Dickinson College

Dickinson College is a private, residential liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally established as a grammar school in 1773, Dickinson was chartered September 9, 1783, five days after the signing of the Treaty of Paris, making it the first college to be founded in the newly recognized United States. Dickinson was founded by Benjamin Rush, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence and originally named "John and Mary's College" in honor of a signer of the Constitution, John Dickinson, who was later the President of Pennsylvania and his wife, Mary Norris Dickinson, who donated much of her extensive personal library, combined with John Dickinson's library, to the school. Dickinson College is America's 16th oldest college.

With over 180 full-time faculty members and an enrollment of nearly 2,400 students, Dickinson is known for its curriculum and international education programs. Dickinson sponsors 12 study centers in other countries and its approach to global education has received national recognition from the American Council on Education and NAFSA: Association of International Educators. The college was among six institutions profiled in depth by NAFSA for "Outstanding Campus Internationalization" in 2003 The 42% acceptance rate for the Class of 2011 is Dickinson's lowest ever, and the College's nearly 6,000 applications put it amongst the top liberal arts colleges nationwide. In 2007 Dickinson's endowment topped $300 million, more than double its total from ten years before.

Dickinson College is not to be confused with the Dickinson School of Law, which abuts the campus but has not been associated with the college since the late 19th century. The law school merged with Pennsylvania State University in 1997, and its students study at both the Carlisle and State College campuses.

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