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Private nonprofit · Town campus · founded 1876 · full profile

Grove City College

Students who want a rigorous small-college education — particularly in engineering or business — within a conservative Christian community, and whose families can cover roughly $33,930 a year in total cost without federal aid.

CompareOfficial site
Grove City, Pennsylvania2,216 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 7Liberal artsSmall enrollmentHigh ROI

The short answer

Grove City College is a Christian liberal arts and engineering college in western Pennsylvania that charges $21,700 in tuition — roughly a third of what comparable private colleges list — because it refuses all federal funding and operates without the administrative overhead that comes with it. It graduates 83.2% of students within six years at a 13:1 student-faculty ratio. The trade-off is real: students cannot use Pell grants or federal loans here, and the campus culture is explicitly and conservatively Christian.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
72.3%

Below the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
Not reportedGrove City College does not participate in federal student aid programs, so the Department of Education does not calculate an average net price for it. Compare its published cost of attendance against other schools' net prices with care: they are not the same measure.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Median earnings, 10 yrs
Not reportedScorecard earnings are derived from federal student aid records, which Grove City College students do not appear in. No federal earnings figure exists for this college.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

6-year graduation rate
83.2%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
Not reportedGrove City College students cannot borrow federal student loans, because the college does not participate in federal student aid programs. Its reported federal loan debt is therefore zero by construction rather than by outcome.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

SAT middle 50%
1141–1388

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

How to read Grove City's numbers

  • Grove City College does not participate in federal student aid programs. Following Grove City College v. Bell, the college declined all federal funding rather than accept the regulatory conditions attached to it. As a result the Department of Education publishes no net price, no earnings figure and no median federal debt for it — not because the outcomes are poor, but because the federal records those figures are built from do not include Grove City students.
  • This makes side-by-side cost comparison genuinely difficult. Grove City's published tuition of $21,700 is a sticker price, and sticker prices at other private colleges are routinely double what students actually pay. Comparing Grove City's sticker against another college's net price will mislead you in Grove City's favour; comparing sticker against sticker will mislead you against it.

Where Grove City ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026Regional Colleges (North)#5of 67Regional colleges (North)
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) DollarsNot ranked by this source
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Top 10 Friendliest StudentsListedOverall (Niche)
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Grove City

Grove City is the rare American college that opted out. After Grove City College v. Bell, the college concluded that accepting federal student aid meant accepting federal regulatory authority, and withdrew from the programs entirely. Its students cannot receive Pell grants or borrow federal student loans. The college funds its own aid, keeps its cost structure deliberately low, and publishes a tuition figure of $21,700 that is close to what families actually pay rather than a discount-and-rebate exercise.

Academically the college is stronger and narrower than its ranking position suggests. Engineering is the centrepiece — mechanical and electrical programmes are ABET-accredited and unusually substantial for a college of 2,216 undergraduates — alongside business, computer science and a required liberal arts core. The 13:1 student-faculty ratio and 88.3% first-year retention reflect a small residential college where faculty teach every section themselves.

The culture is not incidental. Grove City is openly conservative and Christian, chapel attendance is required, and the institution's identity is built around that commitment. Students who share it describe an unusually coherent community. Students who do not will find it an ill fit regardless of the price, and the honest advice is to visit before applying rather than to treat the tuition figure as the deciding factor.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Tuition of $21,700 is roughly a third of the sticker price at comparable private colleges, and much closer to what families actually pay.
  • A 83.2% six-year graduation rate and 88.3% retention at a 13:1 student-faculty ratio.
  • ABET-accredited mechanical and electrical engineering, unusual depth for a college of 2,216 students.
  • No federal loans means no federal debt: students graduate without the borrowing that dominates outcomes elsewhere.

Considerations

  • Pell grants and federal student loans cannot be used here. Families who rely on them need to compare total out-of-pocket cost very carefully.
  • No federal net price, earnings or debt figure exists, so Grove City cannot be compared against other colleges on those measures at all.
  • Required chapel attendance and an explicitly conservative Christian culture will not suit every student.
  • Located in a town of roughly 8,000 people, an hour north of Pittsburgh.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students who want a rigorous small-college education — particularly in engineering or business — within a conservative Christian community, and whose families can cover roughly $33,930 a year in total cost without federal aid.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

Tuition & fees
$21,700

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduates on Pell grants
Not reportedThis share is calculated from federal student aid applications, which Grove City College does not participate in.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Room & board
$12,230

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $33,930 a year. Grove City College does not participate in federal student aid programs, so the Department of Education does not calculate an average net price for it. Compare its published cost of attendance against other schools' net prices with care: they are not the same measure.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Grove City's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Mechanical Engineering
  2. 2Business Management
  3. 3Computer Science
  4. 4Biology
  5. 5Elementary Education

Standout programs

  • Electrical & Computer Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Biblical & Religious Studies
  • Political Science & Public Policy
Student-faculty ratio
13:1

IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

First-year retention
88.3%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduate enrollment
2,216

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Grove City: questions families ask

Grove City concluded that accepting federal student aid brings federal regulatory oversight of institutional policy, and chose independence instead. The position dates to the litigation that reached the Supreme Court as Grove City College v. Bell. In practice it means no Pell grants, no federal student loans and no federal work-study for Grove City students; the college funds its own scholarship and loan programmes instead.

Tuition and fees are $21,700 and on-campus room and board is $12,230, for a total sticker cost of $33,930 a year. Unlike most private colleges, that figure is close to what families pay, because Grove City's model is low list price rather than high list price with large discounts. The Department of Education publishes no average net price for the college because net price is calculated from federal aid recipients, and Grove City has none.

For a college of 2,216 undergraduates it has unusual engineering depth. Mechanical and electrical engineering are ABET-accredited, laboratory access is strong because there are no graduate students competing for it, and the 13:1 ratio means faculty rather than teaching assistants run the sections. It is not a research university and will not offer the breadth of subdisciplines a large engineering school does.

The college does not require a statement of faith from applicants, but the environment is explicitly and conservatively Christian, chapel attendance is required of all students, and the curriculum reflects that commitment. Students who do not share the tradition can and do enrol, but should visit first and be candid with themselves about whether they want to spend four years inside it.

Similar colleges

Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

Colorado School of Mines

Golden, COPublic

Colorado School of Mines produces median earnings of $97,335 ten years after entry — among the highest of any college profiled here — from a 6,155-student public engineering school that admits 60.7% of applicants. Its mining, petroleum and geological engineering programs are ranked #1 in the world.

Acceptance rate
60.7%
Average net price
$28,690
Median earnings (10 yr)
$97,335
6-yr graduation rate
81.7%
US News · National universities#80 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#127 of 500WSJ · U.S. colleges (WSJ)#104 of 500+2 more on profile

6,155 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 17 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

Williams College

Williamstown, MAPrivate nonprofit

Verified publisher rankings · federal data

Williams College: U.S. News ranks it #1 on National Liberal Arts Colleges (2026); Forbes ranks it #7 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #14 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #174 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #38 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — Top 10 Students Study the Most. It enrolls 2,076 undergraduates, admits 8.3% of applicants, and posts a 93.6% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $68,560; aid recipients pay $17,716 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $88,665.

Acceptance rate
8.3%
Average net price
$17,716
Median earnings (10 yr)
$88,665
6-yr graduation rate
93.6%
US News · Liberal arts colleges#1 of 207Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#7 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#14 of 1,504+4 more on profile

2,076 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 8 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

Colgate University

Hamilton, NYPrivate nonprofit

Verified publisher rankings · federal data

Colgate University: U.S. News ranks it #22 on National Liberal Arts Colleges (2026); Forbes ranks it #48 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #175 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #25 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #80 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 3,180 undergraduates, admits 13.9% of applicants, and posts a 91.2% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $70,306; aid recipients pay $28,786 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $85,139.

Acceptance rate
13.9%
Average net price
$28,786
Median earnings (10 yr)
$85,139
6-yr graduation rate
91.2%
US News · Liberal arts colleges#22 of 207Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#48 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#175 of 1,504+4 more on profile

3,180 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 8 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

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