That is what you will have when you finish reading. Not a recommendation. An understanding.
What Kind of School It Is, in One Sentence
Juniata College is a private, nonprofit, four-year college focused on the arts and sciences. That is how the Carnegie system classifies it, using the same standard that organizes every college in the country by what it does. The institution reports a master’s degree as its highest level, although that is a general institutional fact: it does not mean that a master’s degree exists in the field that interests your child. If your child’s plan involves a specific graduate program, ask directly.
It is in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, within the county of the same name. The setting is a town, far from any large city. And Carnegie classifies it as “highly residential”: at least half of its undergraduate students live in institution-owned housing. That has a practical consequence that many families discover late: the cost of living there is almost never included in the tuition shown in the brochure. It is quoted separately, along with the meal plan, and you need to request it before comparing this school with any other.
If your family does not live nearby, there is something else to figure out before making any decision: where your child would live and how your child would get to campus. The location data only says where the school is, not how far away it is from you.
One note that also matters because of what it does not say: Juniata College has none of the three federal designations applied to certain colleges (it is not a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution). That says nothing about which communities it serves today or how your child would feel there. Ask about that directly by speaking with someone who already studies on campus.
The Size of the Community Your Child Would Join
Juniata had total enrollment of 1,292 students in the official fall count: undergraduate enrollment was 1,212, and graduate enrollment was 80. It is primarily a bachelor’s-degree institution, and its size places it right at the midpoint compared with similar private schools: neither among the giants nor among the tiny ones.
Here is a figure worth looking at directly: out of every 100 undergraduate students, 7 are Hispanic or Latino. It is a small minority, and compared with nearly a thousand similar private schools, Juniata ranks below the midpoint of the group. This neither removes the school from your list nor puts it on the list. It only tells you that if your child will be one of the few, it is worth asking during the visit which student organization, cultural center, or person in the admissions office speaks Spanish and can support your child.
The undergraduate population is almost evenly split between men and women (53 out of every 100 are women), and there are almost no adult students: only 1 out of every 100 is between the ages of 25 and 64. If your child was thinking about returning to school after some time away, or if you are considering this path for yourself later, this is not a campus where that is common.
One piece of information is missing: where incoming students came from. IPEDS does not report it for this school in the cycle reviewed. It simply is not there, and no estimate is made.
How Academic Life Is Organized
The year is divided into semesters, two long terms of about 15 weeks. Regarding prior credits, Juniata accepts AP exam credit, but it did not indicate that it accepts credit for life experience. Accepting AP does not mean it grants credit for every score: request a written equivalency evaluation before enrolling, and do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand. The institution also reports enrolling high school students in college courses for credit through a formal dual enrollment program.
Its degree offerings are widely distributed. In the reported year, Juniata awarded 294 bachelor’s degrees across 21 fields of study, and none accounted for a large share: the largest, biological and biomedical sciences, represented only 18 out of every 100 degrees awarded that year. Compared with similar schools, it is among those with the greatest variety of represented fields of study. But be careful: 21 fields with a row in the report do not mean 21 guaranteed active majors. A field groups several programs and may have had no degrees awarded that year. Verify the exact program that interests your child, not the entire field.
The student-to-instructional-staff ratio is 10 to 1, a low figure compared with similar schools. It is tempting to read this as “small classes,” but the data does not say that: it is an aggregate ratio and does not report the actual size of a classroom or the method used to calculate it.
Regarding structured pathways, the institution reports study abroad, cocurricular undergraduate research, and teacher preparation and certification pathways, including state approval for initial teacher certification. Their being reported does not yet tell you their scope, capacity, or quality; they are starting points for questions to ask admissions.
Getting Into Juniata: What It Requires and What Actually Happens
Juniata does not have open admission. It reviews specific items before saying yes: the high school transcript, grade point average, the program of study completed, the personal essay, letters of recommendation, and an English proficiency exam for applicants to whom it applies. By contrast, it does not consider class rank, a portfolio of skills, work experience, or whether a relative studied there. It is a long application, with several required components that should be prepared over time, not in one night. The good news: the published application fee is $0. And if the essay is part of the package, have your child start it during the summer, not the week of the deadline. The first draft is never the one that gets submitted.
Here is the number that surprises many families:
Out of every 100 first-time applicants, 72 received an offer of admission.
It is an accessible admission rate, at the midpoint compared with similar selective private schools. Your child has a real reason to apply, as well as a reason not to leave it until the last minute. But this figure comes from a single cycle: if more applicants apply in your child’s year without the number of available places increasing, the number falls on its own. Check it again when your child’s turn comes.
Now comes the contrast that truly matters:
Out of every 100 admitted students, only 19 decided to enroll.
Put another way: out of every five young people who receive a yes from Juniata, about one ultimately attends. The others had a place and did not take it. This is not a mark against the school—the record does not say why each person chose what they chose—but it is a truth worth stating plainly: receiving the letter is not the same as deciding to attend. What others decided also does not tell you what you will be offered. What determines the decision is your financial aid letter with the net price, the real number. With that in hand, you can decide whether the school stays on the list.
Regarding standardized tests, the SAT and ACT are not required. If submitted, they are considered; if not, the application remains valid just the same. Among those who enrolled, 37 out of every 100 submitted SAT scores—a high share compared with schools of its type—and among them, the middle half scored between 550 and 660 in reading and writing and between 520 and 620 in mathematics. Those ranges describe students who enrolled and submitted scores, not all applicants. That 550 is not a minimum for admission, nor is that 660 a guarantee.
And one figure that is rarely seen but carries weight: among the bachelor’s-degree-seeking cohort that entered in 2017, 30 out of every 100 transferred to another school without completing at Juniata. That share ranks on the high side compared with similar schools. The report does not explain why each person left, and leaving does not mean they did poorly. But there is an accounting detail almost no one sees: a student who transfers does not appear as a Juniata graduate, even if that student completes a degree elsewhere. It is worth remembering when we discuss graduation rates later.
The List Price and What Is Actually Paid
At Juniata College, among a group of 32 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 $18,472. Among a group of 43 students from the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $24,309; among a group of 106 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $34,036. For dependent students, the band combines their parents’ income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band (a group of 32 students) and the average for the highest-income band (a group of 106 students) is $15,564. These are group averages, not a prediction of your family’s price. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship, the average was $28,925.
$18,472 was the average net price for the lowest-income families in academic year 2022-23. That does not mean it is what your family will pay. It helps you determine whether it is worth requesting the financial aid letter.
Because the price changes so much from one income band to another, identifying yours correctly is the first step. 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 for students receiving 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.
How Juniata Is Paid for in Practice
The first data point is striking: all degree- or certificate-seeking students counted that year received some grant or scholarship aid that does not have to be repaid. Among recipients, the average was $41,366 for the year—a high figure, although it includes people who received much more and people who received much less. The Pell Grant, federal aid for low-income families, reached 28 out of every 100 students.
And here is the other side of the coin, the one worth examining without blinking:
Out of every 100 undergraduate students, 67 had federal student loans. That is a majority, and compared with similar private schools, Juniata ranks on the high side: seven out of every ten similar schools had an equal or lower share.
Among borrowers, the average amount borrowed by each was $6,163 that academic year. If your child borrowed a similar amount in each of the four years, the total would be around $24,652, not counting interest. That number is decided before the first signature, not at the end of the road. One necessary clarification: that average covers only federal loans in the student’s name. It does not include PLUS loans that parents sometimes sign for, debt owed to banks or credit cards, or the total debt with which someone graduates. That total is not in this report.
The fact that borrowing is common here does not determine whether your child will need it. That comes from your child’s personal financial aid letter and the difference between the net price and what the family can contribute. If debt appears in the offer, request the estimated monthly payment before accepting anything.
The institution also reports a tuition payment plan, an option for those who prefer to spread the cost across the year instead of paying it all at once.
Campus Life, Sports, and Support
Juniata does have institution-owned housing, and it does not require all first-time students to live there. It also offers meal plans, although the number of meals per week varies by the plan selected. IPEDS reports a maximum housing capacity of 1,222 students. The existence of housing does not guarantee an available bed for your child: ask for the rate for the year, the application deadline, and whether a place is guaranteed or your child would join a waiting list.
Regarding ROTC, Juniata did not indicate any opportunity in its most recent report, either in the general field or for any specific branch. Among the four-year schools in this guide, more than half did indicate one. That does not prove that no pathway exists nearby—it only means none was reported in that field—so if that scholarship matters to your family, ask admissions directly before ruling it out.
In sports, Juniata competes at the intercollegiate level and is affiliated with the NCAA (not the NAIA or other associations). It reports membership for football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. This does not say which division each sport competes in or whether it offers athletic scholarships: ask the coach of the sport that interests your child directly, and it is wise to get the answer in writing.
Regarding distance education, Juniata offers it at the undergraduate and graduate levels, although in practice very few undergraduate students—fewer than 1 out of every 100—take their entire course load that way. The institution reports that at least one program exists in which all courses can be completed at a distance, but that must be confirmed in writing for the specific program.
The library operates with paid staff, has physical and digital collections, and participates in interlibrary lending. The institution also reports combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services for graduates, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program (for veterans), and a published address for services for students with disabilities. The fact that these services are reported does not measure their quality or actual effectiveness: that is learned by speaking with current students.
They Stay, They Graduate, and What Happens to the Rest
Of the cohort that entered in the fall of 2022, 77 out of every 100 met the official retention criterion: they were still enrolled at Juniata or had already graduated one year later. This figure ranks slightly above the midpoint compared with similar private schools. What it does not say is what happened to the rest, or whether “not returning” means leaving higher education or simply transferring to another school. Both count the same in this figure.
Regarding graduation, among the cohort that entered in 2017: 69 out of every 100 graduated from Juniata within six years. By four years, the figure had already reached 64 out of every 100—only five points lower—which suggests that a large share of those who graduate do so on time. Compared with similar selective private schools, Juniata ranks above the midpoint of the group.
It is worth seeing the complete breakdown of that cohort of 341 students: 235 graduated here, 103 transferred without completing at Juniata, 2 were still enrolled without graduating as of the reporting date, and 1 fell into the “no longer enrolled” category (which does not report the reason). Remember the earlier point: a student who transfers does not count as a Juniata graduate, even if that student finishes elsewhere.
And there is a longer view, at eight years, for the cohort that entered in 2015-16: 76 out of every 100 had earned a Juniata degree or certificate by August 2023. That same figure, calculated separately for students with Pell Grants, was exactly the same: 76 out of every 100. Their matching does not mean the path was identical for everyone. Compared with similar selective private schools, Juniata ranks in the top quarter of the group.
None of these numbers predicts your child’s outcome. They describe earlier cohorts in different years. Their value is as an honest point of reference: they are the actual patterns of those who went through the school before.
What You Already Know and What Remains to Be Learned
You now know Juniata College through real figures, not through the impression left by an attractive brochure or a guided tour. You know that it admits most of those who knock on its door, but that most admitted students choose something else. You know that student borrowing is more common there than at similar schools, and you know exactly how much it could add up to over four years. You know that the Latino community there is small, that the campus is in a town far from the cities, and that nearly seven out of every ten students finish with a degree from Juniata.
This is one piece of the plan, not the complete plan. Your child has to decide whether to study there, explore which program to pursue, and build an application. You have to understand the family’s finances, request the financial aid letter in writing, and compare the real number, not the list price. And Juniata has to admit or deny your child and offer—or not offer—the aid that makes the decision possible.
Combine this with what your child wants to study, what your child has already accomplished in high school, and what your family can and is willing to pay. A real plan grows from that combination, not from any single piece.
Source note: the information in this article comes from data reported by Juniata College to the U.S. Department of Education’s IPEDS system, primarily for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles. Best College Aid does not represent Juniata College or any government agency; this article organizes and explains public data to help families understand it.