Dickinson College

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The Campaign for Scholarships at Dickinson

Change a Life—Change the World

“My scholarship has made it possible for me to attend my dream school. I am grateful for the strong international programs that Dickinson offers to study all over the world. ... Your generosity and support provided many opportunities at Dickinson to excel inside and outside the classroom.”

Rediet Patterson ’22

an international business & management major, whose Dickinson scholarship enabled her to deepen her global understanding by participating twice in the Department of State’s Critical Language Studies Program and earn a job as a financial analyst after graduation.
“The faculty here have allowed me to meet my fullest potential linguistically and have been nothing but helpful when it comes to assignments.”

Chris Althouse ’24

an Italian studies major whose Dickinson scholarship has enabled him to forge close mentoring relationships with professors and intern at an Italian-American newspaper.
“Thanks to scholarship support from Dickinson, my family is relieved from some of the burden of paying for me to attend the college, and I can continue with my amazing, well-rounded liberal-arts education. I know that I am making my family proud.”

Jenn Eser ’25

a DJ with Dickinson’s WDCV and a member of the Pre-Health Society, Martial Arts Club, women’s club basketball team, the Alpha Lambda Delta honor society and the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority
“I had an excellent experience at Oxford University last year. The courses were challenging, but they sparked my interest in development economics and my plan for graduate study.”

Ngoc Phuong Linh Nguyen ’22

a quantitative economics major who studied abroad through Dickinson’s Oxford program and participates in Dickinson’s Arts Collective and Mock Trial
“This research will hopefully help us to understand how we can genetically reprogram AML [leukemia] cells to return to their normal, noncancerous functions.”

Keagan Hesse '22

a biochemistry & molecular biology major performing student-faculty research helping to advance our understanding of how to treat a common form of leukemia.

This campaign seeks to raise enough money to make sure that every Dickinson student who needs a scholarship gets a scholarship. The goal is to make sure that we provide sufficient aid to meet the full demonstrated need for every student we admit—to make sure financial constraints never prevent potential Dickinsonians from experiencing this life-changing, and world-changing, education.

To reach this goal, we will raise $75 million, with one simple but powerful ask to our donor community: Change a life—change the world.

30%

of Dickinson’s annual budget is dedicated to financial aid and scholarships.

Nearly 90% of this funding
comes directly from the college’s
operating budget.

68%

of current students need financial aid to attend Dickinson.

The average aid package
surpasses $36,000 per year.

96%

of Dickinsonians are employed, completing an internship, attending graduate school or pursuing a fellowship within one year of graduation.

Average Dickinson Student Loan Debt: $19K
National Average: $33K

By investing in this effort, you will change a student’s life, you will help provide this transformational experience to someone who couldn’t afford it without your help. But you’ll also change the world, because Dickinson graduates don’t keep the benefits of this education to themselves. They become the doctors and scientists fighting disease; the entrepreneurs and business leaders solving problems and creating jobs; the nonprofit leaders, lawyers—and even the judges—creating a more just and equitable world; the artists, teachers and performers who move us, inspire us and help us understand the world. They join all the Dickinsonians out there making a difference every day.

ATTRACTING THE
BEST AND
BRIGHTEST:
MERIT
SCHOLARSHIPS

EXPANDING
ACCESS FOR
HIGH-NEED
STUDENTS

PEOPLE AND
PLACES:
COHORT
SCHOLARSHIPS

THE RIPPLE EFFECT:
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR
FIRST-GENERATION
STUDENTS

OPENING
BORDERS:
INTERNATIONAL
STUDENT
SCHOLARSHIPS

SUPPORTING
INTERNSHIPS

SUPPORTING
STUDY-ABROAD
EXPERIENCES

AFFORDABILITY
CHALLENGE:
SUPPORT FOR
MIDDLE-INCOME
FAMILIES

YOUR IDEAS:
WE WANT TO
HEAR FROM
YOU

Campaign Progress: By the Numbers

NUMBER OF STUDENTS CURRENTLY SUPPORTED BY GRANTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS:

1,800+

NEW SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS CREATED:

100

$50 MILLION, 73% toward funding our commitment to A SCHOLARSHIP FOR EVERY STUDENT WHO NEEDS ONE

TOTAL SCHOLARSHIP DONORS: 4,124

Learn more about all the ways you can support the campaign.

Without the current level of scholarships and financial aid, more than 1,200 current students would simply not be able to attend Dickinson. To continue to prepare future global leaders from all walks of life, regardless of their families’ financial situation, we must do everything we can to keep this priceless education affordable.

1 Changes lives by making the Dickinson experience possible for someone who couldn’t otherwise afford it

2 Helps Dickinson recruit top students and raise the academic profile of the college

3 Helps build a brighter tomorrow by preparing future global leaders

Your gifts at work:

Investing in Excellence

“Dickinson taught me discipline and balance and how to think critically outside the box and be a team player. Being at Dickinson helped me to quickly navigate life outside of college. … It's important to continue the cycle of giving back to Dickinson because it helps so many students.”

—Gabrielle Richards ’20,
a former economics major senior brand manager at Shapermint

“Dickinson opened my eyes to perspectives I had never thought of before. I realize that I would not be here if it weren’t for many people who have helped me along the way. I believe that one chooses their family, and that families are not necessarily families because of blood. I will never be able to repay them. However, I can always pay it forward.”

— Liam Stenson Ortiz ’19,
who studied biochemistry & molecular biology and is currently preparing for medical school with the intent of using his language skills in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese to practice medicine internationally for an organization such as Doctors Without Borders

“My time at Dickinson has been incredible. I am engaging so many valuable experiences that my friends at home never dreamed of. Dickinson has helped me discover my passions and has given me all the tools necessary to make an impact in the world. I get to study what I love, embrace new cultures and make my dreams come true—all things that would be impossible without your scholarship. I am incredibly thankful.”

— Nicole Tamvaka ’20,
a neuroscience and mathematics double major who recently interned in the Mayo Clinic’s neurogenetics lab to help prepare for a career researching treatments for neurodegenerative disorders

“Without your support, I would not be able to attend Dickinson. I come from a neighborhood in Los Angeles plagued with alcoholism, drugs, gangs, dropping out and teen pregnancies. I have worked hard to one day become the first person in my family to graduate from college. Your scholarship support is an important reason I am able to afford to leave my neighborhood and study at Dickinson. And after I graduate, my goal is to open a high school in my community.”

—Diego Alonso ’21, a mathematics and computer science major who recently interned with the Campbell Scholars Program, where he helped underprivileged high-achieving Latinx high school students prepare for college.

The Campaign for Scholarships at Dickinson

Change a Life—Change the World

Rediet Patterson ’22

Chris Althouse ’24

Jenn Eser ’25

Ngoc Phuong Linh Nguyen ’22

Keagan Hesse '22

To reach this goal, we will raise $75 million, with one simple but powerful ask to our donor community: Change a life—change the world.