What Does It Cost to Attend Gettysburg College?

Getting good grades, acing the SAT, nailing the essay, and having the right extracurricular activities will go a long way to getting a student accepted into a top-notch institution like Gettysburg College. However, getting into a respected school like Gettysburg is just part of the equation; soon after acceptance, the reality of paying for a pricey college sets in.

Today’s students are well versed in the challenges of getting into a good college, but few are aware of the financial realities that go along with a college education. For example, a study conducted by Navient and Everfi revealed that 13% of high school upperclassmen planning on pursuing a four-year degree could not identify how they would pay for college.

Keep reading to gain a better understanding of the expense of attending a prestigious private college like Gettysburg.

Why College Costs Are Highly Variable

Although a school’s list price would seem to be the ideal starting point for understanding the overall expense of college, list price fails to calculate the numerous variables that influence the true cost of college. In fact, the majority of students don’t end up paying list price for college.

The price that college students do pay at a school like Gettysburg is net cost, which is the actual out-of-pocket price a student pays for college. Estimating net cost is fairly straightforward, it’s simply the list price of the college less the value of all financial aid (including federal, state, and local aid, along with institutional aid) and merit awards received by a student.

What Is the List Price at Gettysburg College?

In 2016-2017, in- and out-of-state students at Gettysburg College paid $64,500 for tuition, room, and board. Before you get too anxious about the expense, remember that most students do not pay this price. Gettysburg students who do pay full price for college are typically from well-to-do families earning more than $175,000 a year who fall outside of the top third of accepted students academically.

What Is the Gettysburg College Financial Aid Net Price?

Financial aid net price is calculated by deducting any financial aid received through grants and scholarships from the list price of a college. The financial aid list price of Gettysburg for both in- and out-of-state students is $55,196.

What Is the Family Income-Based Cost of Attending Gettysburg College?

Gettysburg works with students and their families to ensure the cost of the college doesn’t deter qualified students from attending. Because of this, the price of Gettysburg College fluctuates depending on the income level of a student’s family. Below are average family income-based tuition prices for Gettysburg:

How Much Merit Aid Do Gettysburg College Students Receive?

Merit aid can have an enormous impact on reducing the cost of college. Merit aid is awarded to students for a variety of reasons both in and out of the classroom—academics, athletics, extracurricular activities, etc.—without consideration of financial need.

37.9% of Gettysburg students receive merit aid, with $4,298 being the average amount awarded. On average, in- and out-of-state students who don’t qualify for financial aid pay $60,202 to attend Gettysburg.

How Many Gettysburg College Students Take Out Loans?

Loans are one of the many ways college students pay for college. 18% of Gettysburg students take out loans, with the average amount borrowed via federal student loans being $6,021. Keep in mind, some students will also take out private loans to help manage the expense of their education.

Student Outcomes at Gettysburg College

Student outcomes are an excellent way to predict how a college or university will return on a student’s investment of time and money. Gettysburg College graduates 86% of its students within six years, which is substantially better than the 66% average of other private nonprofit colleges.

Ten years after graduation, Gettysburg alumni earn an average salary of $56,100, considerably more than the $38,681 salary earned by the average Gettysburg resident and about even with the $56,207 average salary earned in Baltimore, Maryland—the closest big city to Gettysburg.

Local Area Cost Considerations

The cost of living index in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, (home to Gettysburg College) according to Sperling’s Best Places is 96.8, making the town of Gettysburg slightly more affordable than the national average of 100 and the state average of 100.3. Cost of living index is a number that gives a general idea of the expense of living in a particular location tabulated using a variety of factors including the cost of housing, transportation, utilities, groceries, etc.

Cost of Housing

Gettysburg College is a residential college and requires students to live on campus all four years. However, a small number of seniors are released from this obligation each spring and allowed to live off campus. Those students will find the cost of housing roughly in line with the national average in affordability. One-bedroom apartments in Gettysburg command $760 a month, while larger two- and three-bedroom apartments rent for $950 and $1,240.

Wages

Pennsylvania’s minimum wage is aligned with the federal minimum wage of $7.25. Gettysburg College is adjacent to the Gettysburg National Military Park, a popular tourist landmark surrounded by numerous shops, dining, and entertainment options, all of which offer the opportunity for part-time employment.

Other Ways to Save Money on College

In addition to off-campus part-time jobs, Gettysburg College provides a plethora of on-campus employment opportunities. Approximately 45% of Gettysburg students work on campus in departmentally funded positions. These jobs are independent of the Federal Work-Study Program (which Gettysburg also participates in) and financial need is not a consideration as to who is hired to fill the roles.

Gettysburg College also awards merit-based scholarships as part of the admissions process. While no additional application is needed to be considered for merit aid, the scholarships are highly competitive with awards going to students who rank highly in academic metrics such as GPA, class rank, and SAT score. In addition to academics, Gettysburg gives a handful of talented musicians awards through its Sunderman Conservatory Scholarships.

In addition to institutional scholarships, Gettysburg students can also apply for independent scholarships like the National Merit Scholarship. The National Merit Scholarship rewards students who scored in the top 1% on the PSAT/NMSQT–15,000 students a year receive funding through this program. For more information on the National Merit Scholarship, read our blog How to Qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Program.

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