Gettysburg College: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania · Private nonprofit · Selective · CDS 2024-2025
Gettysburg College is a private nonprofit university in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania that admits about 48% of applicants, making it a selective school. The average family pays about $30,086 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Political Science and Government, Economics and Business Administration, Management and Operations, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. About 83% of students graduate within six years. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 11.0 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Gettysburg College is a private institution located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania with a selective admissions profile. For the most recent reporting cycle, Gettysburg College admits between a quarter and half of applicants, with an overall admission rate of 48%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1350 and an ACT composite around 30. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $30,086 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Gettysburg College 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 Gettysburg College?
Admitted students at Gettysburg College 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 Gettysburg College weight in admissions?
Gettysburg College 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
- • Recommendations
- • Class rank
- • Standardized test scores
- • Interview
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Talent/ability
- • Character/personal qualities
- • Volunteer work
- • First generation status
- • Geographical residence
- • Work experience
- • Level of applicant's interest
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • State residency
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
SAT and ACT scores Gettysburg College typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 610–740, with an EBRW midpoint near 680. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 27–32. 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 | — |
| 50th percentile | 1350 |
| 75th percentile | — |
| % submitting SAT | % |
| 25th percentile | 27 |
| 50th percentile | 29 |
| 75th percentile | 32 |
| % submitting ACT | % |
- • Test-optional: Standardized test scores are not required, but may be submitted and considered.
- • Policy detail: Considered if submitted
How much does Gettysburg College actually cost?
Published tuition is $64,230 for in-state students and $64,230 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $15,530 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $30,086 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 21% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | $68,970 |
| Room and board | $16,670 |
| Average net price (after aid) | $30,086 |
| Application fee | $60 (waivers available) |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Gettysburg College
| Reply deadline | May 1 |
Will my child graduate from Gettysburg College?
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 Gettysburg College
The most popular undergraduate programs at Gettysburg College, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Political Science and Government, Economics and Business Administration, Management and Operations. Across all programs, Gettysburg College confers roughly 454 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Political Science and Government program report a median income of about $79,444 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) |
|---|---|---|
| Political Science and Government | 76 | $79,444 |
| Economics | 74 | $103,735 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 69 | $102,369 |
| Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences | 66 | $86,150 |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | 51 | — |
| Biology, General | 42 | $61,403 |
| History | 42 | $51,857 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 34 | $58,130 |
Is Gettysburg College safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Gettysburg College disclosed 23 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 11.0 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 4 violent offenses and 12 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.
Other colleges in Pennsylvania parents ask about
- University of Pennsylvania6% acceptance
- Carnegie Mellon University54% acceptance
- Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus50% acceptance
- Lehigh University78% acceptance
- Drexel University11% acceptance
- University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus32% acceptance
- Temple University79% acceptance
- Villanova University83% acceptance
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Gettysburg College
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Gettysburg College 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 Gettysburg College
What GPA do I need for Gettysburg College?
Admitted students at Gettysburg College typically present unweighted GPAs in the 3.6–3.9 range with several honors or AP courses.
What SAT or ACT score does Gettysburg College typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 610–740, with an EBRW midpoint near 680. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 27–32.
How much does Gettysburg College actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Gettysburg College after grants and scholarships is $30,086 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 Gettysburg College 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, Gettysburg College 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 Gettysburg College?
Gettysburg College accepts about 48% of applicants out of roughly 8,366 who apply each year. That makes it a selective school.
Is Gettysburg College test-optional?
Yes. Gettysburg College 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 Gettysburg College?
About 83% of students at Gettysburg College graduate within six years. 91% of freshmen return for sophomore year. Graduation rate predicts real outcomes better than acceptance rate.
What does Gettysburg College look for in applicants?
Gettysburg College rates course rigor, GPA, the application essay and recommendations as "very important" in its Common Data Set. These are the factors the admissions committee weighs most heavily when reviewing an application.
Is Gettysburg College a public or private school, and where is it located?
Gettysburg College is a private nonprofit institution located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
What are the most popular majors at Gettysburg College?
The largest undergraduate majors at Gettysburg College by annual graduates are Political Science and Government, Economics and Business Administration, Management and Operations. The school awards about 454 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Gettysburg College safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Gettysburg College reported 23 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 11.0 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by Gettysburg College, 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.