Interested in attending a STEM school in Pennsylvania? Our ranking of top research universities for bachelor’s degrees displays schools that will best prepare you for STEM careers.
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.
Find college admissions consultants in your state.
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.
Less 
Related: Differences between research universities and teaching colleges
The best colleges pound for pound!
The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great. This is why, at the undergraduate level, we rank the best colleges and universities based on what we call Concentrated Influence.
Concentrated Influence takes the combined influence score of a college or university’s top academic influencers (including faculty and alums) and divides it by the school’s total number of undergraduates.
Using concentrated influence gives small and mid-sized schools an opportunity to shine by taking away the size advantage of larger universities. A small school with proportionately more influential faculty than a large school, whose influence in absolute terms may be bigger, will nonetheless score higher in a concentrated influence ranking. Our approach highlights undergraduate schools that truly rank for excellence, regardless of size.
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.
Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is free from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.
Find out more about our ranking methodology here.
Less A research university is a great option for students interested in obtaining STEM degrees. Research universities invest heavily in research, which consequently provides meaningful and extensive opportunities for its students and faculty to participate in research. There are 18 research universities in Pennsylvania. The list below of the 15 best research universities in the state satisfies the following four conditions:
Tuition + fees
$57K
Acceptance
17%
Graduation
93%
Student body
16K
Median SAT/ACT
1510/34
View profile
Carnegie Mellon University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$58K
Acceptance
9%
Graduation
96%
Student body
28K
Median SAT/ACT
1505/34
View profile
University of Pennsylvania’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$20K
Acceptance
64%
Graduation
84%
Student body
27K
Median SAT/ACT
1350/30
View profile
University of Pittsburgh’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$39K
Acceptance
66%
Graduation
62%
Student body
2K
View profile
Chatham University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
50%
Graduation
88%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1365/31
View profile
Lehigh University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$38K
Acceptance
92%
Graduation
64%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1119/23
View profile
Wilkes University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
77%
Graduation
71%
Student body
23K
Median SAT/ACT
1290/28
View profile
Drexel University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$18K
Acceptance
76%
Graduation
69%
Student body
47K
Median SAT/ACT
1190/26
View profile
Pennsylvania State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
31%
Graduation
92%
Student body
10K
Median SAT/ACT
1395/32
View profile
Villanova University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$42K
Acceptance
70%
Graduation
70%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1165/24
View profile
Thomas Jefferson University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$17K
Acceptance
71%
Graduation
75%
Student body
33K
View profile
Temple University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$47K
Acceptance
75%
Graduation
65%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1125/22
View profile
Widener University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$40K
Acceptance
77%
Graduation
79%
Student body
8K
Median SAT/ACT
1215/25
View profile
Duquesne University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$13K
Acceptance
93%
Graduation
54%
Student body
10K
Median SAT/ACT
1015/19
View profile
Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$34K
Acceptance
79%
Graduation
68%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1135/22
View profile
Gannon University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
What are Custom College Rankings?
College Strategist
Stay informed! Get the latest Academic Influence news, information, and rankings with our upcoming newsletter.