Dickinson College

Dickinson College is one of the first colleges that laid its foundation stone after the formation of the United States. It is a private liberal arts college established in 1773. With a campus stretching across 144 acres, the college is located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania in an urban setting. It offers undergraduate programs only that mainly include Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees with 45 majors, minors and certificates to choose from. The college is well-known for its foreign language programs to study in US.

Dickinson College recorded a total enrollment of 2,345 full-time undergraduates. The college welcomed around 14% international students who add to the diversity of the student body. More than 49 foreign countries are represented by the student population. The college has a simple and well-defined application process wherein the common application is accepted.

Dickinson has an acceptance rate of 40% and mainly assesses applications based on the rigor of college curriculum and academic records. Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, it became the first liberal arts college in the U.S. to shift to a test-blind admission policy for the 2023-24 admission cycle. Dickinson College has a sized reputation in the U.S. education system and ranks in the top 50 national liberal arts colleges in the U.S. News.

Dickinson College Rankings

U.S. News and World Report 2023:

• #47 in National Liberal Arts College
• #51 in Best Value Schools
• #178 in Top Performers on Social Mobility
• #12 in Study Abroad
• #68 in First-year Experiences

Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2023

• 93rd in U.S. College Rankings 2023

Highlights

Dickinson College Campus

Spread around a green and lush environment the college has a campus size of about 144 acres, which includes; state-of-the-art science, athletic, and research facilities.

Dickinson is situated in Carlisle, named as a “Most Livable City” by Forbes and is a few minutes’ drive from the state capital (Harrisburg). Known for its country-side ambiance, Carlisle has options for canoodling, hiking, rock-climbing and many other adventure sports and are often mentioned in student reviews of Dickinson College .

Furthermore, the campus is two hours away from Washington D.C. and a three-hour drive from New York City.

The campus of Dickinson College includes -

• Biddle House - Helps students with resumes, internships, and future jobs
• Landis House - center for race and ethnicity, the office of LGBTQ services, center for spirituality
• Weiss Center for the Arts - Rubendall Recital Hall, Trout Art Gallery
• Durham Hall - Center for sports and recreational activities

Quick Fact: The oldest building on the campus is known as the “Old West” and follows a tradition of opening its front doors only twice; during convocation and graduation.

Dickinson College Accommodation

Dickinson’s residential experience is understood to be an integral part of the students’ college life. Termed as a residential college, Dickinson comprises of 58 general and special-interest residential options with students from 41 states and more than three dozen countries.

Dickinson has mainly three housing options available for its students, namely:

• Traditional Residential Halls - includes 15 on-campus house buildings. Adams, Buchanan, and Cooper are a few of them.
• Small houses and apartments - offer a variety of options for its students. This ranges from row apartments to larger apartment buildings.
• Special interest housing - provides a unique opportunity to the students by forming harmonious groups with common goals and purposes.

Quick Fact: The college also has language residences, where students who speak foreign languages can live under one roof.

Dickinson College Courses

• Dickinson College offers a range of programs including undergraduate programs, graduate partnered programs, study abroad programs, interdisciplinary programs, certificate programs, writing programs, preparatory programs, etc.
• The college mainly offers Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees.
• More than 45 majors, minors and certificate programs are offered by the university.
• It also offers preparatory programs such as the Pre-Engineering program, Pre-Health, and Pre-Law.
• The college has a well-established reputation for providing global education programs in the country with over 40 off-campus study programs on offer.
• It is one of the top institutions for foreign language courses offered in 13 languages such as Arabic, Chinese, German, Greek, Latin, Hebrew, etc.
• The top programs offered at the university are International Business, Psychology, Economics, International Relations and Affairs, etc.
• It also offers a 3/2 Engineering program with Case Western University.

Dickinson College Application Process

There is no separate application required for international student admission. All students seeking admission to Dickinson College use the common application form. The college has quite a selective admission policy with an acceptance rate of 40%. For admission, the college highly recommends campus visits and interviews.

Know Admission deadlines for Top US Universities

How to Apply?

The details of the process of admission to Dickinson College are discussed below:

Application Portal: Common App

Application Fee: 65 USD

Admission Deadlines: The application deadlines are given below:

Admission Requirements: The requirements for admission to undergraduate programs are given below:

• Official high school transcripts
• Early decision agreement form (if applying for early admission)
• Letters of recommendation (counselor recommendation and one academic teacher recommendation whereas two are recommended)
• An Essay
• Financial forms, certification of finances and recent bank statement
• SAT or ACT scores are not required.
• Proof of English language proficiency
• Extra-curricular activities, if available

English Language Requirements

All international students are required to submit proof of English language proficiency for admission to the college. The minimum score requirements are given below:

Dickinson College Cost of Attendance

Tuition fees – 56,498 USD/ year

Other estimated expenses to study in US such as room, board, and fees are mentioned below in a tabulated format -

Moreover, the university also provides meal plans and recreational activities within the campus for a minimal fee. The charges are as follows –

Dickinson College Scholarships/Financial Aid

• A number of scholarship to study in US are available for students at Dickinson College.
• International students must submit the International Student Financial Aid Application.
• Some academic scholarships awarded at the time of admission are as follows:

• Other outside scholarships for international students studying in the U.S. can also be availed.

Dickinson College Placements

• The graduation rate of the college is 83%, which is quite high compared to the national graduation rate of 49%.
• Dickinson College boasts a 98% placement rate within one year from graduation with students engaged in employment or internship, attending graduate school or pursuing a fellowship.
• Students of the college have high acceptances in graduate schools. In 2023, around 95% acceptance rate for medical schools and 94% for law schools.
• According to Payscale, students of the college have an early salary potential of 58,600 USD.
• The average salary of graduates is nearly 65,800 USD.

The top positions offered to the college graduates are given in the table below:

The Center for Advising, Internships & Lifelong Career Development offered internships to more than 400 students across 30 states and 21 countries. The center is providing its services remotely in the form of virtual appointments, summer internship, professional development series, career search as well as career development resources.