Higher Education Outcome Report · Northeast

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Pennsylvania Higher Education Outcome Report

Updated continuously · 168 degree-granting institutions graded

Pennsylvania's higher education system is a below-average mobility and higher earnings system. Median 10-year earnings sit at $58,220, +13% vs the national median.

healthcare & life sciences
advanced manufacturing
finance

299
INSTITUTIONS: $58,220
MEDIAN EARNINGS: ▲ 13% vs natl; $21,974
AVG NET PRICE: 84 / 123
PUBLIC / PRIVATE

OUTCOME GRADE

A-

71/100 · #6 of 50

Pennsylvania At A Glance

State-Level Intelligence

Institutions

168

440,601 students enrolled
Graduates / Year

~66,666

Estimated annual completers
Median Earnings
94th pct

$58,363

3rd of 50 states
Mobility Score
46th pct

1.5%

25th of 46 states
Talent Retention
84th pct

77%

First-year retention rate
Value Ratio
44th pct

2.7x

Earnings per net-price dollar

Top Industries Hiring Graduates:

Business
Healthcare
Social Sciences

Executive Summary

Pennsylvania graduates earn a median of $58,363 a decade after entry, 20% above the national state average, ranking 3rd of 50 states.
Upward mobility sits mid-pack: the state's institutions move bottom-quintile students into the top quintile at a 1.5% rate, in the 46th percentile nationally.
Degree production is led by Business and Healthcare, which together account for 38% of graduates. That diversified mix sets what the state's labor pipeline can supply.
Engineering is the standout sector: graduates earn $71,005, +37.7% versus the national median. That premium points to a real wage advantage rather than sheer volume.
On value, Pennsylvania returns 2.7x earnings per dollar of net price, roughly average cost-to-outcome efficiency in the country.
The state's strongest mobility engine is New Castle School of Trades, which moves bottom-quintile students into the top quintile at a 4.2% rate, the highest in Pennsylvania.

Key Insights

Earnings vs National

+15.8%

Median graduate earnings in Pennsylvania are above the national average by 16%.
Cost vs National

+16.2%

Net price in Pennsylvania is higher than the national average by 16%.
Mobility Rate

-0.32pp

Upward mobility rate is 0.3 percentage points below the national average.
Completion Rate

+4.8pp

Pennsylvania's graduation rate is 4.8 percentage points above the national average.
Best Value

7.9x

Top value school: Valley Forge Military College ($50,798 earnings vs $6,398 net price).
Top Mobility School

4.2%

Highest mobility rate: New Castle School of Trades at 4.2%.

Education Output Profile

Business (20% of graduates) and Healthcare (18% of graduates) dominate Pennsylvania's higher education output. Graduates in the top field earn a weighted average of $58,758.

Business

20%

$58,758 avg
Healthcare

18%

$56,037 avg
Social Sciences

12%

$63,603 avg
Technology

9%

$61,873 avg
Sciences

8%

$64,088 avg

Concentration: diversified HHI: 12

Outcome Performance

Pennsylvania's highest-ROI degree cluster is Trades (Precision Production), where graduates average $43,194 against a net cost of $10,774, a 4.0x return. That's -16.2% vs the national median.

Precision Production
4.0x

$43,194 earnings $10,774 net -16.2% vs natl
Mechanic & Repair Tech
3.7x

$44,376 earnings $11,999 net -14% vs natl
Construction Trades
3.6x

$42,564 earnings $11,802 net -17.5% vs natl
Culinary & Personal Services
2.9x

$45,494 earnings $15,746 net -11.8% vs natl
Engineering
2.9x

$60,976 earnings $21,253 net +18.2% vs natl
Transportation
2.9x

$47,257 earnings $16,577 net -8.4% vs natl

State Talent Profile

Three lenses on Pennsylvania's talent pipeline: which fields produce the most graduates, which command the highest earnings, and where high-pay demand outruns local supply.

Dominant Fields

Business & Marketing 20%
Health Professions 18%
Computer Science & IT 8%
Psychology 7%
Engineering 6%

Highest-Earning Fields

Engineering $71,318
Social Sciences $68,041
Biology & Biomedical $63,126
Psychology $60,081
Computer Science & IT $59,998

Opportunity Gaps

High earnings, low local production — fields where demand may outrun Pennsylvania's graduate supply.

Social Sciences $68,041 5% of grads
Biology & Biomedical $63,126 6% of grads

Mobility & Retention

Opportunity Insights

Pennsylvania's colleges post an average mobility rate of 1.5%, which puts the state in the 46th percentile nationally. 8% of students arrive from bottom-quintile households. Cross-class social connectedness averages 1.58, a proxy for the networks that help graduates convert a degree into mobility.

MOBILITY RATE

1.5%

▼ -0.21pp vs natl

Bottom 20% → Top 20%
LOW-INCOME ACCESS

8%

From bottom quintile
SUCCESS RATE

25%

If bottom 20% enroll
FIRST-GENERATION

33%

First-gen students
TALENT RETENTION

77%

First-year retention
SOCIAL CAPITAL

1.58

Economic connectedness

Mobility Leaders — Institutions Driving Upward Movement

Labor Market Alignment

Pennsylvania's Engineering programs produce graduates earning $71,005, +37.7% relative to the national median.

Business
20% of enrollment

$58,657 +13.7% vs natl

126 schools
Healthcare
18% of enrollment

$56,865 +10.3% vs natl

98 schools
Social Sciences
12% of enrollment

$61,970 +20.2% vs natl

88 schools
Technology
9% of enrollment

$58,568 +13.6% vs natl

67 schools
Sciences
8% of enrollment

$64,573 +25.2% vs natl

70 schools
Engineering
6% of enrollment

$71,005 +37.7% vs natl

31 schools

Overperforming Sectors

Engineering: +37.7% vs national earnings ($71,005)

Sciences: +25.2% vs national earnings ($64,573)

Social Sciences: +20.2% vs national earnings ($61,970)

Institutional Landscape

Pennsylvania's higher education system includes 7 research-oriented, 21 specialized, 20 access-oriented, 120 regional institutions. Each group plays a different role in the state's outcomes.

7

Research Universities
120

Regional Universities
20

Access-Oriented Institutions
21

Specialized Institutions

Research Universities

Access-Oriented Institutions

Cost & Access Corridors

20% of Pennsylvania's colleges charge under $15K net. Graduates of those schools average $44,422 at 10 years. At the premium end, 5 schools charge over $40K, with graduates averaging $69,766.

NET PRICE UNDER $15K

30

20% of schools
Avg earnings: $44,422
NET PRICE $15K–$25K

67

45% of schools
Avg earnings: $56,940
NET PRICE $25K–$40K

46

31% of schools
Avg earnings: $65,558
NET PRICE OVER $40K

5

3% of schools
Avg earnings: $69,766

Top Earners

Schools ranked by median graduate earnings 10 years after enrolling.

Higher education in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is home to 299 colleges and universities, from 84 public institutions to 123 private nonprofits. Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus anchors the public system, and graduates across the state earn a median of about $50,758 ten years after enrolling.

Higher education clusters around Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Lancaster, and the strongest programs by enrollment are Health Professions, Business & Marketing and Psychology. We rank every school here by what its graduates actually earn and how far they move up — not by reputation or sticker price.

What college costs in Pennsylvania

The average net price — what students actually pay after grants and scholarships — runs about $21,003 a year across Pennsylvania. Bucks County Community College stands out on return: strong graduate earnings against a comparatively low net price. Public universities and in-state tuition remain the clearest path to a low-debt degree, while need-based aid can make selective private schools surprisingly competitive.

Most Affordable Schools

Jobs & industries

Pennsylvania's economy leans on healthcare & life sciences, advanced manufacturing and finance, which shapes which degrees pay off fastest in-state. Programs in Health Professions, Business & Marketing and Psychology feed directly into those employers, and graduates who stay in-region benefit from established hiring pipelines and alumni networks.

Licensure & transfer

Licensure and articulation are state-specific: nursing, teaching, law, and the health professions are regulated at the Pennsylvania level, so an in-state program is often the most direct route to practicing here. Community-college transfer agreements with public universities can also cut the cost of a four-year degree substantially.

Cost vs Return

What graduates in Pennsylvania earn relative to what they pay for college.

MEDIAN EARNINGS (10YR)

$50,758

▲ +$6,921 vs natl

AVG NET PRICE

$21,003

▼ +$2,927 vs natl

EARNINGS / COST RATIO

2.4x

Return per dollar invested

Best Value Schools

HBCUs in Pennsylvania

Is Pennsylvania Right for You?

Pennsylvania is a strong fit if you want to build a career in healthcare & life sciences and advanced manufacturing, value in-state tuition, or plan to work in the region after graduation. Use the rankings and filters below to weigh earnings, cost, and mobility for every school in the state.

Every figure on this page is derived from public federal data and read within its regional and economic context. Information Gain Policy →

Related Rankings

Top Schools

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine · PA Carnegie Mellon University · PA University of Pennsylvania · PA Lehigh University · PA Villanova University · PA Bucknell University · PA

FAQ

How many colleges are in Pennsylvania?

There are 299 colleges and universities in Pennsylvania in our dataset — 84 public, 123 private nonprofit, including 2 HBCUs.

What is the highest-earning college in Pennsylvania?

By median graduate earnings 10 years out, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine leads, followed by schools like Carnegie Mellon University and University of Pennsylvania.

How much does college cost in Pennsylvania?

The average net price — tuition and living costs after grants — is about $21,003 per year. In-state public tuition is typically the lowest-cost path.

What are the best-paying career fields in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania's economy is anchored by healthcare & life sciences, advanced manufacturing and finance, so degrees feeding those industries tend to pay off fastest in-state.

Is it worth going to college in Pennsylvania?

For most students, yes — especially at in-state public universities and high-value private schools. Bucks County Community College, for example, pairs strong earnings with a low net price. Weigh earnings against net price using the data on this page.

All 299 schools in Pennsylvania

Data Behind This Page Updated 2026

299 institutions in Pennsylvania

2026 Last updated

100% Public / federal sources

Source datasets

Methodology

States are graded on graduate earnings, social mobility, completion, and cost — each drawn from federal data and Opportunity Insights research, then normalized into a single Outcomes Index (0–100).

See the full methodology and weights →

Confidence notes

Earnings, completion, and debt figures come from federal administrative records — tax data and student-aid filings — not surveys or self-reports, the highest-confidence tier of education data available.
Social-mobility estimates are drawn from de-identified tax records covering more than 30 million students (Opportunity Insights).
Where an institution is missing a metric, it is excluded from that metric rather than imputed, so averages are never inflated by guesses.

Limitations

Federal earnings data primarily cover students who received federal financial aid; outcomes for non-aided students may differ.
Earnings are measured roughly ten years after enrollment, so they describe how earlier cohorts fared — historical outcomes, not guarantees of future results.
An institution's field-of-study mix affects raw earnings; scores reflect measured outcomes and are not fully major-adjusted unless explicitly noted.
Net price is an average; the actual cost a given student pays varies widely by family income.

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