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Carlisle, PennsylvaniaPhoto: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0
Colleges in and near Carlisle

Carlisle is a college town: 16 of every 100 residents are students

Dickinson College (2,204 students on campus) is inside the borough. Across Pennsylvania, 6 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.

College town16% of residents are studentsDickinson College

From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Carlisle. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
2
4,888 students on campus
Nearest college
0.4 mi
Dickinson College
Residents in college
16%
Above PA (6%)
Nearest community college
18 mi
Harrisburg Area · $6,975 tuition
Nearest public university
19.5 mi
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania · $13,720 in-state
Students on campus in Carlisle
2,204
next to 22,693 residents

What stands out about college in Carlisle

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

A college town16 of every 100 Carlisle residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.A college in CarlisleDickinson College has 2,204 students on campus in Carlisle, 80% of whom graduate within six years.A community college 18 miles awayHarrisburg Area Community College in Harrisburg: tuition and fees $6,975 a year for Pennsylvania residents.In-state price at Shippensburg University of PennsylvaniaLiving in Pennsylvania, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania charges $13,720 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $15,974. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.
Town & gown

What it’s like to live in Carlisle

How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.

16 of every 100 Carlisle residents are in college (PA: 6).

2,204students on campus at Dickinson College, next to 22,693 residents (dorm students count as residents)
1,014college students live in Carlisle households rather than dorms
35.8median age · PA 40.9
51%of homes rented · PA 31%
$1,094median rent · 10% below the state
CarlisleCarlisle, PA
Cost of living$1,094/mo median rentC+SafetyCrime reported to the FBIB−HealthCDC estimatesB−Jobs & incomeIncome, jobs, getting aroundC+HandbookTrash day, parking, who to call

How students change Carlisle’s other numbers

Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →

Jobs & income C+

Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 14.4% of Carlisle residents are below the poverty line, 14.0% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 4 points either way). 22% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.

Cost of living C+

The Cost grade counts the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent, leaving it out only where students are a quarter of residents or more. Here they are 16%, so student incomes still weigh on that figure.

Health B−

CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Carlisle’s median age is 35.8 (Pennsylvania 40.9), so the adult figures describe a young population.

Safety B−

Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.

Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Carlisle

Two private colleges within 11.8 miles. The nearest public four-year college, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, is 19.5 miles away.

5 mi10 mi15 miMessiah UniversityDickinson CollegeCarlisle
University or collegeCommunity college
Dickinson CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 2,204 on campus · In Carlisle42%admitted$38knet price80%graduate$70kearningsMessiah UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 2,684 on campus · 11.8 mi · Mechanicsburg79%admitted$27knet price75%graduate$54kearnings

Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.

What it costs

What would your family pay?

The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles and the nearest public four-year college. Pick your family’s income.

Family income

Starts at $48–75k, where Carlisle’s median household income ($61,720) falls.

Dickinson CollegeIn Carlisle · sticker $82,902$16,316a year
Messiah University11.8 mi · Mechanicsburg · sticker $55,875$20,916a year
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania19.5 mi · Shippensburg · sticker $30,785$21,386a year

The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →Dickinson CollegeMessiah UniversityShippensburg University of Pennsylvania
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania56% graduate$56k earnings$25k typical debt
Messiah University75% graduate$54k earnings$26k typical debt
Dickinson College80% graduate$70k earnings$19k typical debt

Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.

Majors

What students study in Carlisle

Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field at Dickinson College, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.

Social sciences 18%Biology 13%Business 11%Natural resources 7%Area & ethnic studies 7%Computer science 6%Everything else 38%

Biggest programs

International Business50 graduates a year
$85k4 yrs out
Economics38 graduates a year
$78k4 yrs out
Political Science and Government35 graduates a year
$60k4 yrs out
Psychology, General30 graduates a year
$59k4 yrs out
English Language and Literature, General23 graduates a year
$58k4 yrs out
Natural Resources Conservation and Research20 graduates a year
$55k4 yrs out
Area Studies19 graduates a year
$64k4 yrs out
International Relations and National Security Studies18 graduates a year
$63k4 yrs out

College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating.

Questions about college in Carlisle

Is Carlisle a college town?

Yes. 16 of every 100 Carlisle residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 6 across Pennsylvania. Dickinson College has 2,204 students on campus, next to 22,693 residents.

What colleges are in Carlisle?

Dickinson College is inside the borough. Harrisburg Area Community College is 18 miles away in Harrisburg.

Why is Carlisle’s poverty rate so high?

Students who live off campus count in the Census figures. 14.4% of residents are below the poverty line; leaving college students out, 14.0% are (ACS 2020–24, give or take 4 points).

What is the closest community college to Carlisle, and what does it cost?

Harrisburg Area Community College in Harrisburg, 18 miles away. Tuition and fees are $6,975 a year for Pennsylvania residents; the federal net price, $14,471, counts housing and food at full cost.

How hard is it to get into Dickinson College?

Dickinson College admitted 42% of applicants in the Scorecard’s latest year; the middle half of admitted students scored 1,310–1,460 on the SAT.

Neighbors talk college

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

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Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Carlisle. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →