Scholarships

There’s something both tangible and intangible about helping eager students afford a Dickinson education. The monetary value is apparent in dollars and cents; on the other side of those numbers lies an experience that might feel like living out a lifelong dream. Dickinson awards more than $60 million per year in scholarships and financial aid, and your gifts make the dream possible for the next generation of Dickinsonians.

Dickinson remains committed to making the college’s life-changing education accessible to every admitted student, regardless of household income. With support from thousands of generous donors, we’re one of very few colleges in the nation that are able to meet this ambitious goal.

“Thanks to my scholarship, I’ve embraced a world brimming with new possibilities.” —Celine Phan ’27

Scholarship Gift Opportunities

Your scholarship gift open doors for deserving students who could not otherwise afford the opportunities of Dickinson’s distinctive, residential liberal-arts education. By providing this access, you are changing lives and shaping future leaders here on campus and beyond.

There are several ways you can provide scholarship support for Dickinson students:

• Establish a Dickinson Fund Scholarship.
• Establish an endowed scholarship.
• Contribute to Dickinson’s general scholarship fund (From Dickinson’s secure giving page, in the Designation field, choose “Scholarships” to support Dickinson’s current financial aid budget)

Scholarship Facts

• 62% of Dickinson students receive need-based grants.
• The average need-based grant is $54,208, and it covers 79.7% of a student’s total cost.
• The average total need-based package is $59,475 (grants, loans and work study).
• 61% of recent graduates receiving need-based financial aid studied abroad. Nationally, fewer than 10% of U.S. college graduates study abroad.
• The average federal loan repayment for recent Dickinson graduates is $19,000. Nationally, the average is $39,633.
• 96% of graduates are employed, completing an internship or continuing their education within six months.
• 3.5 average GPA of Dickinson students receiving need-based financial aid.

“Studying overseas was always a dream of mine. I am grateful to Dickinson and all who support the Nilsson Scholarship for showing confidence in the Dickinson students who study in Bologna.” —Christopher Althouse ’24

Changing Lives, Changing the World

Thank you to every alum, parent, student, faculty and staff member and friend of the college who contributed to Dickinson’s Change a Life—Change the World campaign. You helped ensure that no Dickinson student is left without the support they need to access this life-changing education.

• 5,000+ donors participated, representing nine decades of class years.
• $78 million+ in total support for scholarships and financial aid
• $5,756,693 raised by 1,173 donors in support of scholarships and financial aid during the 2025-26 fiscal year alone

As a result:

• More than 1,800 current students are supported annually.
• More than 150 new scholarship funds were created during the 2025-26 academic year.

The Dickinson Promise

Funded through Dickinson’s Campaign for Scholarships, the Dickinson Promise offers tuition-free education to every domestic admitted student whose family earns $125,000 or less, beginning with the class of 2030. For students from families earning $75,000 or less, financial aid packages will be loan-free.

We thank all the donors who are making the promise possible and showing the incredible support of the Dickinson community for our students. We will continue to rely on our community of committed donors to move Dickinson and the Dickinson Promise forward, and to ensure that financial constraints never prevent students with the potential to change the world from becoming Dickinsonians.” —President John E. Jones III ’77, P’11

Learn More

Learn more about donors supporting scholarships and student success at Dickinson in these donor profiles.

Learn more about the impact of scholarship gifts.

For more information, contact 800-543-3809 or giving@dickinson.edu.