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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 $12,251 against $62,235 in median 10-year earnings, an ROI of 5.1×, 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	$12,251	$62,235	5.1×	60%	$33,968
2	Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA	$18,686	$80,257	4.3×	94%	$62,412
3	Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA	$31,671	$114,862	3.6×	93%	$63,829
4	University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA	$31,229	$111,371	3.6×	97%	$66,104
5	Saint Francis University Loretto, PA	$19,173	$62,101	3.2×	73%	$41,720
6	Haverford College Haverford, PA	$25,210	$79,966	3.2×	89%	$68,300
7	Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA	$33,549	$105,584	3.1×	89%	$62,180
8	Allegheny College Meadville, PA	$21,900	$62,069	2.8×	67%	$54,960
9	Lafayette College Easton, PA	$32,496	$91,410	2.8×	88%	$62,574
10	Thomas Jefferson University Philadelphia, PA	$28,163	$77,449	2.8×	68%	$45,683
11	Washington & Jefferson College Washington, PA	$25,544	$67,918	2.7×	71%	$28,185
12	Misericordia University Dallas, PA	$24,829	$64,313	2.6×	69%	$38,370
13	Immaculata University Immaculata, PA	$29,464	$75,701	2.6×	64%	$28,550
14	Saint Joseph's University Philadelphia, PA	$35,487	$86,881	2.4×	80%	$51,340
15	University of Scranton Scranton, PA	$30,528	$74,652	2.4×	81%	$52,309
16	Ursinus College Collegeville, PA	$30,485	$73,721	2.4×	77%	$59,196
17	Robert Morris University Moon Township, PA	$25,747	$62,105	2.4×	66%	$34,940
18	Elizabethtown College Elizabethtown, PA	$26,198	$62,399	2.4×	77%	$36,842
19	Gettysburg College Gettysburg, PA	$30,086	$71,517	2.4×	83%	$64,230
20	Widener University Chester, PA	$30,470	$70,920	2.3×	64%	$53,638
21	Susquehanna University Selinsgrove, PA	$26,539	$61,723	2.3×	74%	$57,400
22	Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA	$40,429	$93,807	2.3×	86%	$64,772
23	Wilkes University Wilkes-Barre, PA	$27,700	$63,454	2.3×	60%	$42,286
24	Muhlenberg College Allentown, PA	$30,314	$69,107	2.3×	80%	$60,240
25	Villanova University Villanova, PA	$44,876	$100,423	2.2×	92%	$64,701
26	Lebanon Valley College Annville, PA	$28,132	$62,621	2.2×	73%	$50,320
27	Drexel University Philadelphia, PA	$38,428	$84,648	2.2×	77%	$60,663
28	University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA	$30,074	$66,125	2.2×	84%	$21,524
29	Temple University Philadelphia, PA	$29,219	$63,727	2.2×	75%	$22,082
30	Dickinson College Carlisle, PA	$32,191	$70,204	2.2×	83%	$63,475
31	Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA	$34,978	$74,742	2.1×	76%	$47,146
32	Moravian University Bethlehem, PA	$29,843	$61,860	2.1×	71%	$52,000
33	Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster, PA	$39,061	$76,124	1.9×	86%	$68,380
34	Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA	$32,598	$63,435	1.9×	86%	$20,234
35	Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences Lancaster, PA	$37,208	$69,731	1.9×	67%	$31,866
36	Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr, PA	$40,690	$75,217	1.8×	86%	$62,560

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 $12,251 against $62,235 in 10-year median earnings — an ROI of 5.1× (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.

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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. CertiHomes Education does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.