That is my job in this article: not to sell you on Bucknell or warn you against it, but to put the official data from the United States government in front of you and explain plainly what it means for a family like yours. In the end, you decide whether this school deserves a place on your child's list. I am only giving you a map of one of the three pieces you need to make a sound decision: what the university is and what it offers. You know the other two—what your child wants and what your family can afford.
What kind of school it is and where it is located
Let us start with the simplest question: what is Bucknell?
The Carnegie Classification system, which organizes United States colleges and universities according to what they do, describes it as a baccalaureate college focused on arts and sciences. It is a four-year, medium-sized, highly residential school: during the period Carnegie used to classify it, at least half of its degree-seeking undergraduate students lived in housing owned, controlled, or affiliated with the institution, and at least eight out of ten attended full time. In its undergraduate admissions profile, Carnegie places it in the most selective group.
All of that tells you the kind of experience it offers: a campus where most students are expected to live, not a commuter school. But the label "most selective" does not tell you how many out of every hundred applicants are admitted. That number exists separately, and we will look at it later when we discuss admissions. And although this school is highly residential, living on campus is not the same as paying tuition: room and board are charged separately, as you will see in the cost section.
Bucknell is in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, in Union County. The area around campus is a town, not a large city: its census code places it far from any urbanized area. If your family does not live nearby, this has a practical consequence that you, not the school, must calculate: where your child would live, how your child would get to campus, and how often your child would return home. The data only identifies the university's location; it says nothing about your trip.
It is a private, nonprofit institution offering programs of four years or more. It reports the master's degree as the highest level it offers, and the federal system classifies it as a degree-granting institution offering primarily bachelor's degrees or higher. That is general institutional information: it does not tell you whether the exact major your child is interested in exists there or whether it connects to a graduate program. You have to verify that program by program.
And here is something that applies to this entire article, not just this section: do not rule it out or choose it based on the sticker price. Ask in writing how much your family would have to pay after scholarships and financial aid. That is the number to compare across universities, not the one that appears in the brochure.
One last piece of its identity: Bucknell does not have any of these three federal designations. It is not a historically Black college or university (HBCU), a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 universities in this directory, 138 have at least one of the three designations. Bucknell's absence from that list does not tell you which students it serves, how many Latino students are on campus, or how your child will feel there. Nor does it mean that it does not serve that community—it only means that you need to ask directly which cultural centers and student organizations exist today.
How many students there are and who they are
Bucknell had 3,892 students enrolled in the most recent official fall count. It is a medium-sized school, within the range of 1,000 to 4,999 students, and compared with the 941 selective private schools in this census that report the data, it is on the larger side: between one and three out of every ten schools in that group have more students.
Of that total, 3,846 are undergraduates and only 46 are graduate students. Put plainly, this is primarily an undergraduate school, not a graduate center with undergraduate education on the side.
And who makes up that undergraduate population? Out of every 100 students, 53 are women—the split between men and women is nearly even. The percentage of students ages 25 to 64 rounds to zero: hardly anyone comes to Bucknell after spending time away from school or after beginning a degree somewhere else. And fewer than 25 out of every 100 first-time students were permanent residents of Pennsylvania—only 21 out of every 100. The rest come from other states or countries, or their residency was not specified in the report. In other words, the overwhelming majority of students who arrive at Bucknell are, in some sense, from somewhere else.
Now for the figure that will matter most to you if your child is Latino: 8 out of every 100 undergraduate students are Hispanic or Latino. It is a small minority. Compared with the 941 selective private schools in this census that report the data, Bucknell is below the group's midpoint, although not in the bottom quartile.
Having few Latino students does not make the school bad, just as having many would not make it good by itself. This figure only counts who is enrolled today. If your child will be one of the few, it is worth asking directly which student groups and support services exist and speaking with a Latino student who is already there before deciding. Also remember that this number describes the entire school; your child's specific major may look different.
One final note about size: being large does not mean having more options, and being small does not mean your child will receive more attention. Always ask about the specific major, not the entire school.
How the academic year is organized and how broad the offerings are
Bucknell operates on a semester system: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. In its most recent report to the federal government, the university stated that it accepts credit for AP exams, but it did not check the box for credit for life experience. It also stated that it enrolls high school students in college courses for credit through a formal dual-enrollment program.
Saying that it accepts AP does not mean that it grants credit for every exam. The report does not say what scores are required, how many credits are granted, or whether those credits count toward your child's specific major. Ask for a written equivalency evaluation before enrolling, and do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
In the most recently reported year, Bucknell awarded 867 bachelor's degrees across 18 academic program families. Social sciences awarded the most degrees, accounting for 24 out of every 100 degrees that year—no other field surpassed it, but it did not account for the majority either. No program family accounted for 30 out of every 100 degrees: the offerings are broadly distributed. Compared with the 942 selective private schools in this census, Bucknell is in the quartile that awards the most degrees per year.
The 18 program families with rows in the report are not 18 specific majors or 18 fields guaranteed to award degrees—a family groups several programs together, and a row may report zero. Verify the exact program your child is interested in before assuming that it exists there.
And there is one number that almost always comes up when someone talks about this university: the student-to-faculty ratio. Bucknell reports 9 full-time-equivalent students for every full-time-equivalent faculty member. Among the 941 similar schools in this census, it falls in the lowest quartile—that is, among the lowest ratios in this comparison group.
But be careful about what that number does not tell you. A low ratio does not measure faculty availability, actual class size, or individual attention. It relates students to instructional staff; it does not count seats in a classroom. If this matters for your child, ask directly how many students are in first-year classes.
What pathways and opportunities the university reports
Beyond the classroom, Bucknell reports that it has formally structured the following academic opportunities: study-abroad programs, undergraduate research as a co-curricular activity, preparation for teacher certification below the postsecondary level, the ability to complete preparation in certain teacher-specialization areas at the institution itself, and state approval of its initial teacher-certification program.
These are pathways formally reported to the federal government, not a promise of what your child's experience using them will feel like. If you are particularly interested in any of them, it is worth confirming the details directly with the appropriate department before building a plan around it.
Getting into Bucknell: what it requires and how selective it really is
This is where many families get nervous, so let us proceed carefully and keep the numbers in front of us.
Bucknell told the government that it does not have an open-admissions policy: it reviews several components before saying yes. Of the nine admissions considerations covered by this report—not including standardized tests or legacy status, which are addressed separately—it marked six as required: the high school record, high school GPA, completion of the college-preparatory curriculum required by the university, a personal essay, letters of recommendation, and an English-proficiency exam for applicants to whom it applies. It also considers—but does not require—the student's class rank, a portfolio or competency exam, work experience, and whether a relative attended the university.
That last factor—legacy status—is something your child cannot change. If it does not apply, do not spend energy worrying about it. Put that energy into what is within your child's control: the essay, the letters, and the academic record.
The application is lengthy. It has several required components that take time to develop, not something to put together the night before the deadline. The published application fee is $50.
Now for the question everyone wants to ask first: how difficult is it to get in? Bucknell reported 11,010 first-time applicants in the most recent cycle. Of those, 3,524 received an offer of admission. That is 32 out of every 100—and 7,486 applicants did not receive an offer.
Compared with the 942 selective private schools in this census, Bucknell is among those that admit the smallest share: nine out of ten schools in that group, or more, admitted a higher percentage of their applicants. That is a selective school in reality, not just in name.
This number is for the entire school. The federal system does not report how many students are admitted to each major, so if your child is pursuing a specific program, you need to request that information directly from admissions.
Here is something interesting that most families do not examine: how many admitted students actually enroll. Out of every 100 students Bucknell admitted, 29 ultimately enrolled there. The other 71 had an admission letter in hand and still chose another school. Compared with its peers, that proportion of 29 out of every 100 is on the high side: at most selective schools, a smaller share of admitted students enroll.
This percentage does not measure how difficult it is to get in or whether people were happy afterward. It only counts what other families decided after receiving their letters. When your child's letter arrives, place it alongside the others and compare net price, major, and distance—that is what determines the decision, not this number.
Regarding standardized tests, Bucknell reported that neither the SAT nor the ACT is required. If your child submits scores, they are considered; if not, the application remains valid. Of the first-time students who enrolled, 27 out of every 100 submitted SAT scores. Among those students, the middle half scored between 640 and 710 in reading and writing and between 660 and 740 in mathematics. Those ranges are for students who enrolled and submitted scores—not for all applicants, and they do not prove that a score was used to admit anyone. The 640 is not a minimum, and the 710 does not guarantee anything.
And regarding transfers: of the cohort that entered a full-time bachelor's degree program in 2017, only 5 out of every 100 are recorded as having transferred to another school without completing their degree at Bucknell within the expected period. Compared with 542 similar schools, that figure is on the low side—few leave. Separately, in the most recent fall, 32 undergraduate students entered Bucknell for the first time after attending another college or university. This number does not say how many courses Bucknell accepted for credit: you need to request that information in writing, with the exact list of credits in hand, before anyone changes schools.
The price you see first and why it is not the one that matters
At Bucknell University, among 57 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 $21,406. Among 51 students from the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $20,932; among 214 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $55,354. For dependent students, the band combines their parents' income with their own.
There is a difference of $33,948 between the average for the lowest-income band (57 students) and the average for the highest-income band (214 students). These are group averages, not a prediction of your family's price. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $38,486.
Even after grants and scholarships were deducted, the average net price for families in the lowest-income band was $21,406 in the 2022-23 academic year. If that amount does not fit your budget, it is better to see it today than in August.
Because the price changes so much from one income band to another, accurately identifying yours comes first. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average with grant or scholarship aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The financial aid letter you receive is what matters.
The aid that actually arrives and the loans that remain
The good news, if it can be called that: 59 out of every 100 students at Bucknell receive some form of aid that does not have to be repaid—grants or scholarships. That is more than half, but not everyone. Compared with 942 similar schools, that proportion falls in the quartile where grants and scholarships reach fewer students. Among those who did receive them, the average for the year was $41,269.
Separately, 11 out of every 100 students received a Pell Grant, the federal grant for families with demonstrated financial need.
An average grant or scholarship of $41,269 is real money. But it is not a price—it is what gets subtracted from the sticker price, and you have already seen above how much remains afterward according to family income. A high average among students who received aid does not mean your child's offer will be that large. When the letter arrives, what matters is how much your family would have to pay out of pocket—that is what you compare across universities, not the size of the discount they advertise.
Now, loans. In the most recently reported academic year, 34 out of every 100 undergraduate students at Bucknell received a federal student loan. That is more than two out of ten, but fewer than half. Among those who borrowed, each received an average of $6,350 that year. Compared with 942 similar schools, Bucknell is on the low side: seven out of ten schools in that group, or more, had a higher proportion of students with loans.
Some young people here went through the year without debt, and some borrowed. This percentage does not determine which group your child will fall into—the written financial aid letter your child receives does. And I want to make something very clear because it can be confusing: that average of $6,350 is for a single year and counts only federal loans in the student's name. It does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes end up signing for, debt from private banks, or credit-card debt. Nor is it the total debt with which someone graduates—to calculate that, you would have to add all four years, and that number is not in this report.
Regarding payment options, Bucknell reports offering a prepaid tuition plan, an installment payment plan, and participation in an institutional Promise program. It is worth asking directly about the details of each if cash flow, rather than the total cost, is your family's challenge.
Living there: campus, athletics, and what lies beyond the classroom
Bucknell does have institution-controlled housing, and the university indicated that not all first-time, full-time students are required to live there. That does not mean no program requires students to live on campus—it only means there is no universal requirement. The reported maximum housing capacity is 3,376 students. It also offers meal plans, although the number of meals per week varies according to the plan you choose.
The existence of housing does not guarantee your child a bed, and the existence of a meal plan does not mean it is included in the price you already calculated. Ask in writing for this year's rate, the housing application deadline, and whether a space is guaranteed or your child could be placed on a waiting list.
Regarding ROTC, Bucknell reported that an opportunity is available, and Army is the only branch marked. Neither Navy nor Air Force is marked. If your child is interested in another branch, this report does not confirm it—that does not mean it is impossible; it means you need to ask directly.
In athletics, Bucknell competes at the intercollegiate level and is affiliated with the NCAA. The report confirms NCAA membership for football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. But the membership belongs to the school, not your child: if your child is interested in competing, write directly to the coach for that sport, ask whether there is a place on the team, which division the team competes in, and whether that sport offers scholarships—and request written confirmation.
Bucknell does not offer distance education—not a single course, at either the undergraduate or graduate level. In the most recent count, zero out of every hundred students took all their classes online. If your child works or cares for someone at home, the entire schedule will have to fit in-person attendance. This data is from a specific year; if you want to confirm it for the time when your child enrolls, ask directly.
The library operates with paid staff, and its annual spending exceeded the threshold of $100,000 recorded by the federal government. It has physical and digital collections and participates in interlibrary lending. What the data does not say is what hours it is open or whether someone is available to guide your child through research—that, like almost everything here, must be asked directly.
Finally, Bucknell reports a package of services: combined academic and career counseling, employment services for currently enrolled students, placement services for program completers, participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program for veterans, and a webpage describing services for people with disabilities. The fact that these services are reported confirms that they formally exist—it does not measure their quality or how well they work for a particular student.
Those who stay and those who finish
We have reached the data that gives families the most reassurance, and it needs to be read with the same care as everything above.
In the cohort that entered Bucknell full time and for the first time, 1,034 students made up the initial cohort. Of those, 991—that is, 96 out of every 100—met the official retention criterion: one year later, they were still enrolled there or had already graduated. Compared with 930 similar schools, Bucknell is among those that retain the largest share of their entering cohort: nine out of ten schools in that group, or more, retained an equal or smaller proportion.
That is a very high number. But we need to be precise about what it measures: the criterion combines students who remained enrolled and those who had already graduated into a single figure—it does not let us know which of those two things happened to each person or what happened to the 43 who were not included in the official outcome.
Graduation tells a similar story. Out of every 100 students who entered a bachelor's degree program at Bucknell in 2017, 86 graduated within six years—839 out of 973, counting only those who entered full time without having previously attended another college or university. By four years, the figure had already reached 82 out of every 100, just four points below the final figure. Compared with 920 similar schools, Bucknell is among those graduating the largest shares of students: nine out of ten schools in that group, or more, reported an equal or smaller proportion.
This is the most honest thing I can tell you about that 86 percent: it describes what happened at that school to a specific cohort that entered in 2017. It is not a promise about what will happen to your child. What is within your family's control is making sure that your child starts with all credits in order and knows, from the first semester, who the academic advisor is and when registration opens for courses in the major.
There is a third, broader measure worth knowing: eight years after entry, counting an entire annual cohort—including both those who entered college for the first time and those who already had prior college experience—89 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this school. Among Pell Grant recipients, the figure was 88 out of every 100—practically the same, with a difference of only one point. Compared with 935 similar schools, Bucknell is again among those graduating the largest shares of students.
Again, the same discipline applies: a high percentage does not predict the outcome for a particular person. It describes a cohort that entered years ago. If any of this matters deeply to you, the right question to ask the university is not "What percentage graduates?" but "What support services exist today for the cohort entering this year?"
How to put all of this together
You now know in detail one of the three pieces you need to make a decision about Bucknell University: what kind of school it is, whom it admits, how much it really costs according to your family's income, and what has happened to the students who have attended.
You still need to combine this with what your child wants to study and has already accomplished in high school, and with what your family can and is willing to pay. A real plan comes from those three pieces together—not from this one alone.
None of these numbers decides for you. An admissions rate of 32 out of every 100 does not say whether your child will get in. An average net price of $21,406 does not say exactly how much you will pay. A graduation rate of 86 percent does not say whether your child will finish. What all these numbers do give you, taken together, is something valuable: you can enter this conversation with your child knowing what you are talking about instead of guessing.
Your child's job is to research the specific program, write the essay, and submit the application on time. Your job is to complete the FAFSA, request the financial aid letter in writing, compare the real number among the schools on your child's list, and not let a teenager who is only beginning to learn how to read a budget make the decision alone. It is not your life being decided here. But it is your job to stay informed until the moment your child has to make their own decision.
Note on sources: the information in this article comes from official data reported by Bucknell University to the United States Department of Education's IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System), corresponding to different years and cohorts as indicated with each figure. Best College Aid does not represent Bucknell University or any agency of the United States government.