Best Grad Schools in Pennsylvania 2025

Badge for BEST IN PENNSYLVANIA GRADUATE SCHOOLS

By Dr. James Barham
Reviewed By Jenn Finley

Published: Mar 23, 2021
Updated: Oct 24, 2024

Key Takeaways

Thirty-four schools in Pennsylvania meet our criteria for the best grad schools in the state.
Earning a master’s or doctorate degree from one of the state’s best grad schools will qualify graduates to work in one of Pennsylvania’s top industries.
It is important to choose a grad school in Pennsylvania that offers opportunities for independent research, mentorships, and professional networking.

Table of Contents

University of Pennsylvania
Carnegie Mellon University
University of Pittsburgh
Temple University
Bryn Mawr College
Lehigh University
Drexel University
Villanova University
Thomas Jefferson University
Duquesne University

Wilkes University 94%
Robert Morris University 94%
Indiana University of Pennsylvania 92%
Saint Joseph's University 89%
Thomas Jefferson University 89%
West Chester University 88%
Widener University 88%
Duquesne University 87%
Neumann University 85%
University of Scranton 84%

Indiana University of Pennsylvania 21 to 1
West Chester University 20 to 1
Slippery Rock University 19 to 1
Eastern University 15 to 1
Wilkes University 13 to 1
Robert Morris University 13 to 1
Gannon University 13 to 1
Neumann University 13 to 1
University of Pittsburgh 13 to 1
Holy Family University 13 to 1

University of Pennsylvania $63,452
Villanova University $61,618
Carnegie Mellon University $61,344
Lehigh University $59,930
Bryn Mawr College $59,330
Drexel University $58,965
Widener University $51,639
University of Scranton $50,312
Saint Joseph's University $49,610
Arcadia University $47,130

Bryn Mawr College $50,730
Carnegie Mellon University $47,629
University of Pennsylvania $39,838
Drexel University $36,234
Arcadia University $27,457
Lehigh University $27,000
Widener University $25,850
Duquesne University $25,578
University of Pittsburgh $24,962
Wilkes University $24,000

Slippery Rock University
Slippery Rock University, Pennsylvania
Neumann University
Holy Family University
Gannon University
Immaculata University
Arcadia University
Point Park University
Wilkes University
Eastern University

Slippery Rock University, Pennsylvania
Slippery Rock University
Neumann University
Holy Family University
Immaculata University
Gannon University
Arcadia University
Wilkes University
Point Park University
Eastern University

University of Pennsylvania 7%
Carnegie Mellon University 11%
Villanova University 23%
Bryn Mawr College 31%
Lehigh University 37%
University of Pittsburgh 49%
Eastern University 63%
Immaculata University 70%
Slippery Rock University 74%
Holy Family University 77%

Carnegie Mellon University 5 to 1
University of Pennsylvania 8 to 1
Bryn Mawr College 8 to 1
Drexel University 9 to 1
Immaculata University 10 to 1
Lehigh University 10 to 1
Saint Joseph's University 10 to 1
Villanova University 10 to 1
Widener University 11 to 1
Point Park University 11 to 1

Indiana University of Pennsylvania $7,716
Slippery Rock University $7,716
West Chester University $7,716
University of Pittsburgh $19,760
Temple University $20,173
Immaculata University $27,750
Holy Family University $32,558
Robert Morris University $33,767
Neumann University $35,700
Eastern University $36,464

Indiana University of Pennsylvania $9,288
Slippery Rock University $9,288
West Chester University $9,288
Neumann University $10,260
University of Scranton $11,580
Holy Family University $11,811
Immaculata University $12,780
Point Park University $13,662
Eastern University $14,058
Saint Joseph's University $18,504

2025 Ranking Update

Our Influence Ranking Engine™ leverages machine learning to track the real-world influence of colleges and universities over time. Below you’ll see which schools gained or last ground for the 2025 school year.

The top 4 positions in our 2025 ranking of the best grad schools in Pennsylvania remained the same. Bryn Mawr College moved up 3 positions to the number 5 position.

Bryn Mawr has has expanded its interdisciplinary programs, particularly in the humanities and social sciences, providing more opportunities for research collaboration and mentorship with renowned faculty. The introduction of additional graduate-level fellowships and funding opportunities makes Bryn Mawr more accessible to diverse student populations.

How do we determine Pennsylvania's best grad schools?

Methodology

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great! If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence in their fields of study.

Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to those schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.

There are 34 doctorate-granting graduate schools in Pennsylvania. Our ranking of the best graduate schools in the Pennsylvania is composed of both private and public schools. To be included, schools must be fully accredited non-profit institutions, and must offer doctoral degrees and a broad array of graduate degrees.