Degree Dividend
Sourced from federal dataEvery figure datedNo rankings for sale

Best colleges in Pennsylvania, ranked by ROI

All 169 Pennsylvania institutions we profile, ranked by payback years — total net cost divided by earnings above the $48,360 high-school baseline. Federal net price and earnings; payback is our math. (Scorecard, 2026.)

$21,741
Median net price / yr
Scorecard, 2026
$55,246
Median earnings, 10 yrs
Scorecard, 2026
7 yrs
Median payback
Our math, 2026
169
Colleges ranked
degreedividend.com
Pennsylvania colleges by payback (best first)
#CollegeNet price/yrEarnings 10yPayback
1University of Pennsylvania$28,699$111,3711.8 yrs
2Carnegie Mellon University$31,944$114,8621.9 yrs
3Saint Joseph's University - Lancaster$42,478$86,8812.2 yrs
4Lehigh University$36,931$105,5842.6 yrs
5Swarthmore College$23,149$80,2572.9 yrs
6Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia$29,689$86,8813.1 yrs
7Lafayette College$34,433$91,4103.2 yrs
8Haverford College$25,314$79,9663.2 yrs
9Villanova University$43,756$100,4233.4 yrs
10Immaculata University$24,258$75,7013.5 yrs
11University of Pittsburgh-Bradford$15,350$66,1253.5 yrs
12Bucknell University$40,766$93,8073.6 yrs
13Holy Family University$13,143$62,2353.8 yrs
14Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Fayette- Eberly$14,596$63,4353.9 yrs
15Thomas Jefferson University$28,928$77,4494 yrs
16University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg$17,945$66,1254 yrs
17La Salle University$19,409$67,4164.1 yrs
18University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown$18,202$66,1254.1 yrs
19Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Greater Allegheny$15,521$63,4354.1 yrs
20UPMC Jameson School of Nursing$22,889$70,4724.1 yrs
21Drexel University$38,509$84,6484.2 yrs
22Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences$28,415$74,5724.3 yrs
23Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Wilkes-Barre$16,448$63,4354.4 yrs
24Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology$14,104$54,6814.5 yrs
25Widener University$25,759$70,9204.6 yrs
26Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Beaver$17,418$63,4354.6 yrs
27Pennsylvania State University-Penn State DuBois$17,428$63,4354.6 yrs
28Bryn Mawr College$31,759$75,2174.7 yrs
29Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Hazleton$17,597$63,4354.7 yrs
30Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Abington$18,071$63,4354.8 yrs
31Ursinus College$30,536$73,7214.8 yrs
32Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Lehigh Valley$18,220$63,4354.8 yrs
33Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Scranton$17,910$63,4354.8 yrs
34Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Shenango$18,095$63,4354.8 yrs
35Pennsylvania State University-Penn State New Kensington$18,305$63,4354.9 yrs
36University of Scranton$32,568$74,6525 yrs
37Washington & Jefferson College$25,002$67,9185.1 yrs
38Pennsylvania State University-Penn State York$19,047$63,4355.1 yrs
39Pennsylvania State University-World Campus$19,550$63,4355.2 yrs
40Franklin and Marshall College$36,425$76,1245.2 yrs
41Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Schuylkill$19,659$63,4355.2 yrs
42Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Mont Alto$19,454$63,4355.2 yrs
43Gettysburg College$31,490$71,5175.4 yrs
44Muhlenberg College$28,905$69,1075.6 yrs
45PITC Institute$28,276$58,3895.6 yrs
46Duquesne University$37,730$74,7425.7 yrs
47UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing$29,374$68,8015.7 yrs
48Johnson College$19,954$55,1945.8 yrs
49York College of Pennsylvania$18,556$61,0125.9 yrs
50Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona$22,213$63,4355.9 yrs
51Gwynedd Mercy University$27,483$67,1455.9 yrs
52Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine$22,585$63,4356 yrs
53Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg$23,330$63,4356.2 yrs
54Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College$24,558$63,4356.5 yrs
55Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Berks$24,356$63,4356.5 yrs
56UPMC Mercy School of Nursing$33,159$68,3376.6 yrs
57Robert Morris University$23,003$62,1056.7 yrs
58Allegheny College$22,940$62,0696.7 yrs
59Cedar Crest College$18,659$59,4606.7 yrs
60Saint Francis University$23,526$62,1016.8 yrs
61University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus$30,434$66,1256.9 yrs
62Dickinson College$37,607$70,2046.9 yrs
63Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics$32,618$66,6427.1 yrs
64West Chester University of Pennsylvania$23,331$61,2587.2 yrs
65Waynesburg University$18,235$58,5377.2 yrs
66Temple University$28,198$63,7277.3 yrs
67Wilkes University$27,743$63,4547.4 yrs
68Elizabethtown College$26,598$62,3997.6 yrs
69Lebanon Valley College$26,979$62,6217.6 yrs
70Albright College$20,024$58,7007.7 yrs
71Saint Vincent College$23,510$59,9828.1 yrs
72King's College$23,093$59,4988.3 yrs
73Gannon University$22,553$58,8458.6 yrs
74Susquehanna University$28,819$61,7238.6 yrs
75Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus$32,875$63,4358.7 yrs
76Moravian University$30,670$61,8609.1 yrs
77York County School of Technology-Adult & Continuing Education$13,490$54,3229.1 yrs
78East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania$18,134$56,1489.3 yrs
79Misericordia University$37,485$64,3139.4 yrs
80DeSales University$31,643$61,2959.8 yrs
81Lycoming College$19,140$56,2109.8 yrs
82Juniata College$23,988$56,91811.2 yrs
83Arcadia University$29,466$58,33611.8 yrs
84Neumann University$27,804$57,81711.8 yrs
85Pennsylvania College of Technology$25,110$52,56711.9 yrs
86Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania$23,726$56,35111.9 yrs
87Millersville University of Pennsylvania$20,787$55,24612.1 yrs
88Marywood University$23,388$55,81712.5 yrs
89Westminster College$19,859$53,86114.4 yrs
90Delaware Valley University$28,278$55,83815.1 yrs
91Harrisburg University of Science and Technology$15,376$52,37415.3 yrs
92Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania$15,699$52,41615.5 yrs
93Kutztown University of Pennsylvania$21,331$53,77515.8 yrs
94Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania$19,608$53,03216.8 yrs
95Alvernia University$28,138$55,05516.8 yrs
96Automotive Training Center-Exton$12,578$51,11218.3 yrs
97Messiah University$26,502$54,06418.6 yrs
98La Roche University$20,794$52,34120.9 yrs
99Peirce College$12,148$50,66021.1 yrs
100Indiana University of Pennsylvania$16,804$51,01925.3 yrs
101Seton Hill University$22,204$51,74826.2 yrs
102Automotive Training Center-Warminster$18,088$51,11226.3 yrs
103Chatham University$29,954$52,41029.6 yrs
104Chestnut Hill College$27,970$52,01530.6 yrs
105Carlow University$20,786$51,05130.9 yrs
106Eastern University$26,662$51,65532.4 yrs
107Universal Technical Institute of Pennsylvania Inc$24,883$51,22234.8 yrs
108Geneva College$25,890$50,00463 yrs
109Thiel College$22,347$49,71466 yrs
110Rosemont College$20,150$48,555413.3 yrs
111Bucks County Community College$6,389$47,324no payback
112Rosedale Technical College$19,760$47,880no payback
113Manor College$13,078$46,825no payback
114Montgomery County Community College$11,124$46,108no payback
115Delaware County Community College$6,576$45,391no payback
116Community College of Beaver County$6,937$45,090no payback
117Harcum College$24,776$46,827no payback
118New Castle School of Trades$8,361$44,814no payback
119Pennsylvania Western University$18,256$47,295no payback
120Mercyhurst University$19,444$47,452no payback
121Mount Aloysius College$22,344$46,165no payback
122Central Penn College$18,953$45,370no payback
123Lehigh Carbon Community College$9,203$42,436no payback
124Lancaster County Career and Technology Center$17,505$44,566no payback
125Point Park University$25,942$45,856no payback
126Keystone College$22,051$44,976no payback
127Harrisburg Area Community College$14,471$42,007no payback
128Northampton County Area Community College$12,119$41,566no payback
129Lincoln University$14,977$43,167no payback
130Community College of Philadelphia$11,911$40,852no payback
131Pennco Tech-Bristol$19,197$43,493no payback
132Luzerne County Community College$9,433$40,437no payback
133Lackawanna College$19,951$41,000no payback
134Lancaster Bible College$25,480$44,096no payback
135Wilson College$21,741$43,326no payback
136Cairn University-Langhorne$27,642$44,172no payback
137Butler County Community College$6,233$38,891no payback
138Reading Area Community College$9,228$39,082no payback
139Pennsylvania Highlands Community College$6,200$38,752no payback
140Community College of Allegheny County$13,970$39,449no payback
141YTI Career Institute-York$14,637$40,672no payback
142Aviation Institute of Maintenance-Philadelphia$25,437$42,785no payback
143Westmoreland County Community College$5,167$37,439no payback
144Bryn Athyn College of the New Church$20,586$40,457no payback
145Erie Institute of Technology Inc$30,164$41,951no payback
146Greater Altoona Career & Technology Center$12,419$38,008no payback
147Cheyney University of Pennsylvania$14,265$37,837no payback
148All-State Career School$18,205$38,495no payback
149Orleans Technical College$20,113$38,668no payback
150South Hills School of Business & Technology$19,673$35,539no payback
151Lincoln Technical Institute-Levittown$26,659$38,683no payback
152University of Valley Forge$32,265$39,016no payback
153Pennsylvania Institute of Technology$17,850$35,703no payback
154Lincoln Technical Institute-Allentown$36,348$38,683no payback
155All-State Career School-Pittsburgh$15,576$33,193no payback
156Laurel Technical Institute$7,825$30,819no payback
157Moore College of Art and Design$43,086$37,839no payback
158Penn Commercial Business/Technical School$18,350$31,736no payback
159Lancaster School of Cosmetology & Therapeutic Bodywork$11,971$29,738no payback
160Pennsylvania College of Art and Design$30,083$33,301no payback
161Miller-Motte College-Berks Technical Institute$19,518$31,102no payback
162Miller-Motte College-Berks Technical Institute-Allentown$21,747$31,102no payback
163Prism Career Institute-Philadelphia$29,960$32,473no payback
164Fortis Institute-Scranton$20,186$30,224no payback
165CDE Career Institute$24,554$30,894no payback
166Great Lakes Institute of Technology$17,540$28,704no payback
167Jean Madeline Aveda Institute$19,986$26,029no payback
168Bella Capelli Academy$20,459$25,817no payback
169Empire Beauty School-Center City Philadelphia$17,520$22,377no payback

College Scorecard (2026), institution-level · ranking and payback are our math. Payback uses institution-wide earnings; a specific major can rank very differently.