Allegheny College Acceptance Rate, Admissions & Graduation

What kind of school it is, in one sentence

Allegheny College is a bachelor's college focused on the arts and sciences. It is not a huge university with twenty professional schools inside it. It is a private, nonprofit, four-year institution where the highest degree it reports offering is a bachelor's degree. That does not mean every program ends exactly there—check the specific program your child is interested in—but it does tell you the scale and nature of the institution: it is a school built for undergraduates, not a campus where undergraduate education is one floor of a building with graduate programs above it.

The classification system that organizes colleges and universities in this country places it in its most selective admissions group and also labels it “highly residential”: at least half of degree-seeking students live in institution-owned housing, and at least 80 out of every 100 attend full time. That paints a concrete picture: a campus where most students live there, not a commuter campus.

But “highly selective” is a label, not a number. It does not tell you how many out of every hundred applicants get in—we will look at that later—and it is also no reason for this to be the only school on your child's list.

Where it is, and what that means for your family

Allegheny College is in Meadville, Pennsylvania, in Crawford County. The setting is a town, away from large urban areas. There is no city across the street.

If your family does not live nearby, this deserves a separate calculation: where your child would live, how your child would get to campus, and how often your child could come home. The official information only places the school's address in an area classified as a town; it does not tell you how long your trip would take or how that distance would feel to your family. You find that out by talking and visiting.

One last piece of identity, quick but important: Allegheny is not listed as a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 colleges and universities in this federal directory, 138 have at least one of those three designations; Allegheny is not among them. That says nothing about which communities it serves today or how your child would feel on that campus. Ask directly: what cultural centers exist, which student organizations are active, and better yet, talk with someone who already attends the school.

The size of the community, and who makes it up

Allegheny had 1,231 students enrolled in the most recent official count, all of them undergraduates—there was no graduate enrollment in that count. It is medium-sized, neither among the largest schools nor among the smallest schools of its type. Compared with the 941 selective private schools in this dataset that report this information, it falls right in the middle.

Being medium-sized does not tell you whether your child will receive more or less attention. That depends on the specific program, not the school's total size. Ask about that, not the overall figure.

Who makes up that community? It is worth being direct here, because this is one of the figures that carries the most weight for many families:

Eight out of every hundred is a small minority. Compared with the 941 selective private schools in this dataset, Allegheny ranks below the midpoint of the group without falling into the bottom quarter. Put plainly: there are few Latino students here.

That neither removes the school from the list nor puts it on the list. It is simply information about who is enrolled today. If your child would be one of the few, ask concrete questions during the visit: what student group exists, whether there is a cultural center, and whether anyone in the admissions or support office speaks Spanish. It is also worth remembering that this figure covers the entire school; the experience within a particular program may look different.

How the academic year is structured, and how broad the offerings are

Allegheny's academic year is organized into semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. It is the most common calendar in the United States, so there is no surprise here, but it is useful to understand for planning purposes.

The school reports that it accepts credit from AP exams. It did not indicate that it accepts credit for life experience. It also reported that it enrolls high school students in college courses for credit through a formal dual-enrollment program and that it accepts credit for military training.

Here is a hard truth worth stating plainly: accepting AP does not mean the school awards credit for every exam. We do not know the score it requires, how many credits it awards, or whether those credits count toward your child's specific program. Request the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not calculate any savings until you have it in hand.

As for what students study: in the latest year reported, Allegheny awarded 369 bachelor's degrees across 18 program families. The largest family was biological and biomedical sciences, with 21 out of every 100 degrees—no other field came close, but it did not account for a majority either. The offerings are broad and distributed, rather than being built around a single dominant program. But be careful: 18 families with reported activity do not mean 18 specific majors, nor do they guarantee that the program your child wants is offered under that name. Verify the specific program.

One figure often creates high expectations and deserves caution: the student-to-faculty ratio is 8 to 1, one of the lowest reported in this comparison universe—Allegheny falls in the bottom quarter among 941 similar schools. That sounds like small classes and personalized attention. But a low aggregate ratio does not guarantee class size or actual faculty availability; it is an institutional average, not a picture of every classroom. If this matters to you, ask directly how many students are in first-year classes.

Reported opportunities: Allegheny reports offering study abroad and cocurricular undergraduate research as structured academic pathways. It is worth asking how students gain access to each one and whether there is an additional cost.

Getting in: what the application requires, and how difficult admission is

This is where many families feel the most anxious, so let us go slowly and use exact figures.

What the application requires. Allegheny does not have open admissions: it reviews specific materials before making a decision. Of nine possible considerations, it marks six as required: the high school record, GPA, completion of the required college-preparatory coursework, the personal essay, letters of recommendation, and an English proficiency exam when applicable. Beyond those, only one additional item is considered if submitted: the student's class rank. The published application fee is $0.

Put simply: it is a lengthy application. It cannot be assembled in one night. Since the essay is required—and it is—have your child start it during the summer, not during the week before the deadline. The first draft is almost never the one that gets submitted.

How selective it really is. In the most recent cycle reported, Allegheny received 5,045 first-time undergraduate applications. It offered admission to 2,953 applicants. That is 59 out of every 100.

Compared with 942 selective private schools in this dataset, Allegheny ranks on the low side: seven out of every ten of those schools, or more, admit a larger percentage of applicants. Put in terms for your family: the odds are nearly split in half. Admission is not guaranteed, but it is not a lottery either. The application is reviewed closely.

Now comes the most surprising figure, and one that needs to be understood correctly. Of every 100 admitted students, only 10 ultimately enrolled. This is among the lowest post-admission enrollment rates of its peers—seven out of every ten similar schools enroll a larger share of their admitted students.

This is not a mark against the school. It means that many students who receive a yes from Allegheny choose to go elsewhere—the federal record does not say why or where. What matters to you is this: other people's decisions do not tell you what the school will offer your child. Wait for the letter showing the net price—the figure the year would actually cost—before deciding whether this school stays on the list.

About the SAT and ACT: they are optional. If your child submits them, they are considered; if not, the application proceeds just the same. Among students who enrolled and submitted SAT scores (13 out of every 100 enrolled students), the middle half scored between 600 and 690 in reading and writing, and between 540 and 660 in math. Those ranges cover only students who submitted scores when they enrolled; they are neither a minimum for admission nor a guarantee if your child's scores fall within them.

About transfers: in the most recent fall term, 26 students arrived at Allegheny for the first time after attending another institution. This is a count on the low side among its peers, but remember that it measures only arrivals—how many credits the school accepted is a separate question to ask Allegheny directly. The transfer-out rate is not reported here; that does not mean no one transfers, only that this information is not included in this file.

The listed price: what Allegheny publishes before any grant aid

At Allegheny College, among 31 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $12,227. Among 38 students from the same population whose EFC family income was between $48,001 and $75,000, it was $15,476; among 111 students whose EFC family income exceeded $110,000, it was $28,466. For dependent students, the income band combines their parents' income with their own.

There is a difference of $16,239 between the average for the lowest-income band (31 students) and the average for the highest-income band (111 students). These are group averages, not a prediction of your family's price. Among first-year students who received any grant aid, the average was $27,929.

Among the 937 schools of the same type and control included in this dataset that reported this measure with the same time coverage, Allegheny falls in the least expensive quarter for lower-income families after grant aid is subtracted. That does not mean it will be inexpensive for your family. It is a figure that matters when you decide which schools to apply to.

Because the price changes so much from one income band to another, identifying the right band is the first step. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; public institutions use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average with grant aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The aid letter you receive is what matters.

How it is paid for: grants, loans, and what that means

Practically all Allegheny students receive some type of grant or scholarship aid—the report rounds the figure to 100 out of every 100, meaning all or nearly all. Among recipients, the annual average was $42,410. It is a large figure, but it is an average: it includes students who received much more and students who received much less.

The Pell Grant—federal aid for low-income families—reached 26 out of every 100 students.

An average grant of $42,410 sounds like a great deal of money, and it is. But it is not a price. What determines how much your family will pay is the amount left after all aid, and that amount is not shown in this overall average. You obtain it school by school, letter by letter.

Now for the loan portion, stated plainly because this is where many families get into trouble without realizing it: 71 out of every 100 Allegheny undergraduates received a federal loan in the most recent year reported. That is a majority, and it is a high share compared with similar schools—on the high side among 942 peers.

Among borrowers, the average amount was $6,479 in a single year. If your child borrowed a similar amount in each of four years, the total would be around $25,916, not including interest. And here is the complete hard truth: that average covers only federal loans in the student's name. It does not include PLUS loans signed by parents, debt from private banks, or credit cards. Nor is it the total debt someone has upon graduation—that would require adding together all four years, and that figure is not included in this report.

The fact that borrowing is common here does not determine whether your child will need to borrow. That depends on the specific aid letter and the difference between the net price and what your family can contribute. If a loan appears in the offer, request the estimated monthly payment before accepting anything.

Regarding payment options, Allegheny reports a tuition installment payment plan and participation in an institutional Promise program. It is worth asking about the details of both directly.

The campus: housing, athletics, and what is available

Allegheny does have its own housing. It does not require all first-time, full-time students to live there—that rules out a universal requirement, but does not mean no program has such a requirement. It also offers meal plans, although the number of meals per week varies by the plan selected. The maximum reported capacity of institution-controlled housing is 1,667 students.

The existence of housing does not guarantee a room. Request this year's rate, the housing application deadline, and whether the school guarantees space or would place your child on a waiting list, all in writing.

In athletics, Allegheny competes at the intercollegiate level and is affiliated with the NCAA—not with other associations. It reports membership for football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track. This is institutional membership, not a promise to your child: if athletics matter to the decision, write directly to the coach, ask whether there is a place on the team, which division that sport competes in, and whether it offers an athletic scholarship. Ask for written confirmation.

Regarding ROTC, Allegheny did not mark any opportunity in its most recent report, either the general box or any specific branch. Among the four-year institutions in this guide, 926 out of 1,786 did mark it; Allegheny was not among them. The fact that it is not marked does not prove that no nearby pathway exists—if this matters to your family, ask admissions directly before ruling out the school for this reason.

Regarding distance education, Allegheny does offer undergraduate distance courses, but in the most recent count no student took an entire course load that way, and the school reported that it does not offer a complete program that can be finished entirely at a distance. If this is relevant to your family's plan, confirm it in writing for the specific program.

The library operates with paid staff, and its annual spending exceeded the threshold tracked by the federal government. It has physical and digital materials and participates in interlibrary lending. What the data do not provide are the exact hours or whether someone is available to guide your child through a search—ask about that during the visit.

Finally, Allegheny reports combined academic and career counseling services, employment services for current students, placement services for graduates, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program for veterans, and a published web address for services for people with disabilities.

Who stays, who graduates, and how long it takes

Here we reach the question that matters most to any parent: if my child enrolls, will my child finish?

The first year. From a cohort of 288 first-time, full-time, bachelor's-degree-seeking students, 243 met the official retention criterion the following year: 84 out of every 100 were still enrolled or had already graduated. This is a high share compared with 930 similar schools—Allegheny ranks near the top of that group.

The remaining 45 did not meet that criterion. The source does not say what happened to them: they may have transferred to another college and continued studying there, which counts the same in this figure as leaving school entirely. Not returning is not synonymous with dropping out.

Graduation within six years. Of the 481 students who entered in 2017 as first-time, full-time, bachelor's-degree-seeking students, 320 had graduated from Allegheny within six years: 67 out of every 100. At four years, the figure drops to 59 out of every 100—a difference of 8 points between the two time frames. Compared with 920 similar schools, Allegheny ranks above the group's median.

This measure follows only students who entered for the first time and attended full time. It does not include students who transferred in or those who began part time. The available data do not make it possible to fully reconstruct what happened to the rest of that original cohort: missing data do not equal zero and do not justify assuming transfer, a pause, or withdrawal.

At eight years, with a broader view. Following a different cohort—517 students who entered between July 2015 and June 2016, including both first-time students and those who already had prior college experience—74 out of every 100 had earned an Allegheny degree or certificate as of August 2023. Among Pell Grant recipients, the figure was 75 out of every 100—practically the same. Compared with 935 similar schools, Allegheny ranks in the top quarter of the group.

A high percentage like this is not a promise for your child in particular. It describes a cohort that entered years ago under circumstances that may not be repeated in the same way today. It is worth asking directly about the program's current support services and, if possible, about outcomes for more recent cohorts.

Putting the pieces together

You now know a real part of what Allegheny College is: a small arts and sciences college in a Pennsylvania town, with a small Latino community, a high listed price but a net price that becomes considerably more affordable for lower-income families, an admissions process that reviews applications closely but where most admitted students choose to go elsewhere, and a high share who stay and graduate among those who do enroll.

None of this tells you whether Allegheny is the right school for your child. This piece gave you the first part of the map: what the college is and what it offers, with its exact figures. The other two parts—what your child wants and what your family can do—belong only to you. Put them together, and a plan emerges from that combination.

Source note: the information in this article comes from data reported by Allegheny College to the U.S. Department of Education's IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System), primarily from the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles. Best College Aid does not represent Allegheny College or any government agency; this article organizes public information to help families understand it.