Colleges in Pennsylvania: acceptance rates and cost
Across the 10 Pennsylvania colleges listed below, UPenn admitted the smallest share of applicants for fall 2023, 5.9%.
No college in the table shifted more than West Chester University, which went from admitting 51.6% of applicants in fall 2013 to 79.2% in fall 2023.
On sticker price for non-residents, West Chester University has the lowest out-of-state tuition and fees on this page, $23,876 for 2025-26; residents of Pennsylvania pay $11,464.
Where aid matters most, the smallest net price for the $0 to $30,000 income band is $6,966 at Swarthmore, from 2024-25 data, against tuition and fees of $69,226 before aid.
By volume, Penn State drew the most applications for fall 2023, 85,956, up 81% from fall 2013.
Statewide, a typical Pennsylvania bachelor's college admitted 83.6% of applicants for fall 2023, the median of 111 reporting colleges, and the median out-of-state tuition at the state's 37 public bachelor's colleges is $24,402 for 2025-26.
Pennsylvania colleges on AdmitFacts
| College | Admit rate, fall 2023 |
|---|---|
| Penn State | 54.2% |
| Villanova | 25.1% |
| UPenn | 5.9% |
| Pitt | 49.7% |
| Carnegie Mellon | 11.4% |
| Temple | 82.9% |
| Drexel | 77.5% |
| Lehigh | 29.3% |
| West Chester University | 79.2% |
| Swarthmore | 6.9% |
Admit rates: IPEDS fall 2023. Tuition and fees: College Scorecard 2025-26; private colleges charge every student the same. Graduation within 6 years: College Scorecard, students who started in 2019. Net price for families earning $0 to $30,000: College Scorecard 2024-25, students with federal aid. State medians cover every operating bachelor's-degree college in the Scorecard file.
Every state median in the summary, with its source field
| Figure | Value | File, field, year |
|---|---|---|
| Median admit rate, Pennsylvania (N = 111) | 83.6% | IPEDS ADM2023, median ADMSSN/APPLCN, bachelor's institutions, fall 2023 |
| Median out-of-state tuition and fees, public colleges, Pennsylvania (N = 37) | $24,402 | College Scorecard, median TUITIONFEE_OUT, public bachelor's institutions, 2025-26 |