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Colleges in and near Dillsburg

Messiah University is 3.9 miles from Dillsburg

No college sits inside Dillsburg’s boundary, but Messiah University’s campus in Mechanicsburg, with 2,684 students on campus, is 3.9 miles from the center of town, and Harrisburg Area Community College is 14.9 miles away in Harrisburg. About 4% of Dillsburg’s residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Pennsylvania (6%).

Messiah University

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 Dillsburg. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
5
15,421 students on campus
Nearest college
3.9 mi
Messiah University
Residents in college
4%
About the same as PA (6%)
Nearest community college
14.9 mi
Harrisburg Area · $6,975 tuition
Nearest public university
16.7 mi
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg · $15,972 in-state
Median household income
$84K
prices below start here

What stands out about college from Dillsburg

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

A university 3.9 miles awayMessiah University has 2,684 students on campus in Mechanicsburg, 75% of whom graduate within six years.A community college 14.9 miles awayHarrisburg Area Community College in Harrisburg: tuition and fees $6,975 a year for Pennsylvania residents.In-state price at Pennsylvania State University-Penn State HarrisburgLiving in Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg charges $15,972 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $26,958. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.Students are 4% of residentsAbout the same as Pennsylvania (6%). The Census counts anyone enrolled, including part-time and online students.
Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Dillsburg

Four private colleges within 14.3 miles, and Harrisburg Area Community College 14.9 miles away. The nearest public four-year college, Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg, is 16.7 miles away.

5 mi10 mi15 miHarrisburg AreaMessiah UniversityDillsburg
University or collegeCommunity college
Messiah UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 2,684 on campus · 3.9 mi · Mechanicsburg79%admitted$27knet price75%graduate$54kearningsDickinson CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 2,204 on campus · 10.8 mi · Carlisle42%admitted$38knet price80%graduate$70kearningsHarrisburg University of Science and TechnologyUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 3,306 on campus · 13.1 mi · Harrisburg87%admitted$15knet price34%graduate$52kearningsCentral Penn CollegeUniversity or college · For-profit · 386 on campus · 14.3 mi · Summerdale · mostly online18%admitted$19knet price51%graduate$45kearnings53% of its students study only online; price, graduation and earnings count them too.Harrisburg Area Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 6,841 on campus · 14.9 mi · Harrisburg$14knet price21%graduate$42kearningsTuition and fees: $6,975 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.

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 $75–110k, where Dillsburg’s median household income ($84,102) falls.

Harrisburg Area Community College14.9 mi · Harrisburg · sticker $18,369 · tuition $6,975$16,995a year
Central Penn College14.3 mi · Summerdale · mostly online · sticker $27,116$18,973a year
Harrisburg University of Science and Technology13.1 mi · Harrisburg · sticker $35,893$19,420a year
Dickinson College10.8 mi · Carlisle · sticker $82,902$22,696a year
Messiah University3.9 mi · Mechanicsburg · sticker $55,875$23,574a year
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg16.7 mi · Middletown · sticker $32,521$25,103a 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 →Messiah UniversityDickinson CollegeHarrisburg University of Science and TechnologyCentral Penn CollegeHarrisburg AreaPennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg
Harrisburg Area Community College21% graduate$42k earnings$18k typical debt
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg26% graduate$63k earnings*$25k typical debt
Harrisburg University of Science and Technology34% graduate$52k earnings$27k typical debt
Messiah University75% graduate$54k earnings$26k typical debt
Dickinson College80% graduate$70k earnings$19k typical debt
Central Penn College51% graduate$45k earnings$23k 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. *Reported for all the campuses that file together: Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg (22).

Questions about college near Dillsburg

Is Dillsburg a college town?

No. About 4 of every 100 Dillsburg residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as Pennsylvania (6). The nearest campus, Messiah University, is 3.9 miles away in Mechanicsburg.

What colleges are near Dillsburg?

Within 15 miles: Messiah University (3.9 miles, 2,684 students on campus), Dickinson College (10.8 miles, 2,204), Harrisburg University of Science and Technology (13.1 miles, 3,306), Central Penn College (14.3 miles, 386) and Harrisburg Area Community College (14.9 miles, 6,841).

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

Harrisburg Area Community College in Harrisburg, 14.9 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 much does Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg cost if we live in Pennsylvania?

Tuition and fees are $15,972 a year in-state and $26,958 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $16,219 (under $30,000 income) to $29,834 (over $110,000), housing and food included.

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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 Dillsburg. 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 →