Top 6 Best Colleges in Pennsylvania | 2017 Ranking | Top PA State Colleges to Get a Degree from

Top Colleges in Pennsylvania	Key Feature	Key Benefit
Pennsylvania State University	The largest among public colleges in Pennsylvania	Offers more than 160 majors and is home to the well-ranked Schreyer Honors Colleges
Slippery Rock University	One of the cheapest colleges in PA	More than 150 on-campus clubs and organizations to participate in
Temple University	Very large urban university with hundreds of degree programs	Fly in 4 program is offered to incoming freshmen to help them graduate in four years and reduce their student loan debt
University of Pennsylvania	The University of Pennsylvania is one of the most competitive universities in the country	Part of the Ivy League and alma mater of many notable alumni including Elon Musk and Google CEO Sundar Pichai
University of Pittsburgh	Large urban university with an active student life and desirable setting	Pitt receives some of the most research funding of any school in the country
West Chester University of Pennsylvania	Top-ranked regional school	Personalized education options with the resources of a large state school

How to Save Money When You Attend Top Colleges in Pennsylvania

With the rising costs of education and many students leaving college with staggering amounts of debt, a common question is how they can save money on the cost of their tuition and other expenses.

One of the top ways is to attend one of the PA state colleges or public colleges in Pennsylvania.  If you’re an in-state student, you will save a significant amount of money on tuition as compared to a non-resident.

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What about ways outside of attending PA state colleges, however?

The following are a few tips to help you save on college costs regardless of which of the best colleges in Pennsylvania you attend:

• Earn credit while you’re still in high school. While many students take advanced AP courses to boost their chances of getting into one of the best Pennsylvania colleges, they don’t necessarily realize that taking as many of these classes as possible will save them time and money. Many good colleges in Pennsylvania will then let students skip entry-level courses if they do well enough on AP exams.

• You can take summer classes at a community college. Community colleges are among the cheap colleges in PA, and you can earn less expensive credits as long as they transfer to the main college you’re attending. You can not only avoid taking some of these classes at a more expensive college or university, but you may also be able to graduate earlier, which can also help you save on room and board costs.

• Take as many courses as you can reasonably manage in a semester. The faster you graduate, the less money you spend, so while taking your time might seem more appealing, trying to take on a bigger course load is going to be better regarding money.

• Before you start college, do a lot of research on majors and areas of study. The surer you are of what you want to study as soon as you start one of the colleges in Pennsylvania, the less time and money you’ll waste in the process.

These certainly aren’t all of the ways you can save money on the costs of attending the best colleges in Pennsylvania, but they are some good options to help you make better financial decisions while you’re in school.

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Detailed Review – Top Ranking Best Colleges in Pennsylvania

Below, please find the detailed review of each of the top colleges in Pennsylvania. We have highlighted some of the factors that allowed these best Pennsylvania colleges to score so well in our selection ranking.

Pennsylvania State University-University Park Review

Pennsylvania State University-University Park is considered one of the top colleges in Pennsylvania, and it’s also one of the cheapest colleges in PA for in-state students. This research-intensive leader among PA state colleges is also often referred to as Penn State or PSU.  

Key Features of This College That Led to Its Ranking as One of the Best Colleges in Pennsylvania

Among PA state colleges and the cheapest colleges in PA, the following are some specific ways Penn State is distinctive.

Top National Rankings

Attending Penn State, which is one of the relatively cheap colleges in PA along with being one of the best Pennsylvania colleges, comes with many advantages. First, there is the opportunity to pay in-state tuition, but beyond the financial component, it’s also one of the top-ranked PA state colleges, and it’s top-ranked in the nation.

Outlets like U.S. News & World Report rank Penn State as one of the top national universities as well as one of the country’s top public schools overall.

Also unique is the fact that in a 2010 survey from Wall Street Journal, the University was ranked number one by nearly 500 corporate recruiting executives who were asked to name whose graduates were the best-trained.

Student Aid

Even with being one of the cheapest colleges in PA that still provides a world-class education, Penn State also offers plenty of student aid options. According to the school, more than 73 percent of all students receive some type of aid, including grants and university scholarships.

Image Source: PennState

Academics

Penn State, as one of the leading public colleges in Pennsylvania and one of the overall best Pennsylvania colleges, is a public research institution that’s ranked in the top 1 percent of all universities in the world.

They have excellent academic programs, including more than 160 majors, and the Division of Undergraduate Studies, which is for students who are unsure of their intended major.

Penn State awards credit to future students for previous work completed as well as exams like AP exams, and the Schreyer Honors College is often rated as one of the top undergraduate honors programs in the U.S.

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Slippery Rock University Review

Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania is one of the top public colleges in Pennsylvania, and it’s also one of the cheapest colleges in PA. It’s set in a rural area and the campus totals around 660 acres.

Key Features of This Selection for One of the Top Public Colleges in Pennsylvania

Primary reasons SRU is included on this list of the best Pennsylvania colleges including PA state colleges and small colleges in Pennsylvania are below.

Focus

Slippery Rock is unique from many of the other cheapest colleges in PA and public colleges in Pennsylvania included in this ranking because it’s relatively small. Despite the fact that it’s not as huge as PSU, for example, SRU offers more than 150 majors and minors.

They also have an Honors Program, and there are more than 30 masters and two doctoral degree programs, both online and on campus.

Career Education and Development

One of the best resources available to students of Slippery Rock, one of the top PA state colleges, is the SRU Office of Career Education and Development. This office provides supportive services to both students and alumni to help them in their career development.

Specific resources that may be available through the office include appointments, networking events, on-campus interviews, and career expos.

Student Life

SRU, one of the top colleges in Pennsylvania among all the good colleges in Pennsylvania, has a thriving and robust selection of activities and student life events. For example, the Aebersold Recreation Center includes facilities like a two-story climbing wall, and there is an active Greek Life on campus.

There are more than 150 clubs and organizations on campus, and housing ranges from residence halls to the Rock Apartments.

Temple University Review

Temple University is one of the public colleges in Pennsylvania, and it’s often ranked among the best colleges in Pennsylvania. Temple was founded in 1884, and since it is one of the PA state colleges, it is less expensive for in-state students to attend.

Image Source: Temple

Key Factors That Led to Our Ranking of This as One of the Top Colleges in Pennsylvania

Temple University is included on this list of colleges in Pennsylvania that are among the top PA state colleges for reasons such as the ones below.

Innovation in Student Loan Debt Issues

One of the unique things about Temple, one of the top public colleges in Pennsylvania, is the effort they’ve put toward helping students reduce their debt at graduation and making school more affordable for more people.

First, there are four-year academic merit scholarships available for freshmen that range from $3,000 to the full amount of tuition. There are also opportunities for summer stipends for research, internships, and study abroad programs.

Also, Temple offers something called Fly in 4. In 2015, 93 percent of incoming freshmen signed up for this program, which is designed to reduce debt loads by helping students stay on track to graduate in four years.

The program includes four-year grants awarded to 500 eligible students at Temple.

Financial workshops, money management tools, and financial courses round out Temple’s financial aid education.

Alternatives to Standardized Tests

Temple is an innovator among top colleges in Pennsylvania in many ways. At this pick for one of the good colleges in Pennsylvania, admissions looks at talented students who might not have their potential shown in their standardized test scores.

The Temple Option is a program where students submit analytical short answers to open-ended questions, rather than submitting their ACT or SAT scores.

Academics

Temple is one of the largest public colleges in Pennsylvania included on this ranking of top colleges in Pennsylvania. They also offer extensive academic options, which include 17 schools and colleges and eight campuses. There are more than 450 degree programs available, and Temple’s faculty includes 3,700 professionals who are some of the best researchers.

While Temple is a large Pennsylvania university in an urban setting, the student-faculty ratio remains 14:1.

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The University of Pennsylvania Review

The University of Pennsylvania is not one of the public colleges in Pennsylvania included in this ranking, but it is undoubtedly one of the best Pennsylvania colleges. This Ivy League research university is located in Philadelphia and is not just one of the best colleges in PA, but also the country.

Key Factors That Led to Our Ranking of This as One of the Best Colleges in Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania is included on this list of Pennsylvania colleges that are the best for reasons like the ones below.

History

As mentioned, The University of Pennsylvania isn’t just one of the general good colleges in Pennsylvania. It’s actually an Ivy League school, of which there are only eight in the U.S. The Ivy League is a distinction that indicates a school is among the most prestigious and well-ranked in the world.

Some of the reasons a school is designated as being part of the Ivy League is because of their academic excellence and admissions selectiveness.

In addition to being the only one of the Pennsylvania colleges on this ranking that’s Ivy League, Penn is also one of the founding members of the Association of American Universities and is one of only nine colonial colleges.

Spirit of Innovation

At Penn, one of the best colleges in PA, there is a spirit of innovation that’s prevalent throughout the institution. Benjamin Franklin founded it, and it is the alma mater of many of the most influential entrepreneurs in history and currently. For example, some of the alumni of Penn include Tory Burch, Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

Business and Medical School

Essentially everything at Penn is world-class regarding resources and academics, but the Wharton School and the School of Nursing are two of the most highly-ranked schools at this pick for one of the best Pennsylvania colleges.

The Medical School is also the oldest in the country, having been established before the Revolutionary War.

Penn also boasts an All-Grant Aid program to provide undergraduate students with financial aid made up only of grants and work-study.

The University of Pittsburgh Review

Considered a state-related university, the University of Pittsburgh was founded in 1787. Its campus is set in urban Pittsburgh, and the school is very large, with nearly 30,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. There are also four other campuses that are part of the school.  

Key Factors That Led to Our Ranking of This as One of the Leading Colleges in Pennsylvania

Among the many good colleges in Pennsylvania, including both large and small colleges in Pennsylvania, the following are primary reasons Pitt was included in this ranking.

Research and Funding

Pitt, one of the leading Pennsylvania colleges among both large and small colleges in Pennsylvania, has an annual operating budget that’s around $2 billion, and a significant portion of this goes to research and development. Pitt is the sixth-largest recipient of federal research funding among U.S. universities, and it also receives a lot of funding from the National Institutes of Health.

Rankings

Pitt ranks well not just among the best Pennsylvania colleges, but at the national level as well.

Some of the specific areas they rank well in by outlets like U.S. News & World Report include being one of the country’s best public schools and one of the best universities overall in the nation. They also have a top-ranking business program and a leading engineering program as well.

Student Life

Along with varied and excellent academic programs, students at Pitt, one of the best Pennsylvania colleges, have access to many activities, groups, and cultural events. For example, there are nearly 500 student organizations at the school, and the Pitt Panther athletes participate in Division 1 athletics.

There are seven campus rec centers, and the area of Pittsburgh where the school is located is known as being one of the best areas to live in in the country.

Also, through PITT Arts, students have access to low-cost tickets to events including concerts, orchestra, and museums.

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West Chester University Review

As part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, West Chester University is one of the leading PA state colleges. WCUPA is located around 25 miles west of Philadelphia, and it was established in 1871.

Key Factors That Led to Our Ranking of This as One of the Best Pennsylvania Colleges

Among PA state colleges and good colleges in Pennsylvania, as well as cheap colleges in PA, the following are specific features that make West Chester University unique.

Academics

WCUPA was initially founded as a school that would prepare teachers, but since that time it has grown and offers a range of programs, including bachelor’s degrees, master’s programs, doctorate programs, certificates, and online learning programs.

This comprehensive leader among PA state colleges has more than 118 undergraduate programs and 103 graduate programs available, across more than 50 areas of study.

Recognition

Among small colleges in Pennsylvania and large colleges, West Chester is consistently recognized for excellence.

For example, U.S. News & World Report named it as one of the top regional public universities in the north. They also ranked it as one of the best regional universities for veterans and an overall leader among North regional universities.

Consumer Digest also called it one of the Top 50 Values for Public Colleges and Universities, and it was ranked by Kiplinger as a best buy in American public education, signifying that, in addition to strong academics, it’s also an option for cheap colleges in PA.  

Personalized Experience

At West Chester, one of the best colleges in PA, there is a recognition that sometimes students worry that if they attend one of the PA state colleges or public colleges in Pennsylvania that they won’t get a personalized learning experience. WCUPA strives to eliminate that issue by focusing on delivering tailored educational experiences.

The faculty members teach every day, and the student-to-faculty ratio is 19:1, so students can build relationships with their professors.

Conclusion—Top 6 Best Colleges in Pennsylvania

The names included on this list of Pennsylvania colleges highlighting the best colleges in PA are as diverse as the needs of their students. This ranking of colleges in Pennsylvania looks at everything from what could be considered small colleges in Pennsylvania to cheap colleges in PA, as well as an Ivy League option.

There’s something for everyone on this list of the leading colleges in Pennsylvania, whether you want public colleges in Pennsylvania or private options.

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