Dean College

Dean College is a private, residential New England college grounded in a culture and tradition that all students deserve the opportunity for academic and personal success. A uniquely supportive community for more than 150 years, Dean has woven together extensive student support and engagement with exceptional teaching and innovative campus activities. Our graduates are lifetime learners who thrive in their careers, embrace social responsibility and demonstrate leadership. This is The Dean Difference.

The Dean Difference isn't any one thing. It's not a program or a professor. It's not a single class or a club. It's the power of the entire Dean Community. Take advantage of all the resources at your disposal to support and guide you toward reaching your academic and career goals. From student advising to assistive technology and accessibility support services, there are many different academic resources available for Dean College students to take advantage of.

Dean College is more than a great educational experience. It is an investment in your personal and academic development towards your future success. It is our goal to help you get the most out of the college experience while remaining affordable for you and your family. Dean College provided more than $20 million in merit and need-based financial aid to students during the past year. Combined with federal and state financial aid, the cost of attending Dean is competitive with other colleges and universities while providing you with individual attention to help you reach your goals.

Whether you’re a first-year student thinking about majors or a Dean graduate in the midst of a career change, the Office of Career Planning & Internships at Dean College will help you reach your goals.

We offer a variety of services to support students and alumniat every step of the career-building process. From one-on-one career counseling and self-assessment tools to networking events and resume-writing workshops, we’ll help you clarify your interests and prepare for a successful job or internship search.

Dean students and alumni also have access to hundreds of job and internship opportunities through DEAN CareerLink, our exclusive online career management database. The Office of Career Planning & Internships may also help employers connect with Dean students through several programs, including offering internships and jobs on DEAN CareerLink, serving as a mentor, or hosting a student for a shadowing experience.

A quaint New England town setting combined with the ease and convenience of Boston and Providence, professional sporting events, shopping and an unlimited selection of restaurants and attractions make our location second to none.

On campus, Dean College is a fun and vibrant community that offers a variety of recreational activities and sports events throughout the academic year. We work hard to ensure that our students have plenty to choose from to be entertained and stay involved.

Health and counseling services are located in Chapman House on the Dean College campus. We provide professional and confidential health care free to all full-time students who are enrolled at Dean. Through individual consultation and campus wide programming, our purpose is to promote balanced holistic care and provide strategies to help students achieve and maintain their maximum level of health.

The health center is staffed by a highly skilled and caring team of Nurse Practitioners, a consulting physician and an office manager. Our mission is to provide accessible, high-quality medical services for Dean College students.

Dean College is a fun and vibrant campus community that offers a variety of social and recreational activities throughout the academic year. We work hard to ensure that our students have plenty to choose from to be entertained and stay involved while on campus.

Giving back to the local community is an important part of being a Dean College Bulldog. Community engagement opportunities are another way that you can interact with faculty and staff outside of the classroom. By participating in these opportunities, you will realize your ability to positively impact the lives of others. The Office of Orientation & Community Service sponsors projects planned both on and off-campus every month in conjunction with Dean Community Outreach (DCO), Dean’s student-run community service group. Projects range from stocking shelves at the Franklin Food Pantry to collecting pull tabs from cans for the Ronald McDonald House to volunteering at events in the town of Franklin. Projects are open to all students, faculty and staff to actively participate in and are made known through a variety of ways throughout campus.

Dean College has undergone many transformations since its founding in 1865 by Dr. Oliver Dean (1783-1871), a native of Franklin who began his career as a medical doctor but joined the Industrial Revolution, eventually managing the Amoskeag Mills in Manchester, New Hampshire. Upon retirement and returning to Franklin in the 1850s, Dr. Dean established the Universalist Church and then Dean Academy, a residential school educating boys and girls from New England and beyond.

During this time, the Academy thrived under the leadership of Arthur W. Peirce, affectionately known as “Awpie,” for whom the main campus walkway and science center are named.

Today’s students, faculty, and staff thrive in a learning and work environment that is a century-and-a-half in the making. Fittingly, our College motto, inspired by Dr. Dean’s family saying, is Forti et Fideli Nihil Difficile: “To the strong and faithful nothing is difficult.”