Most Selective Colleges in Pennsylvania
Ranked by acceptance rate (100 colleges with at least 500 undergraduates). Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
| # | College | Acceptance rate | Net price | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit | 5% | $28,699 | $111,371 |
| 2 | Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA · Private nonprofit | 7% | $23,149 | $80,257 |
| 3 | Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA · Private nonprofit | 12% | $31,944 | $114,862 |
| 4 | Haverford College Haverford, PA · Private nonprofit | 12% | $25,314 | $79,966 |
| 5 | Central Penn College Summerdale, PA · Private for-profit | 18% | $18,953 | $45,370 |
| 6 | Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA · Private nonprofit | 26% | $36,931 | $105,584 |
| 7 | Villanova University Villanova, PA · Private nonprofit | 27% | $43,756 | $100,423 |
| 8 | Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster, PA · Private nonprofit | 28% | $36,425 | $76,124 |
| 9 | Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA · Private nonprofit | 29% | $40,766 | $93,807 |
| 10 | Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr, PA · Private nonprofit | 29% | $31,759 | $75,217 |
| 11 | Lafayette College Easton, PA · Private nonprofit | 31% | $34,433 | $91,410 |
| 12 | Gettysburg College Gettysburg, PA · Private nonprofit | 39% | $31,490 | $71,517 |
| 13 | Saint Joseph's University - Lancaster Lancaster, PA · Private nonprofit | 41% | $42,478 | $86,881 |
| 14 | Dickinson College Carlisle, PA · Private nonprofit | 42% | $37,607 | $70,204 |
| 15 | Moravian University Bethlehem, PA · Private nonprofit | 54% | $30,670 | $61,860 |
| 16 | Allegheny College Meadville, PA · Private nonprofit | 55% | $22,940 | $62,069 |
| 17 | Lancaster Bible College Lancaster, PA · Private nonprofit | 56% | $25,480 | $44,096 |
| 18 | Moore College of Art and Design Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit | 56% | $43,086 | $37,839 |
| 19 | Alvernia University Reading, PA · Private nonprofit | 58% | $28,138 | $55,055 |
| 20 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA · Public | 58% | $30,434 | $66,125 |
| 21 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA · Public | 61% | $32,875 | $63,435 |
| 22 | Marywood University Scranton, PA · Private nonprofit | 61% | $23,388 | $55,817 |
| 23 | Saint Vincent College Latrobe, PA · Private nonprofit | 62% | $23,510 | $59,982 |
| 24 | Chatham University Pittsburgh, PA · Private nonprofit | 62% | $29,954 | $52,410 |
| 25 | Lincoln University Lincoln University, PA · Public | 66% | $14,977 | $43,167 |
| 26 | Widener University Chester, PA · Private nonprofit | 71% | $25,759 | $70,920 |
| 27 | Misericordia University Dallas, PA · Private nonprofit | 71% | $37,485 | $64,313 |
| 28 | Holy Family University Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit | 71% | $13,143 | $62,235 |
| 29 | Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology Lancaster, PA · Public | 71% | $14,104 | $54,681 |
| 30 | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Slippery Rock, PA · Public | 71% | $19,608 | $53,032 |
| 31 | Thiel College Greenville, PA · Private nonprofit | 72% | $22,347 | $49,714 |
| 32 | Muhlenberg College Allentown, PA · Private nonprofit | 72% | $28,905 | $69,107 |
| 33 | Grove City College Grove City, PA · Private nonprofit | 72% | — | — |
| 34 | York College of Pennsylvania York, PA · Private nonprofit | 74% | $18,556 | $61,012 |
| 35 | Lycoming College Williamsport, PA · Private nonprofit | 74% | $19,140 | $56,210 |
| 36 | Gannon University Erie, PA · Private nonprofit | 74% | $22,553 | $58,845 |
| 37 | Chestnut Hill College Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit | 74% | $27,970 | $52,015 |
| 38 | La Roche University Pittsburgh, PA · Private nonprofit | 76% | $20,794 | $52,341 |
| 39 | Albright College Reading, PA · Private nonprofit | 76% | $20,024 | $58,700 |
| 40 | Saint Francis University Loretto, PA · Private nonprofit | 77% | $23,526 | $62,101 |
| 41 | Laurel Technical Institute Uniontown, PA · Private for-profit | 77% | $7,825 | $30,819 |
| 42 | DeSales University Center Valley, PA · Private nonprofit | 77% | $31,643 | $61,295 |
| 43 | Elizabethtown College Elizabethtown, PA · Private nonprofit | 78% | $26,598 | $62,399 |
| 44 | UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing Pittsburgh, PA · Private nonprofit | 78% | $29,374 | $68,801 |
| 45 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA · Public | 78% | $23,331 | $61,258 |
| 46 | Juniata College Huntingdon, PA · Private nonprofit | 79% | $23,988 | $56,918 |
| 47 | Messiah University Mechanicsburg, PA · Private nonprofit | 79% | $26,502 | $54,064 |
| 48 | Drexel University Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit | 79% | $38,509 | $84,648 |
| 49 | Seton Hill University Greensburg, PA · Private nonprofit | 80% | $22,204 | $51,748 |
| 50 | Arcadia University Glenside, PA · Private nonprofit | 80% | $29,466 | $58,336 |
| 51 | Temple University Philadelphia, PA · Public | 80% | $28,198 | $63,727 |
| 52 | Washington & Jefferson College Washington, PA · Private nonprofit | 81% | $25,002 | $67,918 |
| 53 | Thomas Jefferson University Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit | 81% | $28,928 | $77,449 |
| 54 | Mercyhurst University Erie, PA · Private nonprofit | 81% | $19,444 | $47,452 |
| 55 | University of Scranton Scranton, PA · Private nonprofit | 81% | $32,568 | $74,652 |
| 56 | Neumann University Aston, PA · Private nonprofit | 81% | $27,804 | $57,817 |
| 57 | Susquehanna University Selinsgrove, PA · Private nonprofit | 81% | $28,819 | $61,723 |
| 58 | Mount Aloysius College Cresson, PA · Private nonprofit | 82% | $22,344 | $46,165 |
| 59 | Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA · Private nonprofit | 84% | $37,730 | $74,742 |
| 60 | Lebanon Valley College Annville, PA · Private nonprofit | 84% | $26,979 | $62,621 |
| 61 | Cedar Crest College Allentown, PA · Private nonprofit | 84% | $18,659 | $59,460 |
| 62 | Keystone College La Plume, PA · Private nonprofit | 85% | $22,051 | $44,976 |
| 63 | Immaculata University Immaculata, PA · Private nonprofit | 86% | $24,258 | $75,701 |
| 64 | Millersville University of Pennsylvania Millersville, PA · Public | 86% | $20,787 | $55,246 |
| 65 | Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Shippensburg, PA · Public | 87% | $23,726 | $56,351 |
| 66 | Carlow University Pittsburgh, PA · Private nonprofit | 87% | $20,786 | $51,051 |
| 67 | Harrisburg University of Science and Technology Harrisburg, PA · Private nonprofit | 87% | $15,376 | $52,374 |
| 68 | Cairn University-Langhorne Langhorne, PA · Private nonprofit | 88% | $27,642 | $44,172 |
| 69 | University of Pittsburgh-Bradford Bradford, PA · Public | 89% | $15,350 | $66,125 |
| 70 | Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit | 89% | $29,689 | $86,881 |
| 71 | Gwynedd Mercy University Gwynedd Valley, PA · Private nonprofit | 90% | $27,483 | $67,145 |
| 72 | Waynesburg University Waynesburg, PA · Private nonprofit | 90% | $18,235 | $58,537 |
| 73 | Robert Morris University Moon Township, PA · Private nonprofit | 90% | $23,003 | $62,105 |
| 74 | Wilkes University Wilkes-Barre, PA · Private nonprofit | 91% | $27,743 | $63,454 |
| 75 | Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown, PA · Public | 91% | $21,331 | $53,775 |
| 76 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indiana, PA · Public | 91% | $16,804 | $51,019 |
| 77 | Eastern University Saint Davids, PA · Private nonprofit | 91% | $26,662 | $51,655 |
| 78 | Pennsylvania State University-World Campus University Park, PA · Public | 91% | $19,550 | $63,435 |
| 79 | Ursinus College Collegeville, PA · Private nonprofit | 92% | $30,536 | $73,721 |
| 80 | East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania East Stroudsburg, PA · Public | 92% | $18,134 | $56,148 |
| 81 | Wilson College Chambersburg, PA · Private nonprofit | 92% | $21,741 | $43,326 |
| 82 | Westminster College New Wilmington, PA · Private nonprofit | 93% | $19,859 | $53,861 |
| 83 | Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania Bloomsburg, PA · Public | 93% | $15,699 | $52,416 |
| 84 | King's College Wilkes-Barre, PA · Private nonprofit | 93% | $23,093 | $59,498 |
| 85 | Delaware Valley University Doylestown, PA · Private nonprofit | 93% | $28,278 | $55,838 |
| 86 | Pennsylvania Western University California, PA · Public | 94% | $18,256 | $47,295 |
| 87 | University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown Johnstown, PA · Public | 95% | $18,202 | $66,125 |
| 88 | University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg Greensburg, PA · Public | 95% | $17,945 | $66,125 |
| 89 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Hazleton Hazleton, PA · Public | 96% | $17,597 | $63,435 |
| 90 | La Salle University Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit | 97% | $19,409 | $67,416 |
| 91 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Schuylkill Schuylkill Haven, PA · Public | 97% | $19,659 | $63,435 |
| 92 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Abington Abington, PA · Public | 97% | $18,071 | $63,435 |
| 93 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College Erie, PA · Public | 97% | $24,558 | $63,435 |
| 94 | Point Park University Pittsburgh, PA · Private nonprofit | 97% | $25,942 | $45,856 |
| 95 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Lehigh Valley Center Valley, PA · Public | 97% | $18,220 | $63,435 |
| 96 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State York York, PA · Public | 97% | $19,047 | $63,435 |
| 97 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg Middletown, PA · Public | 98% | $23,330 | $63,435 |
| 98 | Johnson College Scranton, PA · Private nonprofit | 98% | $19,954 | $55,194 |
| 99 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona Altoona, PA · Public | 98% | $22,213 | $63,435 |
| 100 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine Media, PA · Public | 98% | $22,585 | $63,435 |