2022 Pennsylvania Best Colleges Tuition Comparison

This page compares the best colleges in Pennsylvania with tuition, admission, and more academic facts (Ranking data from College Evaluator). For the academic year 2021-2022, University of Pennsylvania rank first in the best Pennsylvania college ranking and Swarthmore College is placed in second.

Admission Comparison Between Best Colleges in Pennsylvania

2 public and 8 private schools rank in the best Pennsylvania colleges. The schools' average acceptance rate is 34.80% where University of Pennsylvania has the tightest (lowest) acceptance rate of 9% and Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus has the highest rate of 76%. Total 146,241 students are attending one of the best Pennsylvania schools where Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus has the largest population with 46,810 students and Haverford College has the smallest number of students (1,307 students). The average graduation rate is 89.20% and the average students to faculty ratio is 9.90:1 at those colleges.
The following table shows the academic information and key facts of the best Pennsylvania colleges including acceptance rate, graduation rate, student population, and students to faculty ratio.
Table. Pennsylvania Best Colleges Overview
RankName Acceptance RateSAT ScoreGraduation RatePopulationStudent-Faculty Ratio
1University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
9%1,51596%26,5526:1 (16.67 %)
2Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA
9%1,46897%1,4378:1 (12.50 %)
3Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA
17%1,51093%13,51910:1 (10.00 %)
4Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA
50%1,34788%7,0679:1 (11.11 %)
5Haverford College
Haverford, PA
18%1,44093%1,3078:1 (12.50 %)
6Lafayette College
Easton, PA
36%1,34590%2,51410:1 (10.00 %)
7Villanova University
Villanova, PA
31%1,39092%11,03211:1 (9.09 %)
8Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA
38%1,34088%3,7269:1 (11.11 %)
9Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
University Park, PA
76%1,19071%46,81014:1 (7.14 %)
10University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus
Pittsburgh, PA
64%1,33284%32,27714:1 (7.14 %)
Average34.80%1,38889.20%146,241 (Total)9.90:1 (10.10 %)

Best Pennsylvania Colleges 2022 Tuition Comparison and 2023 Estimated Costs

The following table lists 2021-2022 tuition & fees and compares them between the best Pennsylvania colleges. The 2021-2022 costs are officially published by IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education. The estimated costs for the academic year 2022-2023 are calculated and estimated based on each school's rate of tuition change from 2021 to 2022.

For the undergraduate programs, the average tuition & fees of the best Pennsylvania colleges is $54,221 where University of Pennsylvania has the most expensive costs at $61,710 and University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus has the lowest amount of tuition at $35,394. The average graduate tuition & fees of the best Pennsylvania colleges is $35,067 where Carnegie Mellon University has the highest tuition with $47,347 and Villanova University has the lowest amount of graduate school tuition with $21,199.
UndergraduateGraduate
Table. Best Pennsylvania Colleges 2022 Undergraduate Tuition Comparison and 2023 Estimation
RankSchool Name 2022 Tuition & Fees2023 Estimated Tuition & Fees
In-StateOut-of-StateIn-StateOut-of-State
1University of Pennsylvania $61,710$63,424
2Swarthmore College $56,056$57,703
3Carnegie Mellon University $58,924$59,038
4Lehigh University $57,470$59,768
5Haverford College $61,210$63,329
6Lafayette College $57,114$58,520
7Villanova University $59,020$60,622
8Bucknell University $59,802$61,446
9Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus $18,450$35,514 - -
10University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus $20,362$35,394 $21,070 $63,658
Average$19,406$54,221$21,070$60,834
Table. Best Pennsylvania Colleges 2022 Graduate School Tuition Comparison and 2023 Estimation
RankSchool Name 2022 Tuition & Fees2023 Estimated Tuition & Fees
In-StateOut-of-StateIn-StateOut-of-State
1University of Pennsylvania $42,932$44,137
2Swarthmore College --
3Carnegie Mellon University $47,347$47,368
4Lehigh University $27,130$27,130
5Haverford College --
6Lafayette College --
7Villanova University $21,199$21,690
8Bucknell University $26,112$26,831
9Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus $22,994$38,728 $22,994-
10University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus $25,248$42,024 $25,248$26,053
Average$24,121$35,067$26,053$35,067