Juniata College

Private · Moderately Selective · PA

Photo: Harrison Keely (CC BY 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationPA · Northeast

SettingRural

Undergrads1,191

Student:faculty11:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate70.4%

6-yr grad rate73.5%

Drop-out rate16.7%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$59k

Out-of-state tuition$59k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity30.4%

Gender diversity51.9%

International7.6%

Identity—

Overview

Juniata College is a small liberal-arts college in Huntingdon, in the ridge-and-valley country of central Pennsylvania, founded by and still affiliated with the Church of the Brethren. It draws students who want a tight-knit residential campus with an unusual amount of latitude to shape their own course of study, and it has built a reputation well beyond its size in the sciences and health-professions preparation.

Academics

In place of declared majors, Juniata students design individualized "Programs of Emphasis," working with two faculty advisors to combine fields that don't usually sit in the same department. The approach works especially well in the sciences: biology, chemistry, environmental science, and pre-health tracks are the college's clear strengths, reinforced by a field station on nearby Raystown Lake that gives science students hands-on fieldwork most peer colleges can't offer. Class sizes stay small enough that undergraduate research with faculty starts early, not just senior year.

Campus & student life

The campus sits in a small central-Pennsylvania town surrounded by mountains and state forest, giving outdoor-minded students easy access to hiking and the lake field station. Residential life is close-knit by necessity — Huntingdon is not a college town with much beyond the campus itself — and student culture leans toward earnest, science-fair-adjacent interests rather than a big-athletics or Greek-heavy scene, though Division III sports and a range of clubs fill the calendar.

Getting in

Juniata evaluates applicants holistically, with real weight given to the personal statement, since the college wants to see students who can articulate why they want to combine fields in a nontraditional way. Interviews, though not required, are encouraged and can matter. The college looks for intellectual curiosity and a track record of initiative more than raw class rank.

After graduation

The Programs of Emphasis structure feeds directly into health-professions graduate schools and PhD programs in the sciences, and Juniata has long punched above its size in medical-school and other health-graduate placement. The alumni network is small but tightly connected, especially among Brethren-affiliated and central-Pennsylvania professional circles.

Worth knowing

The individualized-major system means prospective students should come in ready to build a case for their own course of study rather than pick from a catalog list — it rewards self-direction and can feel underwhelming to students who want a defined program handed to them.

juniata.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate78.9%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1130–1320 · ACT 22–30

Test policyoptional

Rec letters1

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying