10-yr median earnings
$93,807
Federal aid recipients only
Private Nonprofit · Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
Bucknell University
Bucknell University is a private nonprofit institution in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. as a private nonprofit, published Scorecard outcomes cover federal-aid recipients at this campus — endowment and sticker price sit outside those cohort fields.
- $93,807
- 10-yr median earnings
- 28.9%
- Acceptance rate
- $40,766
- Avg net price / yr
- 86.3%
- 150%-time completion
The verdict
Bucknell University pairs top-1% former-student earnings with a selective admit.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 1%
- former-student earnings, US
- 28.9%
- acceptance rate
- 86.3%
- 150%-time completion
- +19%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
Town: Distant
Carnegie: Bacc: A&S
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this Bucknell University profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Baccalaureate Colleges: Arts & Sciences Focus"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
College Value Score
C+
College Value Score
63/100
Bucknell University
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings A+
$93,807
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price F
$40,766
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate A+
86.3%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$27,000
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A+
92.7%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention A
93.7%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$40,766
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
86.3%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 86.3%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - Bucknell University vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How Bucknell University ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
Bucknell University: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$93,807 Top 1% higher than 99% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | Bucknell University | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $93,807 | #64 of 5103 | 99th |
| Average net price | $40,766 | #4892 of 5020 | 3rd (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 86.3% | #389 of 4858 | 92nd |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 3,876 | #917 of 5462 | 83rd |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
3,876
Undergraduate enrollment
28.9%
Acceptance rate
1,410
SAT average
86.3%
150%-time completion
$93,807
10-yr median earnings
93.7%
First-year retention
How Bucknell University ranks in Pennsylvania
State rank among 270 reporting Pennsylvania colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | Bucknell University | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $93,807 | #6 of 270 | 98th |
| Average net price | $40,766 | #260 of 264 | 2nd (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 86.3% | #26 of 259 | 90th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 3,876 | #32 of 282 | 89th |
Highest former-student earnings in Pennsylvania
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine | $138,767 | - |
| 2 | Carnegie Mellon University | $114,862 | $31,944 |
| 3 | University of Pennsylvania | $111,371 | $28,699 |
| 4 | Lehigh University | $105,584 | $36,931 |
| 5 | Villanova University | $100,423 | $43,756 |
| 6 | Bucknell UniversityThis school | $93,807 | $40,766 |
| 7 | Lafayette College | $91,410 | $34,433 |
| 8 | Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia | $86,881 | $29,689 |
| 9 | Saint Joseph's University - Lancaster | $86,881 | $42,478 |
| 10 | Joseph F McCloskey School of Nursing | $86,138 | - |
| 11 | Drexel University | $84,648 | $38,509 |
| 12 | Swarthmore College | $80,257 | $23,149 |
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 28.9% |
| SAT Average | 1,410 |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 660 – 740 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 650 – 730 |
| ACT Average | 31 |
| ACT (25th-75th) | 30 – 33 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at Bucknell University
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k $20,980
$0 – $30k
$20,980 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k $12,276
$30k – $48k
$12,276 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$23,679 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$55,724 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Bucknell University - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $67,812 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $67,812 |
| Average Net Price | $40,766 |
12.4%
Pell Grant Rate
34.7%
Federal Loan Rate
$27,000
Median Debt
$286/mo
Monthly Payment
2013–2023: what Bucknell University costs has stayed close to flat
Average net price moved +21.0% over 10 years, from $33,419 to $40,429 in nominal dollars. The median college measured over the same span moved +14.6%.
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $33,4192023 · $40,429
Over the same years, enrollment went +9.1% (3,498 → 3,818 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
51.8%
Female
12.0%
First Generation
Outcomes
93.7%
Retention Rate
$78,852
Median Earnings (6yr)
87.8%
Earning Over $25K
92.7%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 86.3% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 93.7% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $78,852 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $93,807 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 87.8% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 92.7% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $27,000 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $286/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Top programs at Bucknell University by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Computer Engineering
Computer Engineering
$156,885 median earnings
- Accounting and Related Ser…
Accounting and Related Services
$130,990 median earnings
- Computer and Information S…
Computer and Information Sciences, General
$122,651 median earnings
- Economics
Economics
$108,422 median earnings
- Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
$99,860 median earnings
- Chemical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
$99,536 median earnings
- Civil Engineering
Civil Engineering
$95,693 median earnings
- Political Science and Gove…
Political Science and Government
$94,028 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
| Program | Credential | Completers | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Engineering | Bachelor's | 32 | $156,885 | - |
| Accounting and Related Services | Bachelor's | 74 | $130,990 | $26,881 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | Bachelor's | 26 | $122,651 | - |
| Economics | Bachelor's | 133 | $108,422 | $25,888 |
| Mechanical Engineering | Bachelor's | 26 | $99,860 | $19,500 |
| Chemical Engineering | Bachelor's | 25 | $99,536 | $27,000 |
| Civil Engineering | Bachelor's | 23 | $95,693 | $27,000 |
| Political Science and Government | Bachelor's | 97 | $94,028 | $25,500 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | Bachelor's | 16 | $90,393 | - |
| Biology, General | Bachelor's | 64 | $85,687 | $25,836 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Bachelor's | 25 | $76,364 | $23,250 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | Bachelor's | 19 | $66,963 | $26,798 |
| Psychology, General | Bachelor's | 93 | $66,206 | $27,000 |
| English Language and Literature, General | Bachelor's | 22 | $49,785 | $27,000 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | Bachelor's | 21 | - | - |
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Independent Scorecard matches among reporting colleges — not recommendations from the institution or a counselor.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Private Nonprofit institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Private Nonprofit institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Similar 2013–2023 Net-Price Trend
Same-sector institutions with the same direction and nearest fitted annual change; only series with R² of at least 0.40 qualify.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at Bucknell University? ▼
Bucknell University is a private nonprofit institution in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. The acceptance rate is 28.9%. The average SAT score is 1,410. Undergraduate enrollment is 3,876 students.
How much do Bucknell University former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Bucknell University who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $93,807 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $78,852.
How much does Bucknell University cost? ▼
The average net price at Bucknell University is $40,766. In-state tuition is $67,812 and out-of-state tuition is $67,812. Median student debt at graduation is $27,000.
What is the graduation rate at Bucknell University? ▼
Bucknell University has a 86.3% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 93.7%.
Is Bucknell University worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Bucknell University is $27,000, while former students earn a median of $93,807 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 29% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 92.7% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $286.
Sources & methodology
Private-nonprofit profiles emphasize Scorecard cost-after-aid and completion alongside IPEDS Carnegie class. Endowment, gifts, and sticker price are not Scorecard fields on this page.
Figures are the Mar–Jul 2026 federal retrievals. Nonprofit campuses vary widely in aid practice — net price here is the Title-IV-recipient cohort average, not an individual award letter. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from Bucknell University
- Compare Bucknell University against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in Pennsylvania side by side.Browse Pennsylvania
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
Nonprofit Scorecard medians describe federal-aid recipients who were working and not enrolled — they are not sticker-price ROI and not advice.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Private-nonprofit profiles compile Scorecard net-price and earnings cohorts with IPEDS structure fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.