Best Colleges in Pennsylvania 2026

Pennsylvania has 211 colleges and universities in our database; 185 report the graduation-rate data our ranking requires. The top 25 are ranked below by a fixed four-factor formula: 6-year graduation rate (30%), median earnings 10 years after entry (30%), admission selectivity (20%), and in-state tuition affordability (20%).

Schools Ranked

$72,263

Avg. Earnings

83.3%

Avg. Graduation Rate

Top 25 Schools

College rankings
#	School	Graduation Rate	Median Earnings	Acceptance Rate	In-State Tuition
1	University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	96.8%	$111,371	6.5%	$66,104
2	Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	92.5%	$114,862	11.3%	$63,829
3	Villanova University Villanova, Pennsylvania	92.4%	$100,423	23.4%	$64,701
4	Lehigh University Bethlehem, Pennsylvania	89.2%	$105,584	37.0%	$62,180
5	Swarthmore College Swarthmore, Pennsylvania	94.1%	$80,257	6.9%	$62,412
6	University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	84.3%	$66,125	49.1%	$21,524
7	Haverford College Haverford, Pennsylvania	89.4%	$79,966	14.2%	$68,300
8	Bucknell University Lewisburg, Pennsylvania	86.2%	$93,807	32.6%	$64,772
9	Lafayette College Easton, Pennsylvania	88.1%	$91,410	33.6%	$62,574
10	Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, Pennsylvania	85.7%	$63,435	55.2%	$20,234
11	Curtis Institute of Music Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	94.7%		9.7%	$6,000
12	Triangle Tech Inc-Greensburg Greensburg, Pennsylvania	80.0%	$53,788		$18,513
13	Valley Forge Military College Wayne, Pennsylvania	94.3%	$50,798		$32,176
14	Erie Institute of Technology Inc Erie, Pennsylvania	84.1%	$41,951		$15,768
15	Triangle Tech Inc-Bethlehem Bethlehem, Pennsylvania	75.0%	$53,788		$18,593
16	Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania	85.6%	$75,217	30.8%	$62,560
17	Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics West Mifflin, Pennsylvania	58.9%	$66,642		$17,725
18	Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster, Pennsylvania	86.0%	$76,124	36.2%	$68,380
19	Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences Lancaster, Pennsylvania	67.0%	$69,731	45.7%	$31,866
20	Triangle Tech-Chambersburg Chambersburg, Pennsylvania	72.7%	$51,953		$18,961
21	West Virginia Junior College-United Career Institute Irwin, Pennsylvania	85.7%	$31,912		$14,070
22	Triangle Tech Inc-Sunbury Sunbury, Pennsylvania	76.9%	$45,538		$18,700
23	Dickinson College Carlisle, Pennsylvania	83.4%	$70,204	34.9%	$63,475
24	Immaculata University Immaculata, Pennsylvania	64.5%	$75,701	69.7%	$28,550
25	Temple University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	74.7%	$63,727	79.7%	$22,082