I am not going to tell you whether DeSales is the right university for your son. That depends on what he wants to study, what your family can afford, and things only you know. What I can do is show you, precisely, the ground you will be walking on if this school remains in the conversation.
What kind of school it is and where it stands
DeSales University is a private, nonprofit institution offering four-year or higher programs. Carnegie, the federal system that classifies colleges and universities in the United States, places it among doctoral and professional universities and identifies it within its undergraduate profile as a selective-admission school. It is small and primarily residential: in the most recent count Carnegie used for this classification, between 25 and 49 out of every 100 undergraduate students lived in institution-provided housing, and at least half studied full time.
One detail worth knowing: between 2018 and 2021, Carnegie changed this school's category. If you ever see an older guide describing it differently, that does not mean either one is wrong. Classifications are updated.
The campus is in Center Valley, Lehigh County, within the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton metropolitan area, although that does not mean it is in the center of that city. The census code places it in a suburb: within the urbanized area but outside the principal city. If your son is thinking about living at home, do not rely on what the map says. Drive the route yourself on a weekday at the time he would have class.
DeSales reports that it offers programs through the doctoral level, and the federal system classifies it as a degree-granting institution that awards primarily bachelor's degrees or higher. That is an institutional fact, not a promise about your son's specific major. If he is interested in a program that connects undergraduate and graduate study, ask about it by name.
Something else worth clarifying: DeSales is not listed as a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. It is not that something is missing or unnecessary; it simply is not on those three lists. That says nothing about which communities it serves or how your son would feel there. Ask directly what cultural centers and student organizations exist today.
And do not judge or choose it based on the sticker price you will see later. Ask in writing how much your family would pay after scholarships and aid. That is the number that truly allows you to compare schools.
The size of the community and who makes it up
DeSales had 2,919 students enrolled in the most recent official count: 2,149 undergraduates and 770 graduate students. It is a medium-sized school—among the 941 selective-admission, private four-year schools that make up its comparison group in this census, its size is among the most common, neither among the largest nor among the smallest.
Here is a clarification that will spare you some confusion: the larger number, 2,919, includes graduate students. If your son is entering college to pursue a bachelor's degree, the number that matters to him is 2,149.
Among undergraduate students, 14 out of every 100 are Hispanic or Latino. It is a small minority, although compared with similar schools—private, four-year institutions with selective admission—it ranks above the midpoint of the group without reaching the highest quartile. That comparison has an important limitation: it does not account for the part of the country where the school is located, and that matters. If your son goes there, ask during the visit what specifically exists for Latino students: a student group, a cultural center, or someone in the office who speaks Spanish.
There are more women than men among undergraduates: 65 out of every 100 are women. Students ages 25 to 64 are few, at 14 out of every 100; this is mostly a community of young, full-time students.
How the academic year is organized
The year is divided into two semesters of about 15 weeks each. DeSales reported accepting credit from AP exams as well as what IPEDS calls credit for life experience—independent study, work experience, prior licenses, among other things. It also reports accepting credit for military training and enrolling high school students in college courses for credit outside a formal dual-enrollment program.
Reporting these pathways does not mean your son will automatically receive credit through them. It does not say what AP scores are required or how many credits are awarded. Request a written transfer-credit evaluation before he enrolls. Do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
As for majors: in the most recent year reported, DeSales awarded 547 bachelor's degrees across 20 program families. The family awarding the most degrees was health professions, with 29 out of every 100 degrees—no other family exceeded it, but it does not account for the bulk of the degrees either. The offerings are fairly distributed. The fact that the report has entries for 20 families does not mean there are 20 complete majors or that all of them have active degrees; verify the exact program that interests your son.
The ratio of students to instructional staff, with both measured as full-time equivalents, is 11 to 1—low compared with similar schools. Be careful: this is an aggregate ratio, not the actual size of a classroom. We do not know which method the institution used to calculate it, and it does not report the size of first-year classes.
DeSales also reports structured opportunities: study abroad, a complete program that can be taken only in the evening or on weekends, and teacher-certification preparation pathways, including state approval for initial certification.
The entrance door: what it requires and how accessible it is
DeSales does not have open admission. Of the nine considerations it reviews in the process, it marks six as required: the high school record, GPA, completion of the correct college-preparatory curriculum, a personal essay, letters of recommendation, and an English-proficiency test for applicants to whom it applies. Beyond the required items, only one additional factor is considered if submitted: class rank. The published undergraduate application fee is $0.
This is a lengthy application. It has several pieces that come together over time, not in one night. The essay is required: have your son start it in the summer, not during the week of the deadline.
Now, the numbers that really show how accessible admission is:
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| First-time applicants (cycle 2023) | 3,636 |
| Received an offer of admission | 2,857 (79 out of every 100) |
| Among those admitted, enrolled here | 16 out of every 100 |
Seven or eight out of every ten applicants receive an offer. Admission is not automatic, but your son has a real reason to apply without leaving it until the last minute. That percentage comes from a single cycle, not a fixed rule: when it is time for him to apply, check that year's number again.
The second figure is what surprises families most: out of every six admitted students, about one ultimately enrolled. The others had an offer but did not accept it. Do not read that as a stain on the school—the federal record does not say why each person chose what they chose. What matters is this: what others decided does not tell you what the school will offer you. Wait for your own letter showing the net price before deciding whether the school remains on the list.
The SAT and ACT are not required. Among those who enrolled and submitted SAT scores—37 out of every 100, a high share compared with similar schools—the middle half scored between 550 and 650 in reading and writing and between 540 and 640 in math. Those numbers describe students who enrolled and submitted scores, not all applicants. That 550 is not a minimum, and that 650 does not guarantee anything.
On transfers: among the bachelor's-degree-seeking cohort that entered in 2017, 20 out of every 100 transferred to another institution without completing at DeSales. Changing schools is not failing. It is worth making sure your son knows in advance how to request the paperwork needed to leave if necessary.
The published cost and what each family actually pays
At DeSales University, among 46 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 $22,193. Among 55 students in the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $25,683; among 271 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $33,532. For dependent students, the band combines their parents' income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band (46 students) and the highest-income band (271 students) is $11,339. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $30,524.
Even after grants and scholarships were deducted, the average net price for the lowest-income families was $22,193 in the 2022-23 academic year. If that number does not fit your budget, it is better to see it today than in August.
An average does not show how different the cases within that band were; this figure does not allow us to say that some families were far below or above the published amount. 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 aid that exists, and the debt that also exists
91 out of every 100 degree-seeking students receive some grant or scholarship aid that does not have to be repaid. Among recipients, the annual average was $25,031. It is real money, but it is not a price: what determines how much you will pay is the amount left afterward, and that comes in your personal letter, not from this average.
The Pell Grant—federal aid for low-income families—reached 23 out of every 100 students.
Now the loan portion, stated plainly: 64 out of every 100 undergraduate students at DeSales received a federal student loan that year. Compared with similar schools, that share is on the high side—seven out of every ten similar schools had an equal or lower share. Among those who borrowed, the average amount per borrower that year was $6,755. If your son borrowed a similar amount in each of the four years, the total would be around $27,020, not including interest. That calculation should be made before the first signature, not at the end of the road.
Financing with debt is common here, not the exception. This percentage describes other families, not yours—how much your son would need to borrow will come from his own financial-aid letter. Wait for that letter before ruling out the school and before committing to it.
DeSales also offers a tuition payment plan with installments as an additional way to manage the cost.
Campus life, learning format, and support
DeSales has its own housing, with a reported capacity of 1,160 students in institution-provided housing on or off campus, and no first-time, full-time student is required to live there. It also offers meal plans, although the number of meals per week varies by plan. The existence of housing does not guarantee an available bed: request the annual rate, application deadline, and whether you are guaranteed a place or placed on a waitlist in writing.
If your son is interested in ROTC, the only branch confirmed in writing in the report is Army. The fact that Navy and Air Force are not marked does not mean participation is impossible—it means you need to ask directly.
DeSales competes in intercollegiate athletics and is affiliated with the NCAA. The report specifically confirms membership for basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track. If your son plays a sport, that membership belongs to the school, not to him: write to the coach for that sport and ask whether there is a place on the team, which division they compete in, and whether athletic aid is available. Get the answer in writing.
Regarding distance education: 12 out of every 100 undergraduate students took their entire course load online, and 88 took at least one in-person class. DeSales reports offering at least one program that can be completed entirely through distance education, but the data do not confirm whether that applies to your son's specific major. Confirm it by name.
The library operates with paid staff and exceeded the government-recorded spending threshold of $100,000. It has physical and digital materials and participates in interlibrary lending. That is the baseline, not a guarantee that it has the databases your son's major requires—ask using the program's name.
Among the services and support the institution reports are combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services upon completion, participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program, a designated point of contact for veterans and military service members, a student veterans organization, and a published web address for services for people with disabilities.
Who stays, who leaves, and who finishes
This is at the heart of the question every family asks: if my son enrolls, will he finish?
Among the cohort that entered in the fall of 2022, 81 out of every 100 were still enrolled at DeSales or had already completed a bachelor's degree the following year. That figure ranks slightly above the midpoint among similar schools. This number does not tell you two things: it does not separate those still studying from those who had already graduated, and not returning is not the same as dropping out—someone who transferred to another university and is still enrolled there is counted the same as someone who left college entirely.
The cohort that started in 2017 gives us the most decisive figure: out of 421 first-time, full-time students, 299 had a bachelor's degree in hand six years later. That is 71 out of every 100—a result that places it in the highest quartile among selective private schools of its type. At the four-year mark, the figure falls to 62 out of every 100.
It is worth seeing the full detail for that same cohort of 421: 299 completed a bachelor's degree at DeSales; 86 transferred to another institution without completing here; 1 remained enrolled without completing; and 35 fell into the “no longer enrolled” category, which does not give a reason.
A high number is not a promise for your son in particular. It is what happened to that specific cohort. What is within your control is making sure he enters with his credits in order and knows, from the first semester, who his academic advisor is and when registration opens for courses in his major.
There is one more figure, measured over eight years, worth looking at directly because it is not as encouraging: among a cohort that entered between 2015 and 2016, 61 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from DeSales by the August 2023 reporting date. Among Pell Grant recipients, that figure falls to 52 out of every 100—14 points lower than among nonrecipients. Compared with similar schools, this eight-year figure ranks below the midpoint of the group. If your family would qualify for Pell, this does not determine your son's outcome, but it is a question worth asking the school directly: what specific support exists for those students, whether they have an assigned advisor, whether emergency assistance is available, and whether the institutional scholarship is renewed every year. Get the answer in writing.
What this article cannot tell you
We do not know from this information how much a DeSales graduate earns, how much debt a graduate carries, or how quickly a graduate finds work. That information is not part of what the government requires to be reported in these figures, and we are not going to invent it.
I also cannot tell you whether DeSales is the right university for your family. That depends on three things only you know: what your son wants to study and what he has built so far, what your family can afford with the financial-aid letter in hand, and how far from home he is willing to live. The data you just read are only one piece of the map, but they are a real, verified piece, and you now know them better than most people beginning this search.
Combine this with what your son wants, what he has demonstrated so far, and the number that truly fits your family's budget. A plan comes from that combination.
Note on sources: The information in this article comes from data reported by DeSales University to the U.S. Department of Education's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), primarily from the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles, and from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Best College Aid does not represent DeSales University or the United States government; this article organizes and explains existing public information.