Cedar Crest College is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It enrolls 834 students (a small, tight-knit student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.
AccreditorMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.
Good
70/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes48
Value65
Affordability66
Selectivity47
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
Cedar Crest College admits 84.1% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.
Acceptance Rate
84.1%
Easy
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test PolicyTest OptionalApplicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Cedar Crest College is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Becoming less selective ↑
38.3 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $18,659 a year on average, it sits below what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. That still leaves most families a gap to cover, but a manageable one. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees
$46,314
Room & Board (on-campus)
$13,406
Room & Board (off-campus)
$13,406
Books & Supplies
$4,000
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$1,375
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$1,000
Total Cost of Attendance
$57,206
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$21,044
$30,001 – $48,000
$24,250
$48,001 – $75,000
$21,490
$75,001 – $110,000
$19,909
Over $110,000
$11,008
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$3,75010%percentile
$9,50025%percentile
$27,000Medianpercentile
$31,25075%percentile
$39,58490%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $23,861
↓ $3,139
No Pell $20,500
↓ $6,500
Dependent students $22,375
↓ $4,625
Independent students $24,739
↓ $2,261
Female students $22,944
↓ $4,056
Male students $29,168
↑ $2,168
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $11,000, less than completers ($27,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
44% of students who start here finish within six years, and 74% come back after first year. Fewer than half finish in six years. Ask what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.
6-Year Graduation Rate
44%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
74%
Returning for their second year
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $59,460 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$59,460
Earning > $25K
80%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$46,500
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$49,100
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$50,000
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
20.9 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Strong. 81% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 834 students, a small, close-knit community. Worth knowing: 43% are the first in their family to go to college.
Total Enrolled
834
Part-Time
20%
First-Generation
43%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 46.9%391
Hispanic 17.8%148
Black 10.2%85
International 6.6%55
Asian 3.6%30
Other 2.8%23
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Cedar Crest College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Cedar Crest College offers
an extensive catalog of programs:
54 distinct programs across
19 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
There are 9 students for every instructor here: small classes, and staff who are likely to know your name.
Student : Faculty
9:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$82M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$64,371
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
73 instructional faculty across 4 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
18
25%
$78,576
Associate Professors
18
25%
$71,556
Assistant Professors
26
36%
$55,343
Instructors
11
15%
$50,707
Pros & Cons of Cedar Crest College
No college is right for everyone. Here is where Cedar Crest College is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Best for:
Based on the data, Cedar Crest College is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; students who thrive in small, close-knit environments.
Frequently Asked Questions about Cedar Crest College
The questions families ask most about Cedar Crest College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is Cedar Crest College hard to get into?
Not especially. Cedar Crest College admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 84.1%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Cedar Crest College?
84.1% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does Cedar Crest College cost?
Budget around $18,659 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Cedar Crest College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: solid return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $59,460 a year against a net price of $18,659, about 3.2 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Cedar Crest College known for?
Mostly Nursing, Dietetics & Nutrition, Education, General. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Cedar Crest College graduates earn?
About $59,460 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Cedar Crest College accredited?
Yes. Cedar Crest College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend Cedar Crest College?
834 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Cedar Crest College?
44% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Cedar Crest College a public or private college?
It is Private Nonprofit. Private nonprofit, so the sticker price is higher but institutional aid is often larger too.
Where is Cedar Crest College located?
Cedar Crest College is located in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
What programs does Cedar Crest College offer?
54 different programs, most commonly Nursing, Dietetics & Nutrition, Education, General. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Cedar Crest College?
9 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
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