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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 $13,143 against $62,235 in median 10-year earnings, an ROI of 4.7×, 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	$13,143	$62,235	4.7×	60%	$35,330
2	University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA	$28,699	$111,371	3.9×	97%	$68,686
3	Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA	$31,944	$114,862	3.6×	93%	$66,246
4	Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA	$23,149	$80,257	3.5×	94%	$65,494
5	Haverford College Haverford, PA	$25,314	$79,966	3.2×	89%	$70,688
6	Immaculata University Immaculata, PA	$24,258	$75,701	3.1×	64%	$29,330
7	Saint Joseph's University Philadelphia, PA	$29,689	$86,881	2.9×	80%	$53,260
8	Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA	$36,931	$105,584	2.9×	89%	$64,980
9	Widener University Chester, PA	$25,759	$70,920	2.8×	64%	$55,730
10	Washington & Jefferson College Washington, PA	$25,002	$67,918	2.7×	71%	$29,392
11	Allegheny College Meadville, PA	$22,940	$62,069	2.7×	67%	$56,550
12	Robert Morris University Moon Township, PA	$23,003	$62,105	2.7×	66%	$35,970
13	Thomas Jefferson University Philadelphia, PA	$28,928	$77,449	2.7×	68%	$47,505
14	Lafayette College Easton, PA	$34,433	$91,410	2.7×	88%	$65,398
15	Saint Francis University Loretto, PA	$23,526	$62,101	2.6×	73%	$44,000
16	Ursinus College Collegeville, PA	$30,536	$73,721	2.4×	77%	$61,210
17	Muhlenberg College Allentown, PA	$28,905	$69,107	2.4×	80%	$62,805
18	Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr, PA	$31,759	$75,217	2.4×	86%	$65,920
19	Elizabethtown College Elizabethtown, PA	$26,598	$62,399	2.3×	77%	$37,950
20	Lebanon Valley College Annville, PA	$26,979	$62,621	2.3×	73%	$52,080
21	Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA	$40,766	$93,807	2.3×	86%	$67,812
22	Villanova University Villanova, PA	$43,756	$100,423	2.3×	92%	$67,776
23	University of Scranton Scranton, PA	$32,568	$74,652	2.3×	81%	$53,983
24	Wilkes University Wilkes-Barre, PA	$27,743	$63,454	2.3×	60%	$43,496
25	Gettysburg College Gettysburg, PA	$31,490	$71,517	2.3×	83%	$66,640
26	Temple University Philadelphia, PA	$28,198	$63,727	2.3×	75%	$23,011
27	Drexel University Philadelphia, PA	$38,509	$84,648	2.2×	77%	$62,412
28	University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA	$30,434	$66,125	2.2×	84%	$21,926
29	Susquehanna University Selinsgrove, PA	$28,819	$61,723	2.1×	74%	$59,850
30	Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster, PA	$36,425	$76,124	2.1×	86%	$70,794
31	Moravian University Bethlehem, PA	$30,670	$61,860	2.0×	71%	$53,500
32	Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA	$37,730	$74,742	2.0×	76%	$48,986
33	Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA	$32,875	$63,435	1.9×	86%	$20,644
34	Dickinson College Carlisle, PA	$37,607	$70,204	1.9×	83%	$65,650
35	Misericordia University Dallas, PA	$37,485	$64,313	1.7×	69%	$40,370
36	Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences Lancaster, PA	$42,478	$69,731	1.6×	67%	$32,933

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 $13,143 against $62,235 in 10-year median earnings — an ROI of 4.7× (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.