99 PA Schools Ranked Among U.S. News’ 2022-2023 Best Colleges

PENNSYLVANIA — The Keystone State's reputation as a home to some of the nation's best colleges and universities remains intact, as the 2022-2023 Best Colleges rankings released Monday by U.S. News & World Report includes 99 schools from Pennsylvania.

U.S. News has published the guide for prospective students and families for nearly 40 years. Methodology has changed over the years to reflect changes in higher education, Kim Castro, editor and chief content officer at U.S. News, said in a news release.

U.S. News touts its ranking for providing millions of parents with “useful data and information to help with one of life’s biggest decisions,” Castro said.

U.S. News ranked 1,500 colleges and universities across 17 academic measures. To rank colleges, U.S. News first places each school into a category based on its mission and, in some cases, its geographic location.

National universities, which focus on research and offer several doctoral programs, are ranked separately from liberal arts colleges.

Here are the Pennsylvania schools ranked in each category. Schools are sorted by their standing in the state, with their national ranking included to the right.

National Liberal Arts Colleges

1. Swarthmore College, #4
2. Haverford College, #18
3. Bryn Mawr College, #31
4. Bucknell University, #37
5. Franklin & Marshall College, #39
6. Lafayette College, #39
7. Dickinson College, #51
8. Gettysburg College, #61
9. Allegheny College, #76
10. Muhlenberg College, #76
11. Juniata College, #89
12. Ursinus College, #89
13. Washington & Jefferson College, #94
14. Lycoming College, #111
15. Susquehanna University, #111
16. Saint Vincent College, #120
17. Westminster College (PA), #124
18. Albright College, #156-201
19. Bryn Athyn College of the New Church, #156-201
20. Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, #156-201
21. University of Pittsburgh--Greensburg, #156-201

National Universities

1. University of Pennsylvania, #7
2. Carnegie Mellon University, #22
3. Lehigh University, #51
4. Villanova University, #51
5. University of Pittsburgh, #62
6. Pennsylvania State University, #77
7. Drexel University, #105
8. Temple University, #121
9. Thomas Jefferson University, #127
10. Duquesne University, #151
11. Chatham University, #194
12. Robert Morris University, #194
13. La Salle University, #202
14. Misericordia University, #219
15. Widener University, #219
16. Wilkes University, #234
17. Immaculata University, #250
18. West Chester University of Pennsylvania, #250
19. Gannon University, #263
20. Point Park University, #263
21. DeSales University, #285
22. Alvernia University, #317
23. Gwynedd Mercy University, #331-440
24. Indiana University of Pennsylvania, #331-440

Regional Colleges - North

1. Grove City College, #5
2. Pennsylvania College of Technology, #6
3. Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, #15
4. Keystone College, #20
5. Thiel College, #20
6. University of Valley Forge, #20
7. Mount Aloysius College, #26
8. University of Pittsburgh--Johnstown, #27
9. University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, #29
10. Central Penn College, #35-45
11. Lackawanna College, Unranked
12. Peirce College, Unranked
13. Pittsburgh Technical College, Unranked

Regional Universities - North

1. University of Scranton, #5
2. Saint Joseph's University, #10
3. Elizabethtown College, #22
4. Messiah University, #28
5. St. Francis University, #33
6. Moravian University, #36
7. Arcadia University, #48
8. Lebanon Valley College, #48
9. Marywood University, #48
10. Seton Hill University, #54
11. King's College, #63
12. Mercyhurst University, #70
13. Cedar Crest College, #81
14. Geneva College, #81
15. Waynesburg University, #81
16. Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, #85
17. York College of Pennsylvania, #93
18. Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, #101
19. Millersville University of Pennsylvania, #109
20. Clarion University of Pennsylvania, #111
21. Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, #111
22. Carlow University, #113
23. Eastern University, #113
24. Chestnut Hill College, #119
25. Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, #121
26. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, #124
27. Delaware Valley University, #124
28. Lincoln University (PA), #124
29. La Roche University, #130
30. Cabrini University, #133-175
31. Cairn University, #133-175
32. California University of Pennsylvania, #133-175
33. Clarks Summit University, #133-175
34. East Stroudsburg University, #133-175
35. Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, #133-175
36. Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, #133-175
37. Holy Family University, #133-175
38. Lancaster Bible College, #133-175
39. Neumann University, #133-175
40. Rosemont College, #133-175
41. Wilson College, #133-175

Overall, the top three schools in each category are:

National Universities

1. Princeton University (New Jersey)
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
3. Tie: Harvard University (Massachusetts), Stanford University (California) and Yale University (Connecticut)

National Liberal Arts Colleges

1. Williams College (Massachusetts)
2. Amherst College (Massachusetts)
3. Pomona College (California)

National Universities (Public)

1. Tie: University of California, Berkeley, and University of California, Los Angeles

3. Tie: University of Michigan – Ann Arbor and University of Virginia

National Liberal Arts Colleges (Public)

1. United States Naval Academy
2. United States Military Academy at West Point
3. United States Air Force Academy

Top Performers on Social Mobility — National Universities

1. Keiser University (Florida)
2. University of California, Riverside
3. California State University – Long Beach

Top Performers on Social Mobility — National Liberal Arts Colleges

1. Salem College (North Carolina)
2. Lake Forest College (Illinois)
3. Tougaloo College (Mississippi)

To compile the rankings, U.S. News focuses on academic quality and places emphasis on outcome measures, including graduation rates, retention rates, graduate indebtedness and social mobility. Graduation rates and other outcomes represent 40 percent of each school’s overall score.

U.S. News said it changed how it weights SAT and ACT scores because demand for the college entrance exams plummeted due to the pandemic, especially among students living in low-income households.

Part-time faculty members were considered in measures on faculty resources, reflecting a trend for more part-time instructors, U.S. News said. Previously, only full-time instructors were considered.

Read more about the methodology.