More selective than 63% of Pennsylvania colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $62,745. College Scorecard.
Higher than 75% of Pennsylvania colleges we cover and 82% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 46% of Pennsylvania colleges we cover and 72% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
DeSales University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 3,636 applicants, DeSales University admitted 2,857 and 444 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1090–1260 on the SAT or 27–28 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
DeSales University tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
State aid: Pennsylvania residents with financial need may receive a PA State Grant: up to $6,000 a year in 2026-27 at approved colleges, depending on need and the college. Not included in the prices above. Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), PA State Grant
What DeSales University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of DeSales University took 4.1 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Pennsylvania. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $24,007 | $99,389 | 3.9 years |
| $30–48k | $25,400 | $105,156 | 4.1 years |
| $48–75k | $26,096 | $108,037 | 4.2 years |
| $75–110k | $29,982 | $124,125 | 4.9 years |
| $110k+ | $34,878 | $144,395 | 5.7 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.1 years, the average time graduates took (62% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($61,295) minus $35,797 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in PA (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $25,498 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
DeSales University majors, earnings & careers
DeSales University offers 39 bachelor's majors across 9 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Business & Finance · 9
- Humanities & Languages · 7
- Health & Medicine · 5
- Science & Math · 5
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 5
- Arts & Design · 3
- Communications & Media · 3
- Education · 1
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at DeSales University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other | $124,965 | $27,000 |
| Nursing | $91,887 | $31,000 |
| Business Administration | $79,595 | $27,000 |
| Biology | $76,125 | $27,000 |
| Accounting | $74,169 | $27,000 |
| Marketing | $72,203 | $21,000 |
| Finance | $70,430 | $27,000 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $64,556 | $27,000 |
Quick list of all 39 majors
- Accounting$74,169
- Biochemistry—
- Biology$76,125
- Business—
- Business Administration$79,595
- Chemistry—
- Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other—
- Communications—
- Computer and Information Sciences$64,556
- Criminal Justice$64,020
- Dance$36,515
- Economics—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)—
- English—
- Film and Photography$46,847
- Finance$70,430
- Health Administration—
- Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other$124,965
- History—
- Homeland Security—
- Human Resources—
- International Business—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$64,161
- Legal Studies / Paralegal—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Linguistics—
- Management Information Systems—
- Marketing$72,203
- Mathematics—
- Neuroscience—
- Nursing$91,887
- Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration—
- Philosophy—
- Political Science—
- Psychology$60,001
- Public Relations and Advertising—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Theatre$42,571
- Theology / Ministry—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Nursing → Registered nurse
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Allentown
Overall prices in the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,839. Housing costs 6% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 53 inches of rain a year, 41 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: river flooding (relatively high); winter weather (very high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Lehigh County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Lehigh County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare DeSales University with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Pennsylvania by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeSales University | 77% | $31,643 | 72% | $61,295 | This school |
| Messiah University | 79% | $26,502 | 75% | $54,064 | |
| Elizabethtown College | 78% | $26,598 | 76% | $62,399 | |
| Saint Francis University | 77% | $23,526 | 74% | $62,101 | |
| Arcadia University | 80% | $29,466 | 67% | $58,336 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
DeSales University would cost you $5,141 more per year than Messiah University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at DeSales University, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$4,560).
- DeSales University gives aided families $1,729 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Pennsylvania resident | DeSales University | Messiah University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $46,800 | $42,240 | +$4,560 |
| Books & supplies | $1,711 | $1,460 | +$251 |
| Housing & meals | $13,800 | $11,910 | +$1,890 |
| Personal & travel | $4,605 | $2,760 | +$1,845 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$4,171 | −$2,495 | −$1,676 |
| Sticker price | $62,745 | $55,875 | +$6,870 |
| Average grants | −$31,102 | −$29,373 | −$1,729 |
| You pay | $31,643 | $26,502 | +$5,141 |
“+” means DeSales University costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about DeSales University
What is the DeSales University acceptance rate?
DeSales University accepts 77% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 2,857 of 3,636 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1090–1260 on the SAT or 27–28 on the ACT.
How much does DeSales University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $62,745 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $31,643 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $24,007 and families earning $110k+ pay $34,878.
How much do DeSales University graduates earn?
Former DeSales University students earn a median $61,295 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the DeSales University graduation rate?
72% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 83% return for their second year.
How long does a DeSales University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at DeSales University costs about $108,037 after grants ($26,096 a year for 4.1 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $61,295 ten years after starting, $25,498 more than high school graduates in Pennsylvania ($35,797), so the cost is repaid in 4.2 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “DeSales University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/desales-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).