Private Nonprofit Bachelor's Fair 50/100

Dean College

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Franklin, Massachusetts

About Dean College

Thinking about Dean College, a college in Massachusetts where more students graduate in Visual & Performing Arts than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Dean College is a private nonprofit institution offering bachelor's degrees based in Franklin, Massachusetts. It enrolls 1,089 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.

Acceptance
73.7%
Graduation
41.6%
Net Price
$30,684
Median Earnings (10yr)
$38,109
Enrollment
1,089
Student : Faculty
15:1

Accreditor New England Commission on Higher Education
Academic Calendar Semester

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.

Fair
50/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 37
Value 3
Affordability 33
Selectivity 55

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Dean College admits 73.7% of applicants, which makes it moderately selective, and realistic if you meet the academic profile.

Acceptance Rate
73.7%
Moderate
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test Policy Test Optional Applicants 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 Dean College is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Stable ↑ 4.9 pts since 2019
68.8%201970.5%202073.6%202175.9%202273.7%2023

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 $30,684 a year on average, it sits in line with what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. Plan for the gap between that and what you can pay without borrowing. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$30,684
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
34%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
72%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees
$46,526
Room & Board (on-campus)
$19,864
Room & Board (off-campus)
$7,355
Books & Supplies
$1,000
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$1,570
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$1,570
Total Cost of Attendance
$64,889

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
    $26,996
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $26,798
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $28,640
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $31,161
  • Over $110,000
    $34,318

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.

$3,410
10% percentile
$5,500
25% percentile
$25,000
Median percentile
$17,000
75% percentile
$27,000
90% 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 $12,000 ↓ $13,000
No Pell $12,000 ↓ $13,000
Dependent students $12,000 ↓ $13,000
Independent students $10,500 ↓ $14,500
Female students $13,241 ↓ $11,759
Male students $12,000 ↓ $13,000
Pell recipients: 16.7% (4,182 students)No Pell: 16.7% (4,182 students)Dependent students: 16.7% (4,182 students)Independent students: 14.6% (3,659 students)Female students: 18.5% (4,614 students)Male students: 16.7% (4,182 students)Overall Median$25,000
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $5,500, less than completers ($25,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

42% of students who start here finish within six years, and 72% 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
42%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
72%
Returning for their second year

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $38,109 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$38,109
Earning > $25K
60%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$29,000$31,000$34,000$37,000$39,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$33,800

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$41,600

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$33,100

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$41,000

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$38,500

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $7,800, about 19% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

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 ↑ 16.2 pts across 6 years
58%1yr61.9%3yr74.8%5yr74.2%7yr
What this signals: Strong. 74% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 1,089 students, a small, close-knit community. Worth knowing: 32% are the first in their family to go to college.

Total Enrolled
1,089
Part-Time
3%
First-Generation
32%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
White 62.7% 683
Hispanic 12.3% 134
Black 11.3% 123
Other 5.1% 55
International 2.3% 25
Asian 1.7% 18
White: 62.7% (683 students)Hispanic: 12.3% (134 students)Black: 11.3% (123 students)Other: 5.1% (55 students)International: 2.3% (25 students)Asian: 1.7% (18 students)Total1,089

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Dean College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Large Suburb Franklin, Massachusetts
Housing
Strongly residential 1,028 beds for 1,089 students
Adult Learners
5% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Recreation & Fitness graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Dean College offers a varied set of programs: 31 distinct programs across 13 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.

5 Programs
2 Programs
4 Programs
3 Programs
2 Programs

Faculty & Resources

There are 15 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.

Student : Faculty
15:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$65M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$66,164
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

33 instructional faculty across 3 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 6 18% $73,932
Associate Professors 10 30% $68,368
Assistant Professors 17 52% $62,125

Pros & Cons of Dean College

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Dean College is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Reasonable class sizes
  • Tight-knit, close community feel
CONS
  • Above-average net price
  • Fewer clubs, activities, and social options
  • Below-average completion rate
  • Modest first-year retention
  • Earnings outcomes are on the lower side
Best for: Based on the data, Dean College is a fit for students who thrive in small, close-knit environments.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dean College

The questions families ask most about Dean College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is Dean College hard to get into?
Admissions at Dean College are moderately competitive. The acceptance rate is 73.7%, so most applicants who meet the academic minimums are admitted.
What is the acceptance rate at Dean College?
73.7% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does Dean College cost?
Budget around $30,684 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 Dean College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $38,109 a year against a net price of $30,684, about 1.2 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 Dean College known for?
Mostly Kinesiology, Dance, Drama & Theatre. 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 Dean College graduates earn?
About $38,109 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 Dean College accredited?
Yes. Dean College is accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend Dean College?
1,089 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 Dean College?
42% 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 Dean 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 Dean College located?
Dean College is located in Franklin, Massachusetts.
What programs does Dean College offer?
31 different programs, most commonly Kinesiology, Dance, Drama & Theatre. 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 Dean College?
15 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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