Colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling in Pennsylvania
Key facts
- #1 Carnegie Mellon University, PA: $115k
- #2 University of Pennsylvania, PA: $111k
- #3 Lehigh University, PA: $106k
- 100 colleges ranked across Pennsylvania
- Data as of November 2026
For comparison: $58k across the typical college in this list.
- 1Carnegie Mellon University PA$115k
- 2University of Pennsylvania PA$111k
- 3Lehigh University PA$106k
- 4Villanova University PA$100k
- 5Bucknell University PA$94k
- 6Lafayette College PA$91k
- 7Saint Joseph's University PA$87k
- 8Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences PA$87k
- 9Drexel University PA$85k
- 10Swarthmore College PA$80k
What stands out
- The top ten is tightly packed: Carnegie Mellon University leads on $115k, and #10 Swarthmore College is at $80k.
- Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences reaches #8 on a sample of 1,280 students enrolled, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
- Drexel University is the largest market in the top ten, with 13,233 students enrolled behind its figure.
- Colleges with fewer than 500 students enrolled are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.
Why this ranking matters
What it shows
Median earnings ten years after enrolling show what former students of a college go on to earn, as the Department of Education publishes it.
How to use it
Compare colleges within the same level and field, and read earnings next to completion rate and net price. Earnings reflect who enrolls and what they study as much as the college.
The top 25
- 1
Carnegie Mellon University PA
$115k
- Completion rate
- 94%
- Net price a year
- $31,944
- Private nonprofit
- 7,304 students
Based on 7,304 students enrolled.
Carnegie Mellon University: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 2
University of Pennsylvania PA
$111k
- Completion rate
- 97%
- Net price a year
- $28,699
- Private nonprofit
- 10,650 students
Based on 10,650 students enrolled.
University of Pennsylvania: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 3
Lehigh University PA
$106k
- Completion rate
- 88%
- Net price a year
- $36,931
- Private nonprofit
- 5,898 students
Based on 5,898 students enrolled.
- 4
Villanova University PA
$100k
- Completion rate
- 92%
- Net price a year
- $43,756
- Private nonprofit
- 6,938 students
Based on 6,938 students enrolled.
- 5
Bucknell University PA
$94k
- Completion rate
- 86%
- Net price a year
- $40,766
- Private nonprofit
- 3,876 students
Based on 3,876 students enrolled.
- 6
Lafayette College PA
$91k
- Completion rate
- 88%
- Net price a year
- $34,433
- Private nonprofit
- 2,757 students
Based on 2,757 students enrolled.
- 7
Saint Joseph's University PA
$87k
- Completion rate
- 79%
- Net price a year
- $29,689
- Private nonprofit
- 4,948 students
Based on 4,948 students enrolled.
Saint Joseph's University: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 8
- Completion rate
- 69%
- Net price a year
- $42,478
- Private nonprofit
- 1,280 students
Based on 1,280 students enrolled.
Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 9
Drexel University PA
$85k
- Completion rate
- 78%
- Net price a year
- $38,509
- Private nonprofit
- 13,233 students
Based on 13,233 students enrolled.
- 10
Swarthmore College PA
$80k
- Completion rate
- 92%
- Net price a year
- $23,149
- Private nonprofit
- 1,613 students
Based on 1,613 students enrolled.
- 11
Haverford College PA
$80k
- Completion rate
- 90%
- Net price a year
- $25,314
- Private nonprofit
- 1,430 students
Based on 1,430 students enrolled.
- 12
Thomas Jefferson University PA
$77k
- Completion rate
- 69%
- Net price a year
- $28,928
- Private nonprofit
- 3,755 students
Based on 3,755 students enrolled.
Thomas Jefferson University: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 13
Franklin and Marshall College PA
$76k
- Completion rate
- 84%
- Net price a year
- $36,425
- Private nonprofit
- 1,799 students
Based on 1,799 students enrolled.
Franklin and Marshall College: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 14
Immaculata University PA
$76k
- Completion rate
- 71%
- Net price a year
- $24,258
- Private nonprofit
- 1,320 students
Based on 1,320 students enrolled.
- 15
Bryn Mawr College PA
$75k
- Completion rate
- 82%
- Net price a year
- $31,759
- Private nonprofit
- 1,359 students
Based on 1,359 students enrolled.
- 16
Duquesne University PA
$75k
- Completion rate
- 77%
- Net price a year
- $37,730
- Private nonprofit
- 5,350 students
Based on 5,350 students enrolled.
- 17
University of Scranton PA
$75k
- Completion rate
- 80%
- Net price a year
- $32,568
- Private nonprofit
- 3,554 students
Based on 3,554 students enrolled.
- 18
Ursinus College PA
$74k
- Completion rate
- 73%
- Net price a year
- $30,536
- Private nonprofit
- 1,491 students
Based on 1,491 students enrolled.
- 19
Gettysburg College PA
$72k
- Completion rate
- 83%
- Net price a year
- $31,490
- Private nonprofit
- 2,099 students
Based on 2,099 students enrolled.
- 20
Widener University PA
$71k
- Completion rate
- 68%
- Net price a year
- $25,759
- Private nonprofit
- 2,951 students
Based on 2,951 students enrolled.
- 21
Dickinson College PA
$70k
- Completion rate
- 80%
- Net price a year
- $37,607
- Private nonprofit
- 2,273 students
Based on 2,273 students enrolled.
- 22
Muhlenberg College PA
$69k
- Completion rate
- 82%
- Net price a year
- $28,905
- Private nonprofit
- 1,727 students
Based on 1,727 students enrolled.
- 23
Washington & Jefferson College PA
$68k
- Completion rate
- 70%
- Net price a year
- $25,002
- Private nonprofit
- 1,295 students
Based on 1,295 students enrolled.
Washington & Jefferson College: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 24
La Salle University PA
$67k
- Completion rate
- 57%
- Net price a year
- $19,409
- Private nonprofit
- 1,953 students
Based on 1,953 students enrolled.
- 25
Gwynedd Mercy University PA
$67k
- Completion rate
- 57%
- Net price a year
- $27,483
- Private nonprofit
- 1,067 students
Based on 1,067 students enrolled.
Gwynedd Mercy University: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
Full ranking
All 100 colleges that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
How this ranking works
Earnings are the median earnings of students who received federal financial aid, ten years after they first enrolled, as published in the Department of Education College Scorecard. They describe past students, not a promise for future ones.
Only colleges with at least 500 students and published earnings are ranked. A college's earnings reflect who enrolls and what they study as much as what the college teaches.
Sample bar: colleges with fewer than 500 students enrolled are not ranked.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard (median earnings, completion, net price), as held in our college tables. Data as of November 2026.
Our job data covers professional roles on the career sites of employers we track, so figures describe that market, not every job. Spot an error? Tell us.
Questions
- Which certification ranks first: colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling in pennsylvania?
- Carnegie Mellon University leads Pennsylvania among colleges for earnings: its former students earn a median of $115k ten years after enrolling, against $58k for the typical college in this list.
- How many colleges are ranked?
- 100 colleges have at least 500 students enrolled, so the list has 100 entries.
- How is the ranking calculated?
- Earnings are the median earnings of students who received federal financial aid, ten years after they first enrolled, as published in the Department of Education College Scorecard. They describe past students, not a promise for future ones. Only colleges with at least 500 students and published earnings are ranked. A college's earnings reflect who enrolls and what they study as much as what the college teaches.
- How often is it updated?
- Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.
More rankings
- Colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling
- Four-year colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling
- Community and two-year colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling
- Colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling in the Northeast
- Colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling in New England
- Colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling in the Mid-Atlantic
- All rankings
Cite this ranking
NextChapter, “Colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling in Pennsylvania,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/colleges-with-the-highest-earnings-in-pennsylvania
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/colleges-with-the-highest-earnings-in-pennsylvania">Colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling in Pennsylvania (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.
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