Bucknell University: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Lewisburg, Pennsylvania · Private nonprofit · Selective · CDS 2024-2025
Bucknell University is a private nonprofit university in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania that admits about 32% of applicants, making it a selective school. The average family pays about $40,429 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Economics, Political Science and Government and Psychology, General, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. About 86% of students graduate within six years. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 5.7 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Bucknell University is a private institution located in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania with a selective admissions profile. For the most recent reporting cycle, Bucknell University admits between a quarter and half of applicants, with an overall admission rate of 32%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1389 and an ACT composite around 31. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $40,429 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Bucknell University is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Bucknell University?
Admitted students at Bucknell University typically present unweighted GPAs in the 3.6–3.9 range with several honors or AP courses. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
What does Bucknell University weight in admissions?
Bucknell University reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2024-2025). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Academic GPA
- • Application essay
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Talent/ability
- • Character/personal qualities
- • Recommendations
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
- • Class rank
- • Standardized test scores
- • First generation status
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • Geographical residence
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
- • Level of applicant's interest
- • Interview
- • State residency
SAT and ACT scores Bucknell University typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 660–740, with an EBRW midpoint near 675. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 31–33. A score at or above this school's 75th percentile materially improves your child's odds, particularly when paired with a rigorous course load.
| 25th percentile | 1170 |
| 50th percentile | 1280 |
| 75th percentile | 1380 |
| % submitting SAT | 68% |
| 25th percentile | 26 |
| 50th percentile | 29 |
| 75th percentile | 32 |
| % submitting ACT | 19% |
- • Test-optional: Standardized test scores are not required, but may be submitted and considered.
- • Policy detail: Considered if submitted
Where admitted students ranked in their high school class
Class rank distribution gives parents a clear sense of how academically dominant a typical admitted student was within their own high school cohort — often a more meaningful signal than absolute GPA.
| Top 10% of class | 58% |
| Top 25% of class | 85% |
| Top 50% of class | 96% |
| % submitting class rank | 21% |
How much does Bucknell University actually cost?
Published tuition is $64,772 for in-state students and $64,772 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $16,118 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $40,429 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 11% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | $69,976 |
| Room and board | $17,560 |
| Average net price (after aid) | $40,429 |
| Application fee | $50 (waivers available) |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Bucknell University
| Regular deadline | 1/15 |
| Notification date | 4/1 |
| Reply deadline | 5/1 |
| Offers Early Decision | Yes |
| ED deadline | 11/15 |
| ED acceptance rate | 55% |
Will my child graduate from Bucknell University?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Most popular majors at Bucknell University
The most popular undergraduate programs at Bucknell University, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Economics, Political Science and Government and Psychology, General. Across all programs, Bucknell University confers roughly 555 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Economics program report a median income of about $101,580 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Economics | 133 | $101,580 |
| Political Science and Government | 97 | $87,169 |
| Psychology, General | 93 | $61,400 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 74 | $121,826 |
| Biology, General | 64 | $72,196 |
| Marketing | 36 | $98,141 |
| Computer Engineering | 32 | $140,705 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 26 | — |
Is Bucknell University safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Bucknell University disclosed 22 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 5.7 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 0 violent offenses and 20 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
What is campus life like at Bucknell University?
About 76% of undergraduates at Bucknell University live in campus housing, making it a largely residential campus. In Greek life, 31% of men join a fraternity and 43% of women join a sorority. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.
Other colleges in Pennsylvania parents ask about
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Bucknell University
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Bucknell University recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Bucknell University
What GPA do I need for Bucknell University?
Admitted students at Bucknell University typically present unweighted GPAs in the 3.6–3.9 range with several honors or AP courses.
What SAT or ACT score does Bucknell University typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 660–740, with an EBRW midpoint near 675. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 31–33.
How much does Bucknell University actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Bucknell University after grants and scholarships is $40,429 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Bucknell University realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Bucknell University is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Bucknell University?
Bucknell University accepts about 32% of applicants out of roughly 11,377 who apply each year. That makes it a selective school.
Is Bucknell University test-optional?
Yes. Bucknell University is test-optional, so SAT and ACT scores are not required, but strong scores can still be submitted and will be considered.
What is the graduation rate at Bucknell University?
About 86% of students at Bucknell University graduate within six years. 94% of freshmen return for sophomore year. Graduation rate predicts real outcomes better than acceptance rate.
Does applying Early Decision improve my chances at Bucknell University?
Bucknell University's Early Decision acceptance rate is about 55%, compared with its overall rate of 32%. Applying ED can meaningfully improve admission odds, but it is a binding commitment to enroll if accepted.
What does Bucknell University look for in applicants?
Bucknell University rates course rigor, GPA, the application essay and extracurricular activities as "very important" in its Common Data Set. These are the factors the admissions committee weighs most heavily when reviewing an application.
Is Bucknell University a public or private school, and where is it located?
Bucknell University is a private nonprofit institution located in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.
What are the most popular majors at Bucknell University?
The largest undergraduate majors at Bucknell University by annual graduates are Economics, Political Science and Government and Psychology, General. The school awards about 555 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Bucknell University safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Bucknell University reported 22 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 5.7 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
What is campus life like at Bucknell University?
At Bucknell University, 76% of undergraduates live on campus, 31% of men are in fraternities, 43% of women are in sororities, according to its most recent Common Data Set.
Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by Bucknell University, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.