Franklin and Marshall College
#7 Best Bachelor's Programs in Pennsylvania- Graduation Rate
- 85% A
- Most students who enroll finish their degree here
- Earnings (10yr)
- $76,124 A
- Top 5% nationally — exceptional earning power
- Net Price
- $36,425 F
- 113% more than the typical college
- Acceptance Rate
- 28% A
- Admits roughly 28% — highly selective
Bottom line: A C+ overall grade — average outcomes for a U.S. college. 13.4× return on investment — every $1 spent returns $13.4 over 20 years. Ranked #7 in Best Bachelor's Programs in Pennsylvania.
Every $1 spent returns $13.4 over 20 years — debt pays back in ~under a year. Net gain: $1,800,419.
What The Data Says
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A C+ overall — outcomes trail most U.S. colleges on measured metrics.
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Graduates earn 87% more than the national college median.
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A 85% graduation rate — 49% above the national average.
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Every $1 invested returns $13.4 over 20 years — an exceptional return.
Why Franklin and Marshall College Matters
Franklin and Marshall College is a private liberal arts college in Lancaster, PA and its outcomes are not an accident. They are driven by selective admissions and a well-connected, high-opportunity alumni network. The result: graduates whose earnings land in the top 5% of all U.S. colleges.
Interpretation generated from this school's federal outcomes, research, and mobility data.
Institutional Profile
- Institution Type
- Private Liberal Arts College
- Carnegie Class
- Baccalaureate · Arts & Sciences
- Enrollment
- 1,799
- Setting
- Urban
- Primary Strengths
- Biology & Biomedical, Social Sciences, Business & Marketing, Physical Sciences
Why students choose Franklin and Marshall College
CollegeRanker Report Card
Graded on outcomes, against every U.S. college.
Each grade is this school's national percentile on a real outcome — earnings, value, mobility, and more.
How we grade →Admissions
Selective — admits about 28% of applicants, with a middle-50% SAT of 1310–1463. Run your numbers in the admissions predictor below.
Check your odds →Net price + aid
Students pay about $36,425 a year after grants and scholarships — 113% above the typical U.S. college. See net price by family income below.
See cost & aid →Earnings + debt
Graduates earn a median of $76,124 ten years after enrolling — 87% above the typical college, against $19,000 in median debt.
See outcomes →Mobility + social capital
Moves 1.3% of its students from the bottom income fifth to the top — top 62% nationally for mobility. High social capital (1.81 economic connectedness).
See mobility →Overview
With an acceptance rate of 28%, Franklin and Marshall College attracts students who are ready to engage deeply in their studies. This is a place for those who want to explore a range of disciplines, especially in Business and Marketing, Biology and Biomedical fields, Social Sciences, English and Literature, and Health Professions. If you're looking for a college that balances a strong academic focus with a close-knit community, this could be a solid fit.
Looking at life after graduation, students from Franklin and Marshall can expect to earn an average of $76,124 within ten years. This figure is a strong indicator of the value of the education here, especially when considering the college's commitment to quality teaching. Graduates are generally well-prepared to step into the workforce, and many find their footing in their chosen fields, which speaks to the effectiveness of the programs offered.
In terms of financials, the net price after aid comes to about $36,425, and graduates carry a median debt of $19,000. This manageable debt load means that students can focus more on their careers rather than financial burdens. Those who thrive here are often driven and academically engaged, ready to take advantage of the resources and opportunities that come with a Franklin and Marshall education.
Rankings
- #7 Best Bachelor's Programs in Pennsylvania
- #7 Best Master's Programs in Pennsylvania
- #7 Best Biology Colleges in Pennsylvania
- #8 Best Computer Science Colleges in Pennsylvania
- #8 Best Data Science Colleges in Pennsylvania
- #9 Best Colleges in Pennsylvania
- #13 Best Business Colleges in Pennsylvania
- #27 Highest-Paying Colleges for English
Can I Get In?
How selective Franklin and Marshall College is — and how your numbers stack up.
Tool
Will I Be Accepted?
Enter your credentials to see your chances at this school.
Academics & Admissions
Is It Hard to Get Into Franklin and Marshall College? Acceptance Rate & Requirements
As a private institution in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Franklin and Marshall College reviews applications selectively. The acceptance rate runs near 28%. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,392. The graduation rate is roughly 85%.
- Acceptance Rate
- 28%
- Retention Rate
- 90%
- SAT Average
- 1392
- SAT Range
- 1310–1463
- ACT Range
- 30–33
- Full-Time Faculty
- 79%
- Faculty Salary (mo)
- $11,293
- Student–Faculty Ratio
- 9:1
- Diversity Index
- 0.61
- First-Gen Students
- 19%
- Applicants
- 8,923
- Admitted
- 3,233
Inside the Admissions Office
School-reported Common Data Set · 2024-25
The acceptance rate tells you how hard Franklin and Marshall College is to get into. Its Common Data Set tells you what happens once you are admitted: how many students say yes, how many arrived without test scores, and whether applying early tilts the odds. 17% of admitted students go on to enroll here, making it a school most admitted students ultimately pass on.
- Yield Rate
- 17%
- of admits enroll
- Submitted SAT
- 25%
- of enrolled freshmen
- Submitted ACT
- 9%
- of enrolled freshmen
- Early Decision Admit Rate
- 28.1%
- vs 28.2% overall
Applying early pays off here. Of 961 Early Decision applicants, 270 were admitted — a 28.1% admit rate, roughly 1.0× the 28.2% rate for the overall pool. That binding round alone filled about 57% of the entering class (270 of 477 first-years). The catch: Early Decision is a commitment you make before you can compare aid offers.
Test-optional, in practice. Only about 34% of enrolled freshmen submitted an SAT or ACT score, so a strong application without test scores is genuinely competitive here, not a long shot.
Can I Afford It?
What you'll actually pay after grants and aid — not the sticker price.
Cost & Financial Aid
How Much Does It Cost to Attend Franklin and Marshall College? Tuition, Net Price & Aid
Published tuition at Franklin and Marshall College is $70,794, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $36,425. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $12,321 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $19,000 in federal student loans.
- In-State Tuition
- $70,794
- Out-of-State
- $70,794
- Avg Net Price
- $36,425
- Median Debt
- $19,000
- Pell Grant Rate
- 16%
- Federal Loan Rate
- 44%
What Families Actually Pay
- Family Income $0–$30K
- $12,321
- Family Income $30K–$48K
- $16,942
- Family Income $48K–$75K
- $16,245
- Family Income $110K+
- $49,996
What Happens After?
Earnings, debt, and where graduates actually land.
Students Like You
Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at Franklin and Marshall College — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.
Graduate Outcomes
Is Franklin and Marshall College Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI
Ten years out, alumni of Franklin and Marshall College earn a median of $76,124, well above the national average for bachelor's degree holders.
- 6 Years After Entry
- $62,544
- 8 Years
- $64,068
- 10 Years
- $76,124
- Debt-to-Earnings
- 0.25x
- Earning > $25K
- 80%
Earnings Trajectory
Graduation by Timeframe
- 100% (478)
- 81%
- 100% (478)
- 81%
- 100% (478)
- 81%
- 100% (478)
- 81%
How Franklin Compares
Dot right of center = above national average.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after aid, by income bracket.
The Mobility Equation
Mobility = Access x Success. How many low-income students get in, and how many reach the top 20%?
College ROI Calculator
Is Franklin and Marshall College Worth It?
A data-driven look at the return on your educational investment — using real federal data.
Yes — for most students, Franklin and Marshall College delivers a positive return. Over four years, the typical net price is $36,425/year ($145,700 total). Graduates earn $76,124 at ten years, and over a 20-year career we project $1,946,119 in total earnings — a net gain of $1,800,419 (13.4× your investment). The median debt is $19,000, which takes less than a year to pay back at typical earnings. With a 85% graduation rate, the path to that return is well-tested. This is a exceptional ROI compared to national averages.
- Total Cost (4yr)
- $145,700
- Projected 20yr Earnings
- $1,946,119
- Net Return
- $1,800,419
- ROI Multiple
- 13.4×
- Cost Per Year
- $36,425
- Median Debt
- $19,000
- Debt Payback
- Less than 1 yr
- Graduation Rate
- 85%
Does It Change Lives?
Mobility, social capital, and innovation — does it move people up?
Social Mobility
Data: Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card · 30M+ anonymized tax records
Does Franklin and Marshall College Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes
Franklin and Marshall College is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 1.26%, well above the typical college. Access is narrower: only about 2.2% of students come from the bottom income quintile, typical of more selective, higher-income institutions. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 56.5% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $162,900, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.
- Mobility Rate
- 1.26%
- Bottom 20% → Top 20%
- Success Rate
- 56.5%
- If bottom 20% get in
- From Bottom 20%
- 2.2%
- Share of students
- Parent Median Income
- $221,324
- today's $ (2015 cohort data)
Institutional Finances
Data: NCES IPEDS
- Federal Grants
- $5,672,593
- Investment Income
- $-61,971,571
Top Programs
The fields Franklin and Marshall College awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.
- Biology & Biomedical 15% $35,271 early-career
- Social Sciences 14% $66,496 early-career
- Business & Marketing 13% $62,657 early-career
- Physical Sciences 6%
- Computer Science & IT 4%
- Health Professions 4% $45,552 early-career
- Mathematics & Statistics 4%
- Visual & Performing Arts 3%
Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.
Top Careers
Where these majors tend to lead — common career paths for Franklin and Marshall College's most popular programs, ranked by median pay with our proprietary scorecard insights.
- CChief Executive Officer$189,520 · 3% growthAdaptable 64
- C+IT Manager$169,510 · 15% growthAdaptable 52
- B-AI/ML Engineer$156,000 · 23% growthAdaptable 52
- B-Computer Vision Engineer$145,000 · 20% growthAdaptable 52
- CPhysicist$142,850 · 5% growthAdaptable 66
- CAstronomer$142,850 · 4% growthAdaptable 66
- C+Cloud Architect$142,000 · 15% growthAdaptable 52
- B-Site Reliability Engineer$140,000 · 20% growthAdaptable 52
Frequently Asked Questions
Is It Hard to Get Into Franklin and Marshall College? Acceptance Rate & Requirements
As a private institution in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Franklin and Marshall College reviews applications selectively. The acceptance rate runs near 28%. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,392. The graduation rate is roughly 85%.
How Much Does It Cost to Attend Franklin and Marshall College? Tuition, Net Price & Aid
Published tuition at Franklin and Marshall College is $70,794, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $36,425. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $12,321 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $19,000 in federal student loans.
Is Franklin and Marshall College Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI
Ten years out, alumni of Franklin and Marshall College earn a median of $76,124, well above the national average for bachelor's degree holders.
Does Franklin and Marshall College Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes
Franklin and Marshall College is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 1.26%, well above the typical college. Access is narrower: only about 2.2% of students come from the bottom income quintile, typical of more selective, higher-income institutions. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 56.5% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $162,900, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.
How Connected Is Franklin and Marshall College? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks
Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Franklin and Marshall College. Its economic connectedness score is 1.81, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (0.02), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 8% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.
Does Franklin and Marshall College offer Early Decision, and does it improve admission chances?
Yes. Franklin and Marshall College offers a binding Early Decision plan, and it carries a real advantage: Early Decision applicants were admitted at 28%, about 1.0 times the overall 28% acceptance rate, and ED filled roughly 57% of the entering class. Because ED is binding, it makes sense only if Franklin and Marshall College is a clear first choice and you can commit before comparing aid offers (2024-25 Common Data Set).
Is Franklin and Marshall College really test-optional?
In practice, yes. Only about 34% of enrolled first-year students submitted an SAT or ACT score, so a strong application without test scores is genuinely competitive at Franklin and Marshall College (2024-25 Common Data Set).
What percentage of admitted students enroll at Franklin and Marshall College?
About 17% of admitted students choose to enroll at Franklin and Marshall College — its yield rate (2024-25 Common Data Set). Yield reflects how often a school wins when applicants weigh competing offers.
Similar Schools
Schools with similar outcomes, selectivity, and student profiles to Franklin and Marshall College.
- Connecticut CollegeNew London, CT · Close peer83% grad $75,001 earn 37% acceptWhy: similar earnings · similar selectivity · similar grad rate
- Bryn Mawr CollegeBryn Mawr, PA · Close peer84% grad $75,217 earn 29% acceptWhy: similar earnings · similar selectivity · similar grad rate
- Kenyon CollegeGambier, OH · Close peer84% grad $71,830 earn 31% acceptWhy: similar earnings · similar selectivity · similar grad rate
- Trinity CollegeHartford, CT · Close peer83% grad $90,779 earn 29% acceptWhy: similar selectivity · similar grad rate · similar size
- Carleton CollegeNorthfield, MN · Close peer90% grad $75,525 earn 20% acceptWhy: similar earnings · similar selectivity · similar grad rate
- Occidental CollegeLos Angeles, CA · Close peer83% grad $75,951 earn 44% acceptWhy: similar earnings · similar grad rate · similar size
Social Capital
Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas
How Connected Is Franklin and Marshall College? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks
Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Franklin and Marshall College. Its economic connectedness score is 1.81, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (0.02), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 8% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.
Research Note