During 1966-2023, 1,336 Gettysburg graduates earned a research doctorate from a U.S. institution; Gettysburg ranks 49th among liberal arts colleges.
| Period or Year | Total N of Gettysburg Graduates Who Received Research Doctorates | Rank among Liberal Arts Colleges |
| 1966-1975 | 254 | 38th |
| 1976-1985 | 271 | 32nd |
| 1986-1995 | 168 | 65th |
| 1996-2005 | 188 | 64th |
| 2006-2015 | 226 | 59th |
| 2016 | 31 | |
| 2017 | 28 | |
| 2018 | 40 | |
| 2019 | 19 | |
| 2020 | 24 | |
| 2021 | 23 | |
| 2022 | 28 | |
| 2023 | 36 | |
| 2016-2023 | 229 | 48th |
| Grand Total (1966-2023) | 1,336 | 49th |
Note. Only recipients of research doctorates are included (the most common research doctorate degree is the PhD); recipients of professional degrees (e.g., MD, DMin, PsyD) are not included. Rankings for the earliest four decades were based on the population of liberal arts colleges defined by the Carnegie Basic Classification 2018 Update. For the 2006-2015 decade and recent years, rankings were based on the population of liberal arts colleges defined by the Carnegie Basic Classification 2021 Update. Data Sources: National Science Foundation Survey of Earned Doctorates & Office of Institutional Research