Quad

Head-to-head

Providence
Bucknell

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Bucknell's yield is 9 pts higher than Providence's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    Bucknell is more diverse (index 0.44 vs. 0.36)

    Diversity index
  3. 3

    Bucknell's SAT midpoint is 70 points higher than Providence's

    SAT midpoint
  4. 4

    Bucknell is 1.6× more selective than Providence

    Acceptance rate
  5. 5

    Bucknell grads earn $6.8K more ten years out than Providence's ($93,807 vs. $87,054)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  6. 6

    Providence costs about $3.5K less per year on average than Bucknell ($54,092 vs. $57,601, all students)

    Average cost, all students

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Bucknell admits 32%, Providence 51%; Bucknell's yield is higher, at 28%.

Acceptance rate
Providence51%
Bucknell32%
Quad's selectivity
  • ProvidenceVery selective
  • BucknellVery selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1100–1600
Providence
1250–1390
Bucknell
1310–1470
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • ProvidenceGPA, school record, and prep program required
  • BucknellGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

Providence and Bucknell are about the same size; Providence has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Providence4.2K
Bucknell3.9K
Pell Grant share
Providence13%
Bucknell12%

Majors and faculty

Finance leads at Providence, and Economics at Bucknell; Bucknell has 9 students per faculty member to Providence's 11.

Students per faculty member
Providence11 to 1
Bucknell9 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • ProvidenceFinance, General17%
  • BucknellEconomics, General9%

What each costs

Providence costs about $3.5K less a year than Bucknell on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Providence$54.1K
Bucknell$57.6K
Aid generosity
Providence33%
Bucknell31%

What each pays off

Bucknell's former students earn more, a median $93.8K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 80% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Providence$87.1K
Bucknell$93.8K
Graduation rate
Providence86%
Bucknell88%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; Providence got more selective while Bucknell held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • ProvidenceGrowing+39%
  • BucknellGrowing+45%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;Bucknell University (Fall 2025), Fall 2025About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why