These 19 colleges ranked 'best value' in Pennsylvania

By Candy Woodall | [email protected]

As high school seniors make their college picks, tuition is likely to factor in their decisions.

College is expensive, but some schools are a better value than others, according to finance magazine Kiplinger's latest rankings.

The magazine identified 19 schools in Pennsylvania in a ranking of the 300 best value colleges in the country.

To compile the list, Kiplinger considered multiple factors, including tuition, acceptance rate, four-year graduation rate and salary 10 years after starting college.

The 19 best value colleges in Pennsylvania

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19. Saint Francis University

Rank: 295 of 300

Acceptance rate: 67 percent

Four-year graduation rate: 59 percent

Cost per year: $49,904

Debt at graduation: $31,644

Average salary 10 years after starting college: $48,200

18. Duquesne University

Rank: 294 of 300

Acceptance rate: 74 percent

Four-year graduation rate: 68 percent

Cost per year: $49,908

Debt at graduation: $41,272

Average salary 10 years after starting college: $56,300

17. Geneva College

Rank: 260 of 300

Acceptance rate: 71 percent

Four-year graduation rate: 56 percent

Cost per year: $37,390

Debt at graduation: $36,278

Average salary 10 years after starting college: $38,900

16. Temple University

Rank: 254 of 300

Acceptance rate: 52 percent

Four-year graduation rate: 44 percent

Cost per year: $41,096

Debt at graduation: $37,708

Average salary 10 years after starting college: $48,600

15. Penn State University

Rank: 206 of 300

Acceptance rate: 56 percent

Four-year graduation rate: 68 percent

Cost per year: $46,784

Debt at graduation: $37,213

Average salary 10 years after starting college: $48,500

14. University of Pittsburgh

Rank: 145 of 300

Acceptance rate: 55  percent

Four-year graduation rate: 64 percent

Cost per year: $42,365

Debt at graduation: $38,612

Average salary 10 years after starting college: $50,700

13. Carnegie Mellon University

Rank: 140 of 300

Acceptance rate: 22 percent

Four-year graduation rate: 75 percent

Cost per year: $70,094

Debt at graduation: $30,866

Average salary 10 years after starting college: $81,800

12. Muhlenberg College

Rank: 130 of 300

Acceptance rate: 48 percent

Four-year graduation rate: 81 percent

Cost per year: $63,550

Debt at graduation: $31,063

Average salary 10 years after starting college: $55,300

11. Gettysburg College

Rank: 101 of 300

Acceptance rate: 43 percent

Four-year graduation rate: 84 percent

Cost per year: $65,710

Debt at graduation: $31,169

Average salary 10 years after starting college: $53,400

10. Villanova University

Rank: 100 of 300

Acceptance rate: 44 percent

Four-year graduation rate: 87 percent

Cost per year: $66,022

Debt at graduation: $35,545

Average salary 10 years after starting college: $74,500

9. Dickinson College

Rank: 90 of 300

Acceptance rate: 43 percent

Four-year graduation rate: 81 percent

Cost per year: $67,361

Debt at graduation: $26,908

Average salary 10 years after starting college: $54,800

8. Franklin & Marshall College

Rank: 87 of 300

Acceptance rate: 36 percent

Four-year graduation rate: 84 percent

Cost per year: $69,360

Debt at graduation: $27,133

Average salary 10 years after starting college: $53,600

7. Bucknell University

Rank: 77 of 300

Acceptance rate: 30 percent

Four-year graduation rate: 84 percent

Cost per year: $68,036

Debt at graduation: $22,600

Average salary 10 years after starting college: $66,200

6. Lehigh University

Rank: 72 of 300

Acceptance rate: 26 percent

Four-year graduation rate: 77 percent

Cost per year: $64,860

Debt at graduation: $34,215

Average salary 10 years after starting college: $77,200

5. Lafayette College

Rank: 60 of 300

Acceptance rate: 28 percent

Four-year graduation rate: 85 percent

Cost per year: $67,640

Debt at graduation: $29,324

Average salary 10 years after starting college: $67,500

4. Bryn Mawr College

Rank: 45 of 300

Acceptance rate: 40 percent

Four-year graduation rate: 78 percent

Cost per year: $67,410

Debt at graduation: $23,081

Average salary 10 years after starting college: $53,100

3. University of Pennsylvania

Rank: 41 of 300

Acceptance rate: 9 percent

Four-year graduation rate: 85 percent

Cost per year: $69,880

Debt at graduation: $24,536

Average salary 10 years after starting college: $82,400

2. Haverford College

Rank: 31 of 300

Acceptance rate: 21 percent

Four-year graduation rate: 86 percent

Cost per year: $71,614

Debt at graduation: $13,000

Average salary 10 years after starting college: $56,300

1. Swarthmore College

Rank: 3 of 300

Acceptance rate: 13 percent

Four-year graduation rate: 88 percent

Cost per year: $67,110

Debt at graduation: $22,957

Average salary 10 years after starting college: $52,500

Only two schools in the U.S. ranked higher than Swarthmore. They are...

Davidson College

Rank: 2 of 300

State: North Carolina

Acceptance rate: 20 percent

Four-year graduation rate: 90 percent

Cost per year: $64,903

Debt at graduation: $20,431

Average salary 10 years after starting college: $54,600

Princeton University

Rank: 1 of 300

State: New Jersey

Acceptance rate: 7 percent

Four-year graduation rate: 89 percent

Cost per year: $61,140

Debt at graduation: $8,908

Average salary 10 years after starting college: $80,500

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