Dickinson College
Carlisle, Pennsylvania · Private · 2,273 undergraduates · dickinson.edu
Test policy (fall 2027)
Test optional
Sending scores is your choice
Admit rate
41%
of 5,719 applicants
SAT (middle 50%)
1340 to 1440
of enrolled freshmen
Annual cost (2027-28)
$97,080Est.Estimate
before aid
Your chances and merit aid at Dickinson College
See where you stand for admission, how much merit aid you could get, and what you'd pay after it.
We started you at a typical enrolled freshman here. Move the sliders to match you.
Your admission chances
41% of applicants admitted
Target
Your SAT is inside the range where the middle half of enrolled freshmen scored.
Estimated merit aid
a year
Your cost after merit aid
$97,080
a year in 2027-28, from a $97,080 sticker price
What to do with your 1380
Send your score
About 84% of freshmen here didn't send a score. We estimate their typical SAT at about 1300, and yours is above it.
Reach, target and likely are a rough guide from your test score and how selective the college is. Admissions also weigh your courses, grades, essays and activities. Merit aid figures are estimates, before any need-based aid.
Admissions
Test policy for fall 2027
Test optional
You choose whether to send an SAT or ACT score. If you send one, it's considered.
Source: Standardized Testing | Dickinson College · Checked October 17, 2026
Application deadlines
- Nov15Early Action · November 15, 2026Apply early and hear early. Not binding.
- Nov15Early Decision · November 15, 2026Binding: if admitted, you commit to enroll.
- Jan15Early Decision II · January 15, 2027A second binding round, after Early Decision.
- Jan15Regular Decision · January 15, 2027The standard deadline.
Who gets in
41%
of applicants were admitted: 2,373 of 5,719 for fall 2025.
Early Decision
Binding. 57% of early applicants were admitted.
Wait list
335 students were offered a spot; 8 were later admitted.
Test scores of enrolled freshmen (fall 2025)
The shaded part shows the middle half of enrolled freshmen who sent scores: a quarter scored below it and a quarter above. 13% of them sent SAT scores and 4% sent ACT scores.
SAT total 1340 to 1440
Reading and Writing 680 to 730
Math 660 to 710
ACT composite 29 to 32
How enrolled freshmen scored on the SAT
- 1400 to 160048%
- 1200 to 139949%
- 1000 to 11993.1%
- 800 to 9990%
- 600 to 7990%
- 400 to 5990%
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
Cost and financial aid
The sticker price is what a year costs before any aid. Most students pay less after grants and scholarships.
Sticker price for 2027-28Estimate
$97,080
a year
- Tuition$73,940
- Fees$570
- Food and housing$19,400
- Books and supplies$1,380
- Transportation and other$1,790
Dickinson College published $93,342 for 2026-27. Its 2027-28 prices aren't out yet.
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
What families actually pay
What a year cost on average after grants and scholarships, for freshmen who got federal aid in 2023-24, by family income.
- $0 to $30,000$12,989
- $30,001 to $48,000$15,144
- $48,001 to $75,000$14,531
- $75,001 to $110,000$19,797
- Over $110,000$38,457
Financial aid
99%
of a student's financial need is covered, on average
$55,321
average need-based grant to freshmen, money you don't repay
29%
of freshmen got merit aid without financial need, $30,319 on average
- FAFSA
- Required for need-based aid. It's the free federal aid form.
- CSS Profile
- Required. It's a second, more detailed aid form some colleges use for their own grants.
- Aid priority date: 11/15
- Send your aid forms by this date to be first in line for the college's grant money.
- Aid deadline: 1/15
- The last day to send aid forms.
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
AP credit
AP exams that earn credit can replace college courses, so you pay for fewer of them and may graduate sooner.
AP exams that earn credit
39 of 39
Earn credit with a score of 3
3 exams
A 3-credit course is worth
about $7,390Est.Estimate
at 2027-28 tuition
Credit for each AP exam
| Exam | Score needed | Credits | Counts as |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-D Art and Design | 4 | GNCR 000 | |
| 3-D Art and Design | 4 | GNCR 000 | |
| African American Studies | 4 | GNCR 000 | |
| Art History | 4 | GNCR 000 | |
| Biology | 4 | GNCR 000 | |
| Calculus AB | 4 | MATH 170 | |
| Calculus BC | 3 | MATH 170 | |
| Calculus BC | 4 | MATH 170, 270 | |
| Chemistry | 4 | GNCR 000 | |
| Chinese Language and Culture | 4 | CHIN 202 | |
| Comparative Government and Politics | 4 | POSC 150 | |
| Computer Science A | 3 | COMP 000 | |
| Computer Science A | 4 | COMP 132 | |
| Computer Science Principles | 3 | COMP 000 | |
| Drawing | 4 | GNCR 000 | |
| English Language and Composition | 4 | WRPG 211 | |
| English Literature and Composition | 4 | ENGL 101 | |
| Environmental Science | 4 | GNCR 000 | |
| European History | 4 | HIST 106 | |
| French Language and Culture | 4 | FREN 200-level | |
| German Language and Culture | 4 | GRMN 201 | |
| Human Geography | 4 | GNCR 000 | |
| Italian Language and Culture | 4 | ITAL 003 (Italian 300 Level Credit or Italian 320-level credit for a topics course) | |
| Japanese Language and Culture | 4 | JPNS 202 | |
| Latin | 4 | LATN 202 | |
| Macroeconomics | 4 | ECON 112 | |
| Microeconomics | 4 | ECON 111 | |
| Music Theory | 4 | GNCR 000 | |
| Physics 1 | 4 | PHYS 141 | |
| Physics 2 | 4 | PHYS 142 | |
| Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | 4 | PHYS 132 | |
| Physics C: Mechanics | 4 | PHYS 131 | |
| Psychology | 4 | PSYC 185 | |
| Research | 4 | GNCR 000 | |
| Seminar | 4 | GNCR 000 | |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 4 | SPAN 201 | |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 4 | SPAN 201 | |
| Statistics | 4 | MATH 121 | |
| United States Government and Politics | 4 | POSC 120 | |
| United States History | 4 | HIST 117 | |
| World History: Modern | 4 | HIST 000 |
Source: AP credit policy
After college
Graduate within 6 years
74%
Come back for a second year
92%
Typical earnings
$83,426
a year, 10 years after starting here
- Dickinson College$106,422
- All colleges$77,542
Median yearly earnings of graduates five years after finishing a bachelor's in this major. 12 majors here have earnings data.
Keep exploring
Figures marked Estimate are our estimates, not numbers the college published. Check each college's own site before you apply. SAT is a trademark of College Board, and ACT is a trademark of ACT, Inc. Sharp is not affiliated with either, or with Dickinson College. The Dickinson College logo is a trademark of the college.