Bucknell University is a private liberal arts college located alongside the West Branch Susquehanna River in the town of Lewisburg, in central Pennsylvania, United States. The university consists of the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Management, and the College of Engineering. Bucknell was founded in 1846, and features programs in the arts, humanities, sciences, social sciences, engineering, management, education, and music, as well as programs and pre-professional advising that prepare students for study in law and medicine. It offers nearly 50 majors and over 60 minors.
U.S. News & World Report classifies Bucknell's selectivity as "more
selective." For the Class of 2019 (enrolled fall
2015), Bucknell received 10,967 applications and accepted 2,718 (24.8%), with
938 enrolling. The middle 50% range of SAT scores for the enrolled freshmen was 590-680
for critical reading, 620-710 for math, and 590-690 for writing, while the ACT Composite range was
28–32. The average high school Grade
Point Average (GPA) of
enrolled freshmen was 3.54.
In its 2016 edition, U.S. News & World Report
ranked Bucknell tied for 32nd in the "National Liberal Arts Colleges"
category. In 2015, Forbes rated Bucknell 43rd in its "America's Best
Colleges" list. For 2016, Kiplinger's Personal Finance
ranked Bucknell 40th in terms of "Best Value among Liberal Arts Colleges in the
U.S.," which took into account academic quality, cost and financial aid
measures. It is named one of the "Hidden Ivies", an institution
that is claimed to provide an education comparable to that of Ivy League institutions. The Princeton
Review included Bucknell in its annual Best Value Colleges for 2012. Bucknell
is ranked 18th on Payscale's
2015-2016 list of Top Liberal Arts Colleges by Salary Potential.
On January 26, 2013, Bucknell officials admitted that the SAT scores that
they had provided to the public had been inflated by 16 points, on average,
between 2006 and 2012. "Enrollment management leadership no longer with the
university prepared these inaccurate numbers," school president John Bravman
wrote in an email to alumni. As a
result of the falsification of data, Forbes penalized Bucknell by
removing it from the "America's Top Colleges" list for two years. For the
same reason, Kiplinger's Personal Finance removed Bucknell from its 2012
"Best Values in Private Colleges" list.