College · Private nonprofit · Center Valley, PA · Suburb
DeSales University
Center Valley, PA
Religious affiliation
Admit rate77%
6-yr median pay$53k
Net price / yr$32k
Undergrad size2,128
§ I · The real read
What it's actually like.
The bet
Net price of $32k/yr for a shot at a $53k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.
Getting in
Admit rate of 77% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1186 · ACT 26.
If you get in
2,128 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.
Where you live
Suburban — a short drive to the nearest city, greener but still connected.
§ II · Cost & aid
Sticker vs. real.
Sticker cost of attendance is $63k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $32k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.
Sticker · 4 yrs$251k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$127k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$124k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback2.4x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.
Where the money goes · annual sticker.
- Tuition · in-state
- $46.8k
- Room & board
- $13.8k
- Books & supplies
- $1,485
How students pay for it.
Pell grants24%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans64%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$26k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $10k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes
Do people finish? Do they land?
Graduation · 6 yr72%
Majority finish.
6-yr median pay$53k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$61k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out18%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity
Setting, size, and who this school is.
- Setting
- Suburb
- Control
- Private nonprofit
- Undergrad size
- 2,128
- Location
- Center Valley, PA
- Region
- Mid East (DE, DC, MD, NJ, NY, PA)
- Carnegie class
- Doctoral/Professional Universities
- Size & setting
- Four-year · small · primarily residential
- Undergrad program
- Four-year · full-time, selective, lower transfer-in
- Accreditor
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Identity
Religious affiliation
§ · Who studies here
The student body at a glance.
- White68%
- Hispanic16%
- Black6%
- Asian5%
- Two or more races2%
- Unknown2%
First-gen students30%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time11%
Mixed full-time and part-time.
Median family income$65k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 39
What you can study.