Most selective colleges in Pennsylvania
50 colleges ranked by acceptance rate
These 50 most selective colleges in Pennsylvania, ranked by acceptance rate, run from 6% at University of Pennsylvania to 79% at Chestnut Hill College. 4 are public and 46 are private.
| # | College | Type | Acceptance | Avg SAT | Net price / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA | Private | 6% | 1,545 | $31,229 |
| 2 | Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA | Private | 7% | 1,527 | $18,686 |
| 3 | Curtis Institute of Music Philadelphia, PA | Private | 7% | — | — |
| 4 | Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA | Private | 11% | 1,545 | $31,671 |
| 5 | Haverford College Haverford, PA | Private | 13% | 1,498 | $25,210 |
| 6 | Villanova University Villanova, PA | Private | 25% | 1,466 | $44,876 |
| 7 | Central Penn College Summerdale, PA | Private | 26% | — | $19,279 |
| 8 | Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA | Private | 29% | 1,432 | $33,549 |
| 9 | Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr, PA | Private | 31% | 1,404 | $40,690 |
| 10 | Lafayette College Easton, PA | Private | 31% | 1,419 | $32,496 |
| 11 | Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster, PA | Private | 32% | 1,394 | $39,061 |
| 12 | Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA | Private | 32% | 1,389 | $40,429 |
| 13 | Dickinson College Carlisle, PA | Private | 43% | — | $32,191 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania College of Art and Design Lancaster, PA | Private | 46% | — | $29,266 |
| 15 | Gettysburg College Gettysburg, PA | Private | 48% | 1,350 | $30,086 |
| 16 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA | Public | 50% | 1,371 | $30,074 |
| 17 | Moravian University Bethlehem, PA | Private | 54% | 1,154 | $29,843 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA | Public | 54% | 1,316 | $32,598 |
| 19 | Allegheny College Meadville, PA | Private | 59% | 1,292 | $21,900 |
| 20 | Saint Vincent College Latrobe, PA | Private | 59% | 1,120 | $23,331 |
| 21 | Moore College of Art and Design Philadelphia, PA | Private | 61% | 1,303 | $43,369 |
| 22 | Alvernia University Reading, PA | Private | 62% | 1,160 | $28,329 |
| 23 | Muhlenberg College Allentown, PA | Private | 64% | 1,327 | $30,314 |
| 24 | Lycoming College Williamsport, PA | Private | 68% | 1,169 | $19,258 |
| 25 | Cabrini University Radnor, PA | Private | 69% | 1,145 | $24,051 |
| 26 | Chatham University Pittsburgh, PA | Private | 70% | 1,205 | $25,717 |
| 27 | Thiel College Greenville, PA | Private | 71% | — | $22,746 |
| 28 | Juniata College Huntingdon, PA | Private | 72% | 1,185 | $27,663 |
| 29 | Grove City College Grove City, PA | Private | 73% | 1,261 | — |
| 30 | Bryn Athyn College of the New Church Bryn Athyn, PA | Private | 74% | 1,174 | $19,600 |
| 31 | Holy Family University Philadelphia, PA | Private | 74% | 1,030 | $12,251 |
| 32 | Rosemont College Rosemont, PA | Private | 75% | — | $20,356 |
| 33 | Lebanon Valley College Annville, PA | Private | 75% | 1,190 | $28,132 |
| 34 | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Slippery Rock, PA | Public | 75% | 1,086 | $19,524 |
| 35 | Seton Hill University Greensburg, PA | Private | 76% | 1,186 | $22,558 |
| 36 | Neumann University Aston, PA | Private | 76% | — | $28,714 |
| 37 | Gannon University Erie, PA | Private | 77% | — | $23,206 |
| 38 | Elizabethtown College Elizabethtown, PA | Private | 77% | 1,190 | $26,198 |
| 39 | Saint Francis University Loretto, PA | Private | 77% | 1,151 | $19,173 |
| 40 | Drexel University Philadelphia, PA | Private | 78% | 1,337 | $38,428 |
| 41 | La Roche University Pittsburgh, PA | Private | 78% | 1,140 | $21,972 |
| 42 | University of Valley Forge Phoenixville, PA | Private | 78% | — | $27,499 |
| 43 | University of the Arts Philadelphia, PA | Private | 78% | — | $44,154 |
| 44 | Lincoln University Lincoln University, PA | Public | 78% | 984 | $12,912 |
| 45 | Immaculata University Immaculata, PA | Private | 78% | 1,163 | $29,464 |
| 46 | Messiah University Mechanicsburg, PA | Private | 78% | 1,214 | $27,686 |
| 47 | DeSales University Center Valley, PA | Private | 79% | 1,199 | $30,465 |
| 48 | Susquehanna University Selinsgrove, PA | Private | 79% | 1,211 | $26,539 |
| 49 | Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA | Private | 79% | 1,257 | $34,978 |
| 50 | Chestnut Hill College Philadelphia, PA | Private | 79% | — | $29,944 |
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