Best-Value Colleges in Pennsylvania
36 Pennsylvania 4-year colleges ranked by return on investment - 10-year graduate earnings per dollar of net price - among schools that beat the state median on earnings and graduation rate.
Quick answer
The best-value college in Pennsylvania is Holy Family University, Philadelphia - a net price of $12,882 against $62,235 in median 10-year earnings, an ROI of 4.8×, with a 60% graduation rate. Every school here turns a modest cost into outsized, above-median earnings.
| # | School | Net price /yr | 10-yr earnings | ROI (earn ÷ price) | Grad rate | In-state tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Holy Family University Philadelphia, PA | $12,882 | $62,235 | 4.8× | 60% | $36,388 |
| 2 |  Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA | $17,392 | $80,257 | 4.6× | 94% | $69,226 |
| 3 |  Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA | $25,272 | $105,584 | 4.2× | 89% | $67,920 |
| 4 |  University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA | $29,577 | $111,371 | 3.8× | 97% | $71,236 |
| 5 |  Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA | $35,780 | $114,862 | 3.2× | 93% | $68,776 |
| 6 |  Immaculata University Immaculata, PA | $23,811 | $75,701 | 3.2× | 64% | $30,170 |
| 7 |  Washington & Jefferson College Washington, PA | $21,690 | $67,918 | 3.1× | 71% | $30,475 |
| 8 |  Thomas Jefferson University Philadelphia, PA | $25,555 | $77,449 | 3.0× | 68% | $49,450 |
| 9 |  Robert Morris University Moon Township, PA | $21,445 | $62,105 | 2.9× | 66% | $37,350 |
| 10 |  Temple University Philadelphia, PA | $23,058 | $63,727 | 2.8× | 75% | $23,824 |
| 11 |  Muhlenberg College Allentown, PA | $25,253 | $69,107 | 2.7× | 80% | $65,310 |
| 12 |  Widener University Chester, PA | $26,151 | $70,920 | 2.7× | 64% | $58,280 |
| 13 |  Allegheny College Meadville, PA | $23,895 | $62,069 | 2.6× | 67% | $58,160 |
| 14 |  Haverford College Haverford, PA | $31,075 | $79,966 | 2.6× | 89% | $73,871 |
| 15 |  Saint Joseph's University Philadelphia, PA | $33,840 | $86,881 | 2.6× | 80% | $55,380 |
| 16 |  Lafayette College Easton, PA | $35,879 | $91,410 | 2.5× | 88% | $67,606 |
| 17 |  Wilkes University Wilkes-Barre, PA | $25,799 | $63,454 | 2.5× | 60% | $44,742 |
| 18 |  Dickinson College Carlisle, PA | $28,634 | $70,204 | 2.5× | 83% | $68,580 |
| 19 |  Ursinus College Collegeville, PA | $30,181 | $73,721 | 2.4× | 77% | $62,374 |
| 20 |  Elizabethtown College Elizabethtown, PA | $25,682 | $62,399 | 2.4× | 77% | $39,370 |
| 21 |  Villanova University Villanova, PA | $41,536 | $100,423 | 2.4× | 92% | $70,826 |
| 22 |  Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences Lancaster, PA | $29,148 | $69,731 | 2.4× | 67% | $22,758 |
| 23 |  University of Scranton Scranton, PA | $32,132 | $74,652 | 2.3× | 81% | $55,713 |
| 24 |  Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster, PA | $33,445 | $76,124 | 2.3× | 86% | $73,210 |
| 25 |  Drexel University Philadelphia, PA | $37,529 | $84,648 | 2.3× | 77% | $64,212 |
| 26 |  University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA | $29,362 | $66,125 | 2.3× | 84% | $22,736 |
| 27 |  Lebanon Valley College Annville, PA | $28,059 | $62,621 | 2.2× | 73% | $53,640 |
| 28 |  Saint Francis University Loretto, PA | $28,219 | $62,101 | 2.2× | 73% | $45,700 |
| 29 |  Gettysburg College Gettysburg, PA | $33,015 | $71,517 | 2.2× | 83% | $68,970 |
| 30 |  Susquehanna University Selinsgrove, PA | $28,585 | $61,723 | 2.2× | 74% | $62,200 |
| 31 |  Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA | $37,704 | $74,742 | 2.0× | 76% | $51,068 |
| 32 |  Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA | $33,675 | $63,435 | 1.9× | 86% | $21,098 |
| 33 |  Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA | $50,021 | $93,807 | 1.9× | 86% | $70,576 |
| 34 |  Moravian University Bethlehem, PA | $35,264 | $61,860 | 1.8× | 71% | $55,560 |
| 35 |  Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr, PA | $44,593 | $75,217 | 1.7× | 86% | $69,220 |
| 36 |  Misericordia University Dallas, PA | $40,348 | $64,313 | 1.6× | 69% | $43,000 |
How we ranked this
From every Pennsylvania four-year college that publishes net price, 10-year median earnings, and graduation rate, we keep only those that beat the state median on earnings and that graduate at least 45% of students (or the state median grad rate, whichever is higher). We then rank by ROI = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price - the dollars of graduate earnings each dollar of net price buys - highest first. This rewards genuine return on investment rather than the cheapest sticker price, and the 4-year + outcome guards keep out the low-completion and 2-year outliers a pure price sort surfaces. Colleges missing any of the three figures are excluded, never estimated. Minimum 5 qualifying schools required to publish a page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best-value college in Pennsylvania?+
Holy Family University in Philadelphia has the highest return on investment among Pennsylvania 4-year colleges that beat the state median on outcomes: a net price of $12,882 against $62,235 in 10-year median earnings - an ROI of 4.8× (dollars earned per dollar of annual net price) - with a 60% graduation rate.
What does "net price" mean?+
Net price is the average annual cost students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the full cost of attendance - a far better affordability measure than sticker tuition. We use the College Scorecard average net price.
How is "best value" defined here?+
Value means return on investment, not cheapness. Among Pennsylvania four-year colleges that beat the state median on BOTH 10-year graduate earnings and graduation rate (and graduate at least 45% of students), we rank by the ROI ratio = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price. The school that turns each tuition dollar into the most graduate earnings ranks first.
Is the cheapest college always the best value?+
No. A rock-bottom price that leads to low earnings is worse value than a moderate price that leads to high earnings. That is exactly why we rank by the earnings-to-net-price ratio rather than by lowest price, and require above-median earnings and graduation rates first. Colleges missing net price, earnings, or graduation data are excluded rather than estimated.
Keep exploring
Data sources: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · IPEDS. Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “-” and never estimated. GetInto.College does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.