College Costs in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Colleges, Cost and Affordability for 2027
How much does it cost to attend college in Pennsylvania? The average annual in-state college tuition in Pennsylvania was $28,521 for the 2024-2025 academic year. This is $10,711 higher than the U.S. average and ranks Pennsylvania amongst the costliest as the 6th most expensive state or district to attend college. This is a change of $3,338 from the 2022-2023 average of $25,183 and represents a 13.25% annual increase in tuition costs. The list of Pennsylvania colleges below provides school specific cost and value rating.
This analysis surveyed tuition data from the 163 colleges and universities in Pennsylvania, the most popular being Penn State Main Campus with 49,151 full time students and an in-state tuition list price of $20,644. Franklin and Marshall College is the most expensive in Pennsylvania with an in-state tuition of $70,794.
All price data are reprinted from the U.S. Department of Education's IPEDS 2025 survey and reflect reported costs for academic year 2024/2025.
Penn State Main Campus
- Public 4 Year
- University Park, PA
-
4.2 | 12 reviews
- $20,644 tuition
Penn State is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering, business, and communications. The University Park campus anchors the college town of State College in central Pennsylvania.
- SAT Range 1240-1420
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 61%
- Net Price $27,889
University of Pennsylvania
- Private 4 Year
- Philadelphia, PA
-
5.0 | 3 reviews
- $68,686 tuition
- Jan 5 application deadline
Penn is an Ivy League university known for undergraduate business, nursing, and engineering. The urban campus sits in Philadelphia's University City neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1510-1570
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.95
- Acceptance Rate 5%
- Net Price $23,570
Villanova University
- Private 4 Year
- Villanova, PA
-
5.0 | 4 reviews
- $67,776 tuition
- Jan 15 application deadline
Villanova is a highly selective private Catholic university known for undergraduate business, nursing, and engineering. The suburban campus sits on Philadelphia's Main Line.
- SAT Range 1395-1510
- Avg GPA 3.87
- Acceptance Rate 27%
- Net Price $37,201
Carnegie Mellon University
- Private 4 Year
- Pittsburgh, PA
-
| 0 reviews
- $66,246 tuition
- Jan 1 application deadline
Carnegie Mellon is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate computer science, engineering, and drama. The urban campus sits in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1500-1570
- Avg GPA 3.89
- Acceptance Rate 12%
- Net Price $35,552
Temple University
- Public 4 Year
- Philadelphia, PA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- $23,011 tuition
- Feb 1 application deadline
Temple is a large public university known for undergraduate media and communication, business, and the performing arts. The urban campus sits in North Philadelphia.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 3.46
- Acceptance Rate 80%
- Net Price $28,088
University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Campus
- Public 4 Year
- Pittsburgh, PA
-
3.8 | 5 reviews
- $21,926 tuition
Pitt is a large public university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and philosophy. The urban campus in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood centers on the Cathedral of Learning.
- SAT Range 1280-1460
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.79
- Acceptance Rate 58%
- Net Price $25,223
Drexel University
- Private 4 Year
- Philadelphia, PA
-
3.0 | 1 reviews
- $62,412 tuition
- Jan 15 application deadline
Drexel is a private university known for undergraduate engineering, design, and business. The urban campus is in Philadelphia's University City neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1240-1440
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.67
- Acceptance Rate 79%
- Net Price $42,801
Bucknell University
- Private 4 Year
- Lewisburg, PA
-
3.7 | 3 reviews
- $67,812 tuition
- Jan 15 application deadline
Bucknell is a selective private university known for undergraduate engineering, management, and the liberal arts. Most undergrads live on a residential campus in the small college town of Lewisburg.
- SAT Range 1310-1470
- Avg GPA 3.62
- Acceptance Rate 29%
- Net Price $39,003
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
- Public 4 Year
- West Chester, PA
-
| 0 reviews
- $10,775 tuition
West Chester is a public university known for undergraduate teacher education, music, and nursing. The campus sits in the historic borough of West Chester near Philadelphia.
- SAT Range 1100-1270
- Avg GPA 3.43
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $22,546
Lehigh University
- Private 4 Year
- Bethlehem, PA
-
3.8 | 6 reviews
- $64,980 tuition
- Jan 1 application deadline
Lehigh is a private university known for undergraduate engineering and business. The hillside campus sits on South Mountain overlooking Bethlehem.
- SAT Range 1370-1500
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.81
- Acceptance Rate 26%
- Net Price $34,154
Lafayette College
- Private 4 Year
- Easton, PA
-
| 0 reviews
- $65,398 tuition
- Jan 15 application deadline
Lafayette is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate engineering alongside the liberal arts. The residential hillside campus in Easton overlooks the Delaware and Lehigh rivers.
- SAT Range 1350-1500
- Avg GPA 3.53
- Acceptance Rate 31%
- Net Price $38,442
Swarthmore College
- Private 4 Year
- Swarthmore, PA
-
5.0 | 3 reviews
- $65,494 tuition
- Jan 4 application deadline
Swarthmore is a highly selective liberal arts college known for undergraduate engineering, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The suburban campus is a designated arboretum just outside Philadelphia.
- SAT Range 1490-1560
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.9
- Acceptance Rate 7%
- Net Price $22,469
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
- Public 4 Year
- Kutztown, PA
-
| 0 reviews
- $11,314 tuition
Kutztown is a public university known for undergraduate education, communication design, and the visual arts. The campus sits in a small college town in eastern Pennsylvania.
- SAT Range 1120-1310
- Avg GPA 3.31
- Acceptance Rate 91%
- Net Price $22,134
University of Scranton
- Private 4 Year
- Scranton, PA
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- $53,983 tuition
- 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
Haverford College
- Private 4 Year
- Haverford, PA
-
5.0 | 7 reviews
- $70,688 tuition
- Jan 15 application deadline
Haverford is a highly selective liberal arts college known for undergraduate sciences, economics, and political science. Students live under a student-run honor code on a suburban campus near Philadelphia.
- SAT Range 1460-1550
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.9
- Acceptance Rate 12%
- Net Price $26,535
Duquesne University
- Private 4 Year
- Pittsburgh, PA
-
3.0 | 2 reviews
- $48,986 tuition
- Aug 15 application deadline
Duquesne is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate pharmacy, nursing, and business. The urban campus sits on a bluff overlooking downtown Pittsburgh.
- SAT Range 1180-1340
- Avg GPA 3.8
- Acceptance Rate 84%
- Net Price $37,917
Muhlenberg College
- Private 4 Year
- Allentown, PA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- $62,805 tuition
- Feb 1 application deadline
Muhlenberg is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate theater, biology, and media and communication. The residential campus sits in Allentown in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley.
- SAT Range 1250-1410
- Avg GPA 3.44
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $34,739
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
- Public 4 Year
- Shippensburg, PA
-
| 0 reviews
- $13,720 tuition
Shippensburg is a public university known for undergraduate education, business, and criminal justice. The residential campus sits in a small college town in south-central Pennsylvania's Cumberland Valley.
- SAT Range 990-1210
- Avg GPA 3.23
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $23,772