2026 Best Private Colleges in Pennsylvania

Name: 2026 Best Private Colleges in Pennsylvania (Kollegio college rankings)
Creator: Kollegio
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

69 Pennsylvania schools ranked in Kollegio's 2026 Best Private Colleges ranking, based on U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data.

Showing 1–25 of 69 colleges · How we rank colleges

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Cost of attendance after aid

ⓘ

$77,180

Institution type

2 Year4 Year5 Year

Field of study

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Campus Detail

Institution setting

AllCitySuburbanRural

Undergraduate enrollment

ⓘ

268763

Financial

Alumni starting salary

Tuition cost

ⓘ

$67,000

In-state tuition

ⓘ

Proportion of need based aid received

ⓘ

100%Clear Filter

International students received aid

ⓘ

100%

Average aid package

ⓘ

$82,308

Application fee

ⓘ

$150

Academics

Mean GPA

ⓘ

Mean SAT

ⓘ

1200

Mean ACT

ⓘ

#1 Best Private Colleges

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia

Acceptance rate

5.9%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$54,652

Avg. Cost after Aid

$15,000

#2 Best Private Colleges

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh

Acceptance rate

11.4%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$57,560

Avg. Cost after Aid

$37,000

#3 Best Private Colleges

Swarthmore College

Swarthmore

Acceptance rate

6.9%

Institution type

4YEAR

Total Tuition Cost

$55,856

Avg. Cost after Aid

$20,000

#4 Best Private Colleges

Villanova University

Villanova

Acceptance rate

25.1%

Institution type

4YEAR

Total Tuition Cost

$58,290

Avg. Cost after Aid

$33,000

#5 Best Private Colleges

Lehigh University

Bethlehem

Acceptance rate

29.3%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$56,980

Avg. Cost after Aid

$32,000

#6 Best Private Colleges

Bucknell University

Lewisburg

Acceptance rate

32.0%

Institution type

4YEAR

Total Tuition Cost

$59,474

Avg. Cost after Aid

$38,000

#7 Best Private Colleges

Haverford College

Haverford

Acceptance rate

12.9%

Institution type

4YEAR

Total Tuition Cost

$60,442

Avg. Cost after Aid

$24,000

#8 Best Private Colleges

Lafayette College

Easton

Acceptance rate

31.5%

Institution type

4YEAR

Total Tuition Cost

$55,874

Avg. Cost after Aid

$39,000

#9 Best Private Colleges

Bryn Mawr College

Bryn Mawr

Acceptance rate

31.1%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$55,025

Avg. Cost after Aid

$34,000

#10 Best Private Colleges

Franklin & Marshall College

Lancaster

Acceptance rate

31.8%

Institution type

4YEAR

Total Tuition Cost

$63,216

Avg. Cost after Aid

$26,000

#11 Best Private Colleges

Gettysburg College

Gettysburg

Acceptance rate

47.5%

Institution type

4YEAR

Total Tuition Cost

$59,960

Avg. Cost after Aid

$36,000

#12 Best Private Colleges

Dickinson College

Carlisle

Acceptance rate

43.1%

Institution type

4YEAR

Total Tuition Cost

$58,158

Avg. Cost after Aid

$21,000

#13 Best Private Colleges

Muhlenberg College

Allentown

Acceptance rate

64.0%

Institution type

4YEAR

Total Tuition Cost

$53,865

Avg. Cost after Aid

$31,000

#14 Best Private Colleges

Drexel University

Philadelphia

Acceptance rate

77.5%

Institution type

4YEAR

Total Tuition Cost

$54,766

Avg. Cost after Aid

$26,000

#15 Best Private Colleges

Grove City College

Grove City

Acceptance rate

73.4%

Institution type

4YEAR

Total Tuition Cost

$19,310

Avg. Cost after Aid

$22,000

#16 Best Private Colleges

Saint Joseph's University

Philadelphia

Acceptance rate

86.4%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$47,740

Avg. Cost after Aid

$33,000

#17 Best Private Colleges

Duquesne University

Pittsburgh

Acceptance rate

78.8%

Institution type

UPWG

Total Tuition Cost

$43,526

Avg. Cost after Aid

$35,000

#18 Best Private Colleges

University of Scranton

Scranton

Acceptance rate

84.0%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$48,062

Avg. Cost after Aid

$36,000

#19 Best Private Colleges

Saint Vincent College

Latrobe

Acceptance rate

59.1%

Institution type

4YEAR

Total Tuition Cost

$37,684

Avg. Cost after Aid

$23,000

#20 Best Private Colleges

Moravian University

Bethlehem

Acceptance rate

54.0%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$46,799

Avg. Cost after Aid

$32,000

#21 Best Private Colleges

Saint Francis University

Loretto

Acceptance rate

76.9%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$38,852

Avg. Cost after Aid

$20,361

#22 Best Private Colleges

Allegheny College

Meadville

Acceptance rate

58.5%

Institution type

4YEAR

Total Tuition Cost

$51,910

Avg. Cost after Aid

$25,000

#23 Best Private Colleges

Elizabethtown College

Elizabethtown

Acceptance rate

76.8%

Institution type

COMP

Total Tuition Cost

$34,000

Avg. Cost after Aid

$27,000

#24 Best Private Colleges

Ursinus College

Collegeville

Acceptance rate

91.8%

Institution type

4YEAR

Total Tuition Cost

$56,600

Avg. Cost after Aid

$31,000

#25 Best Private Colleges

Lebanon Valley College

Annville

Acceptance rate

74.5%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$45,860

Avg. Cost after Aid

$27,000

2026 Best Private Colleges in Pennsylvania

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