Apply to Bucknell University

Deadlines

Early Decision I: Nov. 15

Early Decision II & Regular Decision: Jan. 15

Applications are due at 11:59 p.m. in your local time zone on the dates indicated above.

Application Fee

Bucknell's application fee is $50. This nonrefundable fee is paid electronically through the Coalition Application (powered by Scoir) or Common Application website.

If the application fee is a barrier to applying, we encourage you to see if you may qualify for a fee waiver through the Common Application, Coalition Application or College Board. If you don’t qualify through one of those options, but still feel that the fee is a barrier to applying, please email us at admissions@bucknell.edu and we will review your request.

Enrollment Deposit

New students are required to make a nonrefundable deposit of $500 after they have been admitted to Bucknell. This deposit is credited to the student's first-semester billing.

Deadline Extensions Available

Our thoughts are with families affected by recent disasters and civil unrest around the world.

To help remove some concerns for students in these areas, Bucknell will offer an application deadline extension, as well as an application fee waiver.

For applicants with internet access who are able to do so, please email admissions@bucknell.edu for assistance. For those without internet access at this time, we will continue to accept applications after our deadline.

We are here to help.

Scholarships

Through our robust merit scholarship program, we invest in students who are talented, inquisitive and equipped to make the next big breakthrough. In order to be considered for a merit scholarship, you must apply using the scholarship application.

Learn more and apply

Financial Aid

If college costs are a consideration for your family, we invite you to apply for need-based aid at the same time you apply for admission.

Learn more about financial aid

Note to Applicants

• Bucknell University reserves the right to evaluate an application and make a final decision, even if all parts of the application have not been received. Bucknell University may be required to report incidents of abuse that are disclosed in applications.
• STATEMENT ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Tools like ChatGPT and other AI-based programs are making a significant impact on society and various industries. We believe that these tools can help you generate ideas for your application, but ultimately everything you submit as part of your application to Bucknell should be your own. You should not copy and paste content into your application that you did not create. If you choose to utilize AI–based programs, we encourage you to rely on them as you would a teacher, family member or friend — for brainstorming, editing and honing your work.

Tips for Applying to Bucknell

Admission to Bucknell is based on more than the traditional data points like test scores and GPA — we seek students who are engaged in the world around them and passionately in pursuit of their own distinct purpose.

In your college essays and throughout your application, we urge you to tell us your story: What drives you? What motivates you? What makes you excited to wake up in the morning?

More tips for writing a strong application essay

Follow these helpful tips to make sure your application is as strong as possible:

• SAT Subject Tests are not required, though they will be considered if provided.
• You need at least two years of one foreign language in high school to be admitted (note: sign language counts as a foreign language).
• We require at least two-and-a-half years of college-preparatory mathematics for admission.
• We do not interview prospective students, but we do want to meet you! A campus visit, either virtual or in person, is your best opportunity to get a feel for our campus community.
• Be yourself! We look forward to meeting you through your application.

Early Decision I & Early Decision II

Bucknell's Early Decision I and Early Decision II programs are binding.

As an Early Decision applicant, you'll receive one of the following three outcomes (by mid-December for EDI or by mid-February for EDII):

• You are admitted into Bucknell. You are obligated to accept our offer of admission, meaning that if you've applied to other colleges and universities, you'll need to withdraw your candidacy from those schools.
• Your application is moved to Regular Decision consideration. You are no longer bound by the Early Decision binding agreement. We'll post our final decision to your online application portal on or before April 1. We encourage you to inform us of any new academic, extracurricular or personal achievements that might help us with the decision. Please share those materials by emailing them to appdocs@bucknell.edu.
• Your application has been denied. You cannot re-apply to Bucknell until the next academic cycle. Your application will not be given Regular Decision consideration.

Early Decision Agreement Forms

We prefer that you submit your Early Decision Agreement Form at the same time your application is submitted using the forms available through the Coalition App and Common App.

If you decide after submitting your Regular Decision application to Bucknell that you would like to change to Early Decision I or II, you may use either the Common Application ED Agreement or the Coalition Application ED Agreement, linked below.

COVID-19 and Your Academic Record

Bucknell understands that high schools across the globe have handled the pandemic differently. This may include various methods of instruction, grading and alterations to school calendars. We also understand that some extracurricular opportunities, including summer experiences, were canceled and others modified. The Admissions Office will continue to evaluate each student in the context of their high school. No student will be at a disadvantage for how their school decided to continue their education, or for their extracurricular activities being different than what they were before the pandemic.