Private colleges, unlike large public institutions, can be a great option for students wanting a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Here is our list of the best private colleges in Pennsylvania.
Prospective students hoping to earn an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree have over 100 higher learning institutions to choose from. The largest public university is Pennsylvania State University, or Penn State, with a tuition of $18,000, and a student population of over 95,000 across its campuses. As a private institution, the University of Pennsylvania, or simply Penn, is known for its medical, nursing, social work, and business fields. Tuition is $56,000, and the school boasts a 95% graduation rate.
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Students can also attend one of the more than 60 religiously affiliated schools, such as Villanova University or Lafayette College, each with a tuition of about $53,000. Some of the most affordable colleges in the state include the Curtis Institute of Music and the Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia, with tuitions set at $3,000 and $9,000, respectively. Though the average tuition for college in Pennsylvania comes in above the national average, those who practice medicine in underserved areas may qualify for up to $100,000 in loan forgiveness through the Pennsylvania Primary Care Loan Repayment Program.
As the nation’s second state, Pennsylvania’s history runs deep. It’s here where Betsy Ross made the first American flag and where the Declaration of Independence was signed. The Keystone State is also home to some culinary delights, including whoopie pies, soft pretzels, and the famous Philly cheesesteak. Students looking to earn their degree in Pennsylvania will undoubtedly enjoy what the state has to offer.
Check out the state’s top programs and learn more about earning your degree in Pennsylvania.
Public and private colleges and universities operate under different business models. Public colleges and universities are owned by the state and receive both state and federal funding to operate. Private colleges and universities are private companies with private funding. If you’re looking at the pros and cons of private vs. public colleges, consider that many public colleges provide diverse course offerings, influential professors, and an excellent return on your investment.
Public colleges are schools that receive most of their funding from tax revenues. As a result, the cost of a bachelor’s degree at a public university is often lower than the equivalent cost at a private college — especially for students attending a public school in their home state. Attending a college in-state is usually the cheapest option. Private universities and colleges can be very competitive with their funding opportunities, so do not simply believe that private colleges are always going to be more expensive. According to National Center for Educational Statistics, the average annual cost (tuition, fees, room and board for full-time students) at a public university was slightly over $20,000. In contrast, private universities cost, on average, nearly $43,000 annually. But in the end, the cost of college comes down to each student’s academic and financial situation.
This list is composed entirely of private colleges and universities that offer bachelor’s degrees. We’ve identified 76 private universities in Pennsylvania. To be included in the list below of the 30 best private universities in Pennsylvania, schools must be fully accredited, private, non-profit institution, and must offer a broad range of bachelor’s degrees.
Tuition + fees
$62K
Acceptance
6%
Graduation
96%
Student body
28K
Median SAT/ACT
1515/34
University of Pennsylvania’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$59K
Acceptance
14%
Graduation
93%
Student body
16K
Median SAT/ACT
1510/34
Carnegie Mellon University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$56K
Acceptance
8%
Graduation
94%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1467/32
Swarthmore College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$57K
Acceptance
46%
Graduation
87%
Student body
7K
Median SAT/ACT
1346/31
Lehigh University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$57K
Acceptance
83%
Graduation
78%
Student body
22K
Median SAT/ACT
1280/28
Drexel University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$61K
Acceptance
18%
Graduation
90%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1440/33
Haverford College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$59K
Acceptance
25%
Graduation
91%
Student body
10K
Median SAT/ACT
1390/31
Villanova University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$56K
Acceptance
39%
Graduation
87%
Student body
1K
Bryn Mawr College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$44K
Acceptance
84%
Graduation
78%
Student body
7K
Median SAT/ACT
1195/25
Duquesne University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$43K
Acceptance
78%
Graduation
71%
Student body
7K
Median SAT/ACT
1180/23
Thomas Jefferson University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$59K
Acceptance
48%
Graduation
82%
Student body
2K
Dickinson College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$60K
Acceptance
35%
Graduation
88%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1340/30
Bucknell University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$57K
Acceptance
41%
Graduation
88%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1345/30
Lafayette College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$50K
Acceptance
84%
Graduation
76%
Student body
1K
Washington & Jefferson College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$63K
Acceptance
38%
Graduation
83%
Student body
2K
Franklin & Marshall College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$60K
Acceptance
56%
Graduation
82%
Student body
3K
Gettysburg College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$35K
Acceptance
84%
Graduation
64%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1100/23
Gannon University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
81%
Graduation
58%
Student body
4K
La Salle University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$50K
Acceptance
85%
Graduation
68%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1122/23
Widener University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$48K
Acceptance
83%
Graduation
83%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1195/26
Saint Joseph's University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$48K
Acceptance
80%
Graduation
79%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1190/25
University of Scranton’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$19K
Acceptance
73%
Graduation
88%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1236/27
Grove City College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$35K
Acceptance
79%
Graduation
75%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1180/23
Elizabethtown College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$57K
Acceptance
83%
Graduation
72%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1240/27
Ursinus College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$36K
Acceptance
69%
Graduation
60%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1100/22
Eastern University ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$39K
Acceptance
98%
Graduation
63%
Student body
1K
Chestnut Hill College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$56K
Acceptance
68%
Graduation
82%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1260/28
Muhlenberg College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$53K
Acceptance
75%
Graduation
75%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1245/27
Allegheny College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$46K
Acceptance
82%
Graduation
62%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1130/24
Arcadia University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
94%
Graduation
65%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1135/26
Robert Morris University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utilized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.
Check out our directory of private colleges throughout the U.S. for a look at the top private schools in every state.