn about additional graduate school agreements.
Graduate School Admissions
Recent alumni have been admitted to prestigious graduate and professional schools at universities such as Boston, Columbia, Duke, Emory, George Washington, Georgetown, Harvard, New York, Northwestern, Princeton, Stanford and Yale as well as Boston and Dartmouth colleges and the University of California-Berkeley, University of Pennsylvania and University of Virginia.
Prominent Alumni
U.S. president, Supreme Court justice, second secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, retired chairman and CEO of Wyeth, first editor of USA Today and chairman and CEO of Gannett Co. Inc., head of Barclays Wealth, Tony and Jeff award winners, Lemelson-MIT Prize winner, several U.S. representatives and other elected officials, award-winning poets, novelists and photographers, three elected members of the National Academy of Sciences, founding president of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, and several college presidents.
Admissions Data
Applications received: 6,067
Applications accepted: 2,543
Acceptance rate: 41.9%
First-year class size: 652
Class Rank of Admitted Students
Top 5%: 40%
Top 10%: 60%
Top 25%: 87%
Top 50%: 97%
Mid-50% SAT (M+CR) Scores
Applicants: 1210-1370 (M 590-700, CR 590-690)
Admitted: 1260-1400 (M620-700, CR 620-710)
Mid-50% ACT (Composite) Scores
Applicants: 27-31
Admitted: 28-31
Geographical Distribution
In-state 20% / Out-of-state 80%
Foreign countries: 7%
States and U.S. territories: 35
Countries: 20
Racial/Ethnic Background
White: 77%
Students of color: 15%
African American: 3%
Asian American: 2%
Hispanic American: 7%
Multi-ethnic: 3%
Internationals: 6%
Other Characteristics
Male/female ratio: 44%/56%
Demonstrated financial need: 63%
Received financial aid: 71%
Average grant: $23,793
Received non-need merit award: 14% Demonstrated financial need: 51%
Citizenship of Internationals
Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guyana, India, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Lithuania, Mexico, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vietnam and Yemen
U.S. Citizens with dual citizenship
Afghanistan, Australia, Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, Chili, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Lebanon, Mexico, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom and Venezuela
Graduates of the Class of 2011 Profile
Total number of graduates: 575
Graduating with honors: 32%
Most popular majors: international business & management, political science, economics, psychology, biology/international studies (tied), English, history, American studies, French
Language-based majors: 11%
Studied off campus during their undergraduate years: 57%
Studied abroad during their undergraduate years: 53%
Delve deeper into the numbers on the Institutional Research page, which provides breakdowns of admissions statistics over the last several years, as well as a wealth of other information.
last updated: 11/15/2011