Best Pennsylvania Colleges
There are 163 colleges and universities in Pennsylvania enrolling 586,714 students. Explore the list of top colleges in Pennsylvania below to begin your college search. The CollegeSimply rankings are objective and data-driven in order to help you find good matches for you. Learn how the Best Colleges rankings are calculated on our ranking methodology page. Whether you're searching for a good public, private or community college, this guide to universities in Pennsylvania offers a comprehensive view to the state's higher education options.
Pennsylvania is home to nationally ranked institutions like University of Pennsylvania, Swarthmore College, Haverford College and Carnegie Mellon University. The highest ranked college in Pennsylvania is University of Pennsylvania and the top rated public state college is University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Campus.
Local college options can be explored in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh or other cities.
List of the Best Pennsylvania Colleges
Allegheny College
- Private 4 Year
- Meadville, PA
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
Allegheny is a private liberal arts college known for requiring a major and minor in different fields and a senior comprehensive project. The historic campus sits in the small college town of Meadville in northwestern Pennsylvania.
- SAT Range 1173-1358
- Avg GPA 3.53
- Acceptance Rate 55%
- Net Price $26,420
Moravian University
- Private 4 Year
- Bethlehem, PA
-
| 0 reviews
Moravian is a private university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and the liberal arts. The historic campus sits in downtown Bethlehem in the Lehigh Valley.
- SAT Range 1070-1285
- Avg GPA 3.55
- Acceptance Rate 54%
- Net Price $31,743
University of Scranton
- Private 4 Year
- Scranton, PA
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- Mar 1 application deadline
Scranton is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate health sciences, physical therapy, and business. The compact urban campus sits in downtown Scranton.
- SAT Range 1160-1318
- Avg GPA 3.56
- Acceptance Rate 81%
- Net Price $34,234
Ursinus College
- Private 4 Year
- Collegeville, PA
-
| 0 reviews
- May 1 application deadline
Ursinus is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate biology, neuroscience, and a required first-year common curriculum. The residential campus sits in suburban Collegeville northwest of Philadelphia.
- SAT Range 1200-1385
- Avg GPA 3.53
- Acceptance Rate 92%
- Net Price $32,158
Washington & Jefferson College
- Private 4 Year
- Washington, PA
-
4.0 | 2 reviews
Washington & Jefferson is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate sciences, pre-med, and pre-law. The historic campus is in the small city of Washington near Pittsburgh.
- SAT Range 1010-1250
- Avg GPA 3.54
- Acceptance Rate 81%
- Net Price $22,702
Chatham University
- Private 4 Year
- Pittsburgh, PA
-
1.0 | 2 reviews
Chatham is a private university known for undergraduate sustainability, environmental studies, and the health sciences. The historic campus is in Pittsburgh's residential Shadyside neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1070-1295
- Avg GPA 3.86
- Acceptance Rate 62%
- Net Price $31,280
Elizabethtown College
- Private 4 Year
- Elizabethtown, PA
-
| 0 reviews
Elizabethtown is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate occupational therapy, business, and education. The residential campus is in a small central Pennsylvania borough and has historic Church of the Brethren ties.
- SAT Range 1105-1310
- Avg GPA 3.66
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $27,760
Juniata College
- Private 4 Year
- Huntingdon, PA
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- Mar 15 application deadline
Juniata is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate natural sciences and its Program of Emphasis, which lets students design individualized majors. The residential campus sits in the small town of Huntingdon along the Juniata River.
- SAT Range 1130-1320
- Avg GPA 3.81
- Acceptance Rate 79%
- Net Price $24,580
DeSales University
- Private 4 Year
- Center Valley, PA
-
3.0 | 2 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
DeSales is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate theatre, nursing, and business. The suburban campus is in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley.
- SAT Range 1090-1260
- Avg GPA 3.39
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $31,732
Lebanon Valley College
- Private 4 Year
- Annville, PA
-
3.5 | 2 reviews
Lebanon Valley is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate music and physical therapy. The residential campus sits in the small town of Annville.
- SAT Range 1140-1302
- Avg GPA 3.79
- Acceptance Rate 84%
- Net Price $27,995
Widener University
- Private 4 Year
- Chester, PA
-
| 0 reviews
Widener is a private university known for undergraduate engineering, nursing, and business. The Chester campus sits just south of Philadelphia.
- SAT Range 1080-1290
- Avg GPA 3.46
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $26,778
Lycoming College
- Private 4 Year
- Williamsport, PA
-
| 0 reviews
Lycoming is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate biology, archaeology, and business. The residential campus sits in Williamsport along the Susquehanna River in north-central Pennsylvania.
- SAT Range 1080-1300
- Avg GPA 3.57
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $20,492
Messiah University
- Private 4 Year
- Mechanicsburg, PA
-
| 0 reviews
Messiah is a private Christian university known for undergraduate nursing, engineering, and music. Most undergrads live on the residential campus in the Harrisburg suburbs.
- SAT Range 1110-1350
- Avg GPA 3.8
- Acceptance Rate 79%
- Net Price $29,408
Saint Vincent College
- Private 4 Year
- Latrobe, PA
-
| 0 reviews
- May 1 application deadline
Saint Vincent is a private Benedictine liberal arts college known for undergraduate business and biology. The campus shares its grounds with Saint Vincent Archabbey in a small western Pennsylvania town.
- SAT Range 1020-1230
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 62%
- Net Price $23,758
Gannon University
- Private 4 Year
- Erie, PA
-
4.0 | 2 reviews
Gannon is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate engineering, nursing, and the health sciences. The urban campus sits in downtown Erie near Lake Erie.
- SAT Range 990-1250
- Avg GPA 3.59
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $23,123
Susquehanna University
- Private 4 Year
- Selinsgrove, PA
-
| 0 reviews
Susquehanna is a private liberal arts university known for undergraduate business and communications. The campus sits along the Susquehanna River in the small town of Selinsgrove.
- SAT Range 1100-1300
- Avg GPA 3.67
- Acceptance Rate 81%
- Net Price $26,444
Wilkes University
- Private 4 Year
- Wilkes-Barre, PA
-
| 0 reviews
Wilkes is a private university known for undergraduate nursing, engineering, and pharmacy. The urban campus is located in Wilkes-Barre in northeastern Pennsylvania.
- SAT Range 1020-1250
- Avg GPA 3.56
- Acceptance Rate 91%
- Net Price $28,511
York College of Pennsylvania
- Private 4 Year
- York, PA
-
4.0 | 2 reviews
- Aug 23 application deadline
York College of Pennsylvania is a private college known for undergraduate nursing, business, and engineering. The campus is in the city of York in south-central Pennsylvania.
- SAT Range 1020-1270
- Avg GPA 3.59
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $20,096