This article will not tell you whether Marietta College is the right school for your family. That depends on what your child wants to study, what you can afford, and how far away you are willing to let your child go. But using official United States government data, it will give you an honest picture of what kind of institution this school is. Let’s go through it piece by piece.
What Kind of School Marietta College Is
Marietta College is a private nonprofit institution that offers four-year bachelor’s degrees, as well as some master’s programs, the highest level it reports. The federal Carnegie system—which classifies United States colleges according to what they do—describes it as a small, highly residential bachelor’s college with diverse fields of study: this means that, at the time of that classification, at least half of its undergraduate students lived in institution-owned or institution-affiliated housing, and at least eight out of ten attended full-time.
This matters because it changes how you should budget. If your child ends up attending Marietta, your child will likely live on campus, which means room and board costs that are almost never included with tuition in the glossy brochure. Ask for those costs separately before comparing this school with any other.
Carnegie also places it in its selective-admission group, something we will examine later with specific numbers.
As for special designations, Marietta College is not a historically Black college or university (HBCU), is not a tribal college, and is not a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 colleges in the federal directory, 138 carry at least one of those three labels. Marietta’s lack of any of them says nothing about which students it serves or how your child will feel there. Ask directly: what cultural centers currently exist, what student organizations are available, and, better yet, talk with someone who already attends the college.
Where it is located. Marietta College is in the city of Marietta, Ohio, in Washington County. The area surrounding the campus is classified as a town near an urban area, but not within one. If your family does not live nearby, you will need to calculate separately where your child would live and how your child would get there—this information only identifies the school’s location and says nothing about your particular circumstances.
A Small Community, and Something That Needs to Be Said Directly
Marietta College’s official fall enrollment totaled 1,171, including 1,085 at the undergraduate level and 86 at the graduate level. Above all, it is an undergraduate school. By size, it falls in the middle range among similar schools: neither one of the largest nor one of the smallest compared with the other 941 selective private institutions in the same census.
Now for the part that needs to be said plainly. At Marietta College, 3 out of every 100 undergraduate students identified as Hispanic or Latino. That is a low figure: among the 941 similar schools reporting this information, nine out of ten have a higher share. There are also very few adult students—the school reported only 3 out of every 100 as being between the ages of 25 and 64—and the campus is nearly evenly divided between men and women, with 49 out of every 100 being women.
Having few Latino students does not make the school bad, just as having many would not make it good. It is simply information about who is enrolled today. If your child will be one of the few, the question to ask during a visit is specific: what student groups exist, what support is available, and whether your child can speak with a Latino student before deciding. The number shown here covers the entire school; your child’s experience in a particular major may look different.
One more piece of context: slightly more than half of entering students reported a permanent address in the same state as the institution. If you live outside Ohio, your child would be entering an environment where many classmates are from the state.
How the Academic Year Works
Marietta College’s calendar is organized into semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. The school reported that it accepts credit for AP exams, as well as what IPEDS calls credit for life experience—learning acquired through independent study, adult courses, work experience, portfolios, prior licenses, or military or professional opportunities. It also reports accepting credit for military training and enrolls high school students in college courses through a formal dual-enrollment program.
Here is an extremely valuable warning: reporting that it accepts AP does not mean it awards credit for every exam. The report does not say what scores are required, how many credits are awarded, or whether those credits apply to your child’s particular major. Ask for a written evaluation of equivalencies before enrolling, and do not budget for those savings until you have it in hand.
As for what students can study, Marietta College’s offerings are spread across many areas. In the most recently reported year, it awarded 267 bachelor’s degrees across 20 fields of study, known by the government as CIP families. None accounts for a large share: business and management was the most popular, yet it still represented only 18 out of every 100 degrees awarded that year. These are not 20 specific majors—a family may group several programs together, and some rows may report zero—so your child needs to verify that the exact program of interest is currently offered in the catalog.
Regarding the relationship between students and faculty, Marietta College reports 9 students per full-time-equivalent faculty member, one of the lowest ratios among its comparable schools—it is in the group’s lowest quartile. But a low ratio does not guarantee small classes; it is an aggregate number, not a count of seats in a classroom. Ask directly how many students are in first-year classes.
The institution also reports structured opportunities such as study abroad, undergraduate research, and several pathways related to teacher certification. Their inclusion in the report confirms that they exist as programs; it does not say how they operate in practice for your child’s major.
Getting In: The Application, Selectivity, and What Happens Next
Marietta College does not have open admission. That means it reviews certain materials before saying yes. Of the nine considerations the government asks about, the school marked six as required: the high school transcript, grade point average, completion of the required college-preparatory curriculum, the personal essay, letters of recommendation, and an English-proficiency exam when applicable. It is a lengthy application, the kind that takes time to assemble rather than something completed in one night. The good news: the published application fee is $0.
There is one factor your child cannot change: the school reported that it considers whether a relative attended the institution. If that does not apply, that energy is better invested in what your child can control.
Now for the specific numbers showing how difficult it is to get in. In the 2023 cycle, Marietta College received 2,516 first-year applications and offered admission to 1,978. That is 79 out of every 100—seven or eight out of ten received a yes. Compared with the 942 selective private schools in this census, that figure falls near the middle, slightly above the midpoint. Admission is not automatic, but it is also not among the most restrictive. And remember: this figure covers only one cycle. When it is your child’s turn, check the number again for the applicable year.
Here is a fact that surprises many families: out of every 100 admitted students, only 16 ultimately enrolled at Marietta that fall. The other 84 had a place but did not take it. Do not read that as a blemish—the federal record does not say why each person made that decision. What it does tell you is this: what others did does not predict what the school will offer you. Wait for your letter with the net price, which is the number that matters, before adding or removing this school from your list.
Regarding standardized tests, the SAT and ACT are not required at Marietta College. Among enrolled first-year students, 18 out of every 100 submitted SAT scores, and among those students the middle half scored between 500 and 640 in reading and writing and between 490 and 655 in mathematics. Those numbers cover students who enrolled and submitted scores—not all applicants—and they do not prove that anyone’s score was used in an admission decision. That 500 is not a minimum that must be reached.
Regarding transfers: in the fall of 2023, the number of students who arrived at Marietta College after studying at another institution was 27. The rate of students who leave Marietta for another institution was not reported by the school, so it is not available here—that does not mean no one transfers, only that this particular figure is not included in the file.
The Sticker Price, and Why It Is Not the Final Word
Among first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students at Marietta College who received Title IV federal aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the population counted 35 and the average net price was $14,987. For the same student population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, the population counted 54 and the average was $16,626; for those with EFC family income above $110,000, the population counted 31 and the average was $25,625. For dependent students, the band combines their parents’ income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band, with a population count of 35, and the average for the highest-income band, with a population count of 31, is $10,638. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship, the average was $21,333.
$14,987 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 decide whether it is worth requesting the financial aid letter.
None of these figures is a quote for your child. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received Title IV federal aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average for students receiving grants or scholarships, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The figure that matters is the financial aid letter sent to you. In the meantime, use the net price calculator on the school’s website.
Grants, Loans, and the Weight of Debt
Of every 100 degree-seeking students at Marietta College, 89 received a grant or other aid that does not need to be repaid. Among recipients, the annual average was $29,378. It is an average, so it includes people who received much more and people who received much less—it is not your offer, but a reference point.
The Pell Grant, federal aid for low-income families, reached 28 out of every 100 students.
Now for the debt, without embellishment. In the 2022-23 school year, 61 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal student loan. Financing an education with debt is common here, not the exception. Borrowers took on an average of $9,972 in that year alone. If your child borrowed a similar amount in each of the four years of the degree program, the total would be around $39,888, excluding interest. Make that calculation before the first signature, not at the end.
This average covers only federal loans in the student’s name—it does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes sign for, debt from private banks, or credit card debt. And it is not the total debt with which someone graduates; calculating that would require adding all four years, and that number is not in this report.
The institution also offers a tuition installment payment plan, in case that helps you manage cash flow during the year.
Housing, Activities, and Campus Support
Marietta College has its own housing, although not all first-year students are required to live there. Its reported maximum capacity is 1,185. It also offers meal plans, with a fixed number of meals per week in the largest plan. The existence of housing does not guarantee a bed: ask about the rate for the year, the application deadline, and whether you are guaranteed a place or placed on a waiting list.
Regarding ROTC, Marietta College reported offering an Air Force ROTC opportunity. Neither Army nor Navy is marked. The fact that they are not marked does not mean participation is impossible—it means you need to ask directly and confirm whether the program is completed on this campus or another one.
In athletics, Marietta competes at the intercollegiate level and is affiliated with the NCAA. It reports membership for football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. If your child wants to play, the recommendation is simple: write directly to the coach for that sport, ask whether there is an opening, what division the team competes in, and whether that specific sport awards scholarships. Ask for a written response.
As for distance education, Marietta offers it at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, although in practice it is marginal: only 1 out of every 100 undergraduate students take all their classes remotely. The school reports having at least one program that can be completed entirely online, but that information does not confirm the exact level—you need to confirm the specific program and level.
The library operates with paid staff, and its annual expenditures exceed the $100,000 threshold recorded by the government. It has physical and digital collections and participates in interlibrary lending. Among the services and support the institution reports are combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services for graduates, participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program, a point of contact for veterans and military service members, a student veterans’ organization, and a disability-services webpage.
Retention and Graduation: Who Stays and Who Finishes
Caution is needed here because the numbers do not always mean what they seem to mean at first glance.
Of the cohort of first-time, full-time students who entered in the fall of 2022, 73 out of every 100 were still at Marietta or had already graduated one year later. That places the school slightly below the midpoint compared with its 930 peers in the census. The figure does not separate how many were still enrolled from how many had already graduated quickly, nor does it explain what happened to the rest: not returning is not the same as abandoning an education. Someone who transferred to another college and continues studying there is counted the same in this figure as someone who left school entirely.
Regarding graduation: in a cohort of 272 students who began a bachelor’s degree at Marietta in 2017 as first-time, full-time students, 158 had earned a degree from Marietta itself within six years. That is 58 out of every 100. At the four-year mark, the figure drops to 48 out of every 100—a difference of ten points, reflecting that many students need more time than the degree officially takes. Compared with its 920 peers, Marietta falls below the group’s midpoint. One important fact: the available fields do not allow a complete reconstruction of what happened to the rest of that cohort. Not graduating from Marietta does not automatically mean abandoning an education; it could mean transferring, pausing, or taking other paths that this report does not capture.
A broader eight-year indicator followed a group of full-time and part-time students who entered between 2015 and 2016, with a total group size of 354. As of August 2023, 54 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from Marietta. Within that group, there is a gap worth naming directly: among Pell Grant recipients—students from low-income families—only 39 out of every 100 graduated from Marietta within eight years, 22 points below those who did not receive Pell. It is a real difference and needs to be confronted, not hidden. If your family would qualify for Pell today, that does not determine your child’s outcome, but it is worth asking the school directly: what specific counseling exists for those students, what emergency aid is available, and whether internal scholarships are renewed each year. Ask for a written response.
What Is Up to Each Person
Marietta College is a small private school in an Ohio town, with selective but reasonably accessible admission, where most students receive financial aid and financing an education with loans is common, not the exception. It is a community with very few Latino students, an academic offering spread across many areas without any one of them dominating, and graduation outcomes below the median of its comparable schools, especially for students who receive Pell.
None of this decides everything. It is the college’s responsibility to admit students, offer aid, and be honest in its letter. It is your child’s responsibility to build an academic record, write an essay, decide what to study, and, if admitted, do the work needed to take advantage of what the school offers. Your responsibility is different: understand your family’s actual finances, ask for the financial aid letter before dismissing or falling in love with any school, and support this decision without carrying it alone or leaving your child to carry it alone.
You now have an in-depth understanding of one piece of the puzzle: what Marietta College is, according to its own official numbers. Combine it with what your child wants to study, what your child has built so far, and what your family can and is willing to pay. A plan comes from that combination, not from this piece alone.
Source note: The information in this article comes from official data reported by Marietta College to the United States Department of Education’s IPEDS system, primarily covering the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles. Best College Aid does not represent Marietta College or any government agency; this article organizes and explains public information to help you understand it.