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Private 4-Year Selective Lewisburg, PA NCAA Division I-FCS

Bucknell University

Lewisburg, PA

28.9%
Acceptance Rate
$87,696/yr
Est. Cost of Attendancesum of published cost components
$40,766/yr
Avg Price After Aid
86.3%
6-yr Grad Rate
3,876
Undergrads

About Bucknell University

Bucknell University is a private nonprofit institution located in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, a distant town setting. The university enrolls approximately 3,876 undergraduates and maintains a 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio, with an 86.3% graduation rate.

Type
Private 4-Year
Undergrads
3,876
Avg Faculty Salary
$119,287
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Endowment
$1.2B
Pell Students
12.4%
First-Gen
12%
What Bucknell University Is Known For
Majors far more concentrated here than at colleges nationally
Accounting and Finance 70 graduates · 8.1% of degrees here vs 0.04% nationally 224×
Business Analytics 25 graduates · 2.9% of degrees here vs 0.05% nationally 57×
International Relations and Affairs 32 graduates · 3.7% of degrees here vs 0.32% nationally 12×
Economics 69 graduates · 8% of degrees here vs 0.74% nationally 11×
Political Science and Government 62 graduates · 7.2% of degrees here vs 1.74% nationally
SOURCEIPEDS Completions 2023, against the national share at the same degree level
Admissions
28.9%
Acceptance rate · Selective
55.5%
ED Rate
11,010
Applicants
Can I Get In? →
Cost & Aid
$40,766 avg net
Average net price after aid
$20,980
Under $30K income
$1.2B
Endowment
Can I Afford It? →
Outcomes
$78,852 median
Median earnings 6 years after entering
86.3%
6-yr Grad Rate
$27,000
Median Debt
Is It Worth It? →

Bucknell University Acceptance Rate & Admissions

Acceptance Rate
28.9%
11,010 applicants
Early Decision Rate
55.5%
ED applications: 1,201

Bucknell University admits 28.9% of applicants, indicating selective admissions. Prospective applicants typically have average high school GPAs around 3.62 and standardized test scores in the middle ranges of 570-690 for SAT math and 26-32 for ACT composite.

How Selective Is That, Really?
Each dot is one of 100 applicants · Source: school's Common Data Set, else College Scorecard
1 in 3 applicants is admitted · 11,010 applied
10-Year Acceptance Rate Trend
10-year trend · Source: College Scorecard
10 years

SAT & ACT Score Ranges

Where Admitted Students Score
Middle 50% of enrolled students, on the full SAT scale · Source: College Scorecard (IPEDS)
Fall 2023
1310–1470
40080012001600
GPA Distribution — Enrolled Students
8-band breakdown · Source: Common Data Set
4.0
7.47%
3.75–3.99
30.37%
3.50–3.74
30.68%
3.25–3.49
20.38%
3.00–3.24
9.08%
2.50–2.99
2.02%
2.00–2.49
Below 2.0

Admissions Requirements

Admission Factor Weights
Official weights from submitted institutional data · Source: Common Data Set, section C7
Rigor of coursework Very Important
Class rank Considered
Academic GPA Very Important
Standardized test scores Considered
Application essay Very Important
Recommendations Important
Class Rank Profile
25% of students submitted rank · Source: Common Data Set
Top 10th of class
58%
Top quarter
85%
Top half
96%
Waitlist Statistics
Source: Common Data Set
3,122
Offered spot
1,470
Accepted offer
115
Admitted from WL
Who Applies, and Who Gets In
First-year applicants, admits and enrollees by gender
Applied Admitted Rate Enrolled
Men 5,538 1,624 29.3% 469
Women 5,472 1,900 34.7% 561
SOURCEIPEDS Admissions — Fall 2023 admissions cycle
How These Admissions Numbers Compare
Against the colleges this school should be measured against
Median

Bucknell University admits 28.9% of applicants — a typical similar college admits 74%.

Acceptance rate
This school
28.9%
Similar colleges (1,009)
73.8%
PA (156)
81.1%
National (1,934)
78.1%

Each bar is the median of that group, with the number of schools in brackets. “Similar colleges” means the same control and the same predominant degree awarded. Groups of fewer than 15 schools are not shown.

Bucknell University Tuition, Fees & Cost of Attendance

Avg Net Price
$40,766
Average for all students receiving federal aid, 2023-24
Median Federal Debt
$27,000
Federal Loan Rate
34.7%
Students borrowing federal loans

Bucknell University has a sticker price of $87,696, but the average net price is $40,766, meaning students pay approximately half the listed cost. Students with financial need pay considerably less than the full cost of attendance.

Cost of Attendance Breakdown
Estimated annual costs · on-campus, 2023-24 · Source: College Scorecard
$87,696
Tuition & Fees
$67,812
77%
Room & Board
$16,924
19%
Books & Supplies
$900
1%
Other Expenses
$2,060
2%

What You'd Actually Pay by Family Income

What You'd Actually Pay by Family Income
Average net price after all grants and scholarships · Source: College Scorecard (IPEDS net price)
Under $30,000
$20,980
$30,001 – $48,000
$12,276
$48,001 – $75,000
$23,679
$75,001 – $110,000
$28,165
Over $110,000
$55,724

* One or more income brackets show an unusually low net price, reflecting need-based aid that can reduce cost to near zero for families in that range.

Full Cost of Attendance
Source: College Scorecard
2023-24

Student Loan Debt

How Many Students Borrow
Undergraduates taking on any loan
Take out a loan
95%
Federal loans
35%

Graduates who borrowed carry a median monthly repayment of about $286.

SOURCECollege Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education
How This Price Compares
Against the colleges this school should be measured against
Median

After aid, Bucknell University costs $40,766 a year — about 81% more than a typical similar college.

Cost of attendance
This school
$83,756
Similar colleges (1,094)
$49,718
PA (165)
$35,504
National (3,197)
$25,367
Students taking a loan
This school
95.2%
Similar colleges (998)
91.8%
PA (216)
90.9%
National (4,096)
86.4%
Median debt at graduation
This school
$27,000
Similar colleges (1,032)
$24,977
PA (242)
$18,075
National (4,347)
$13,097
Average net price
This school
$40,766
Similar colleges (1,105)
$22,585
PA (267)
$19,954
National (5,106)
$17,160

Each bar is the median of that group, with the number of schools in brackets. “Similar colleges” means the same control and the same predominant degree awarded. Groups of fewer than 15 schools are not shown.

Bucknell University Graduation Rate & Student Outcomes

6-yr Grad Rate
86.3%
Median Earnings 6yr
$78,852
6 years after entering

Bucknell University reports an 86.3% graduation rate. Median earnings are $78,852 at six years after entry and $93,807 at ten years after entry.

Graduate Earnings After College

Median Graduate Earnings Over Time
6 and 10 years after entering · includes all students, not just graduates · Source: College Scorecard
Median Earnings by Gender · 6 Years After Entering
Students working 6 years after entering · Source: College Scorecard
$80,354
Men
$78,016
Women
Graduation Rate: Pell vs. Non-Pell
6-year graduation rate by grant status · Source: College Scorecard
87.2%
Pell recipients
89.2%
Non-Pell students

Top Majors & Programs

Top Majors by Graduates
Most recent year available · bachelor's degrees only · Source: IPEDS Completions 2023
MajorGraduates
Accounting and Finance70
Economics, General69
Psychology, General69
Biology/Biological Sciences, General67
Political Science and Government, General62
Mechanical Engineering42
Marketing/Marketing Management, General40
International Relations and Affairs32
Chemical Engineering29
Civil Engineering, General29
Graduation Rate by Race & Ethnicity
Completing within six years
White
87.7%
Hispanic
87.1%
Asian
81.5%
Black
77.8%
SOURCECollege Scorecard — groups with too few students to report are omitted
Earnings Further Out
The longer horizon

Median earnings eight years after entering Bucknell University are $88,483, and 88% of former students earn more than $25,000 six years after entry.

SOURCECollege Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education
How These Outcomes Compare
Against the colleges this school should be measured against
Median

Six years after entry, former Bucknell University students earn $78,852 — 73% more than at a typical similar college.

Median earnings, 10 years
This school
$93,807
Similar colleges (1,077)
$54,064
PA (252)
$50,729
National (4,696)
$40,782
Median earnings, 6 years
This school
$78,852
Similar colleges (1,077)
$45,468
PA (257)
$43,203
National (4,847)
$35,433
Graduation rate
This school
86.3%
Similar colleges (1,074)
58.1%
PA (123)
59.6%
National (2,168)
52.3%
Freshman retention
This school
94.8%
Similar colleges (1,117)
76.6%
PA (116)
78.7%
National (1,841)
75.7%

Each bar is the median of that group, with the number of schools in brackets. “Similar colleges” means the same control and the same predominant degree awarded. Groups of fewer than 15 schools are not shown.

Bucknell University Campus, Athletics & Faculty

Bucknell University, located in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, a distant town setting, enrolls 3,876 undergraduates with a 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio. The student body includes 52.1% women, 12.4% Pell grant recipients, and 12.0% first-generation students.

Student Demographics
Undergraduate enrollment · Source: College Scorecard / IPEDS
Race & Ethnicity
White
73.5%
Asian
4.4%
Hispanic
9%
Black
4.2%
Other Indicators
First-generation
12%
Pell grant recipients
12.4%
Women
52.1%
Bucknell University Athletics
Total Revenue
$17.6M
Total Expense
$17.6M
Athletes
951
478 men · 473 women
Head Coach Salaries
Men's vs Women's programs · Source: Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act
Men's sports
$118,993
Women's sports
$82,425

Average head coach salary by program gender.

Athletic Aid
Scholarship spending by gender · Source: Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act
Men's aid
$8,282,896
Women's aid
$8,367,502
Academic Resources
403
Full-time faculty
$119,287
Avg faculty salary
3,237
FT staff
$1.2B
Endowment
Faculty Salary by Gender
All instructional ranks combined · Source: IPEDS Human Resources
Men (avg)
$123,267
Women (avg)
$114,356
Overall avg
$119,287
Who Is on Campus
Beyond the undergraduate headcount
Undergraduates
3,876
Graduate students
49
Varsity Athletes
Play a varsity sport
19.5%

743 of 3,813 undergraduates, counting each athlete once regardless of how many sports they play.

SOURCEIPEDS enrollment; Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act filings
Online & Distance Learning
How much of the teaching happens remotely
Undergrads fully online
0%
Undergrads taking any
0%
Grad students fully online
0%

0 of 3,846 undergraduates study entirely at a distance.

SOURCEIPEDS Fall Enrollment, distance education status

Bucknell University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

How This Campus Compares
Against the colleges this school should be measured against
Median

Bucknell University spends $13,901 per student on research — about a typical similar college.

Pell grant share
This school
12.4%
Similar colleges (1,171)
32.8%
PA (275)
38.9%
National (5,367)
40.1%
Research spending per student
This school
$13,901
Similar colleges (1,164)
$6,264
PA (145)
$6,519
National (2,823)
$5,605
Students per faculty member
This school
9:1
Similar colleges (1,191)
12:1
PA (279)
12:1
National (5,427)
15:1

Each bar is the median of that group, with the number of schools in brackets. “Similar colleges” means the same control and the same predominant degree awarded. Groups of fewer than 15 schools are not shown.

Every Major at Bucknell University
57 fields of study, bachelor's degree level, grouped by subject area
860 graduates
Social Sciences 184 grads · 7 majors
Economics, General 69
Political Science and Government, General 62
International Relations and Affairs 32
Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 8
Sociology, General 8
Anthropology, General 3
Geography 2
Engineering 160 grads · 7 majors
Mechanical Engineering 42
Chemical Engineering 29
Civil Engineering, General 29
Computer Engineering, General 20
Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering 17
Electrical and Electronics Engineering 12
Environmental/Environmental Health... 11
Business and Marketing 135 grads · 5 majors
Accounting and Finance 70
Marketing/Marketing Management, General 40
Management Science 13
International Business/Trade/Commerce 9
Business Administration and Management,... 3
Biological and Biomedical Sciences 120 grads · 5 majors
Biology/Biological Sciences, General 67
Neuroscience 23
Biochemistry 14
Animal Behavior and Ethology 13
Biophysics 3
Psychology 69 grads · 1 major
Psychology, General 69
English Language and Literature 30 grads · 2 majors
English Language and Literature, General 17
Creative Writing 13
Multidisciplinary Studies 26 grads · 2 majors
Business Analytics 25
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 1
Education 25 grads · 3 majors
Education, General 15
Early Childhood Education and Teaching 7
Music Teacher Education 3
Computer and Information Sciences 24 grads · 1 major
Computer and Information Sciences, General 24
Physical Sciences 18 grads · 3 majors
Chemistry, General 10
Physics, General 5
Geology/Earth Science, General 3
Natural Resources and Conservation 16 grads · 2 majors
Environmental Studies 11
Environmental Science 5
Visual and Performing Arts 13 grads · 4 majors
Fine/Studio Arts, General 5
Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General 3
Music, General 3
Art History, Criticism and Conservation 2
Mathematics and Statistics 12 grads · 3 majors
Mathematics, General 6
Applied Mathematics, Other 5
Mathematics and Statistics 1
Area, Ethnic and Gender Studies 10 grads · 4 majors
Italian Studies 4
East Asian Studies 3
African Studies 2
Women's Studies 1
Foreign Languages and Linguistics 9 grads · 5 majors
Linguistics 3
Russian Language and Literature 2
Spanish Language and Literature 2
Arabic Language and Literature 1
French Language and Literature 1
History 7 grads · 1 major
History, General 7
Philosophy and Religious Studies 2 grads · 2 majors
Philosophy 1
Religion/Religious Studies 1
SOURCEIPEDS Completions 2023 — first majors only, so a student with a double major is counted once

Bucknell University Location & Campus Safety

Bucknell University is in Lewisburg, PA, in what IPEDS classifies as a town, distant setting. The campus sits about 0.8 miles from the center of Lewisburg. There are 4 other colleges within 25 miles, and State College, PA is 52.1 miles away.

Bucknell University
Town, distant
Campus Setting
0.8 mi
To City Center
4
Colleges Within 25 mi
5,247
Lewisburg Population
Living in Lewisburg
Cost of living and getting around, for the whole city — not the campus
ACS 2023
$941
Median Rent / mo
$51,674
Median Household Income
28.8%
Rent as % of Income
How People Commute
Drive alone
51%
Walk
32.4%
Public transit
0.4%

Union County scores 6.5 out of 20 on the EPA National Walkability Index — below average walkable. The index is a county-wide average of block groups, so it describes the surrounding area rather than the campus itself.

Undergraduates make up about 38.6% of Lewisburg's residents.

SOURCEU.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 5-year estimates; EPA National Walkability Index

Campus Safety at Bucknell University

Every college that receives federal financial aid must publish its crime statistics each year under the Clery Act. These are the figures Bucknell University reported for 2024.

22
On-Campus Offenses
22
In Residence Halls
5.5
Per 1,000 Students
9
Domestic, Dating & Stalking

Read these numbers carefully. A Clery figure counts reports, not incidents. A university with active reporting channels, a large campus police force and a teaching hospital will record more offenses than one where the same events go unreported — so a higher count is not evidence of a more dangerous campus, and a low count is not evidence of a safe one. In 2024, 833 campuses with more than 1,000 students reported no offenses at all. Use these figures to ask a college questions, not to rank one against another.

Reported On-Campus Offenses by Year
Criminal offenses reported on campus, including residence halls · Source: U.S. Dept. of Education Clery Act disclosures
2022
26
2023
26
2024
22
What Was Reported in 2024
On-campus criminal offenses by category
Sexual offenses
20
Burglary
2

Separately, Bucknell University reported 1 arrests and 405 disciplinary referrals for weapons, drug and liquor law violations on campus. Referrals for alcohol violations are usually the largest category at residential colleges and reflect how a school handles student conduct internally.

SOURCEU.S. Department of Education, Campus Safety and Security — Clery Act disclosures, 2024

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Bucknell University admissions, costs, and outcomes.