Dickinson College

Programs: Educating students - dickinson college is committed to making a top-tier education in the liberal arts and sciences accessible regardless of families' economic means. All admitted students from the most recent entering class, who demonstrated financial need and who met application deadlines, were offered aid. In 2016-17, dickinson students received an estimated $66,909,478 in financial aid, of which $51,369,697 was provided from the college's funds. State and federal aid programs, parent loans and other outside sources provided the remaining funds. Continued on schedule oin fall 2016, the college employed 246 full-time equivalent faculty. 93% of full-time faculty members hold a doctorate or other terminal degree. Of this group, full professors comprised 24%, associate professors 39%, assistant professors 28%, and instructors 9%. The student-to-faculty ratio for fall 2016 was 9:1. To support its academic, student life and auxiliary programs, the college also employs 296 professional administrative staff personnel (294 ft; 2 pt) and 385 support staff personnel (321 ft; 64 pt). Dickinson continues to receive favorable and frequent media attention and attract greater levels of student interest each year. As the number of applications and the quality and diversity of recent entering classes demonstrate, dickinson has a secure national and international reputation as a top quality liberal arts college. The increased level of interest the college has seen in recent years puts the college in a good position to continue to analyze and better understand the profile of students who enroll and remain at dickinson in order to improve selectivity, yield and retention. 2,420 students were enrolled for fall 2016, including 244 students studying off-campus at the college's centers in the u. S. And abroad. For fall 2016, students came from 38 u. S. States and territories and 43 foreign countries. The office of admissions admitted 2,667 first-year students reflecting an acceptance rate of 43%, selected from the largest applicant pool (6,172) in the college's history. First-year enrollment figures reflect the college's ongoing commitment to academic quality (average sat scores of 1,304) and diversity (34% students of color and international students). Freshman to sophomore retention was 90%, and approximately 80% of entering first-year students graduate within four years. The most recent data available indicate that one year after graduation, 95% of the college's graduates are working full-time and/or are in graduate or professional school programs. Within five years after graduation, 98% of dickinson alumni are working full-time and/or are currently enrolled in or have completed graduate or professional school programs. Dickinson students may select either of two broad degree orientations within the curriculum: the bachelor of arts or the bachelor of science degree. General education requirements are the same in either case; only students with the concentration in one of the natural or mathematical sciences may be candidates for the bachelor of science degree. Courses are offered in two semesters, each comprising 14 weeks of classes followed by final examinations. The fall semester begins in late august and concludes in december. Students have a reading period of a few days at the end of classes in which to prepare for the final examinations and papers which are scheduled during the subsequent week. Spring semester begins near the end of january and runs through mid may, following the same pattern of classes and examinations as the fall semester. Seeking a balance between the full breadth of liberal learning and depth represented by one disciplined approach to knowledge, each dickinson student is required to take a minimum of 32 courses, complete a series of all-college requirements, and select a major concentration. General requirements for the degree include a first-year seminar, one "writing in the discipline" course and one "quantitative reasoning" course. Additional requirements for gradudation include distribution courses (at least one course in the arts, humanities, social sciences and laboratory science), cross-cultural studies (courses in foreign languages, u. S. Diversity and comparative civilizations), one course in sustainability and four blocks of physical education. Dickinson's faculty teach five courses annually, as is the norm for highly selective national liberal arts colleges where expectations for faculty research and student faculty interaction are high. Introduction of a five course load in 2007 in place of the previous expectation that six courses would be taught each year was designed to sustain and enrich the high quality and vitality of the college's academic program. The new teaching load has enabled the college to: - maintain excellence in teaching, including innovation through new, often labor intensive pedagogies. - offer a rich curriculum, including the exploration of new fields of study (recent introduction of majors in africana studies; middle east studies and latin american, latino, & caribbean studies; a new minor in portuguese and brazilian studies; and certificates in food studies, health studies and security studies are examples). - launch a major initiative in the study of sustainability that has given dickinson a position of national leadership in this field. - sustain the faculty's impressive record of scholarship and artistic creativity by meeting professors' current concerns for more time for their research activity. - maintain the vital role of the faculty in the college's collegial governance system. - enhance dickinson's competitive position in the recruitment of outstanding new faculty. - continue the college's record of strong faculty retention.

auxiliary services - auxiliary services provided by the college include housing and dining services (for 2,126 on-campus students), campus stores, and other services provided to support students and employees.