College Compass GuideTrue north for every college search.

Every accredited U.S. college

Colleges

Every accredited four-year college, rated on Academic Excellence and Value (what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and student debt), all from federal data.

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Compass Score sorts by outcomes, students and cost together. The other sorts order every college by a different measure.
Ratings
Compass ScoreCompass Score: a letter grade set by rank among rated colleges from federal data: outcomes (40%), entering students (40%), cost (15%) and teaching (5%). Choose the lowest grade to show.
ValueValue: what families pay after aid, graduation rate, earnings and debt, from federal data.
Academic ExcellenceAcademic Excellence: a letter grade set by rank among rated colleges, from federal data on graduation, retention, test scores, faculty ratio, and spending. It never uses rankings or surveys.
Only Compass Recommended colleges: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score.
Only Honor Roll colleges: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score.
Only the eight Ivy League universities.
Location1
Distance (miles)
A broad region of the country, as the guide groups the states. Territories are listed separately.
School
Type of college, as college guides group them (from the federal Carnegie Classification): national universities offer a full range of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs and do research; liberal arts colleges focus on undergraduates in the arts and sciences; regional universities mostly offer bachelor’s and master’s degrees; regional colleges mostly offer bachelor’s degrees in many fields; specialized schools focus on one field, such as health, art or business.
Public or privatePublic: run by a state or local government. Private: nonprofit or for-profit.
Total enrollment: small is under 2,000 students, medium 2,000 to 9,999, large 10,000 to 24,999, and very large 25,000 or more.
Net price: what a typical student pays per year after grants and scholarships, from the federal College Scorecard.
Coed: men and women together. Single-sex: all-male or all-female.
Campus life
College sports level from federal data: NCAA Division I (the biggest programs), Division II, Division III, or NAIA.
Where the campus is, from federal data: in a city, a suburb, a town, or a rural area.
The college offers Army, Navy or Air Force ROTC, on campus or with a nearby college (federal data).
The college offers study abroad (federal data).
Admissions and outcomes
How many applicants are admitted (federal data). Most: 65% or more. Selective: 25% to 64%. Highly selective: under 25%.
Your SAT or ACT, to sort colleges Target, Likely and Reach. Signed in, it is kept on your account (private to you); otherwise only in this browser.
Reach, Target or LikelyA rough guide from admitted students' scores and admission rates, not a prediction. Target: your score is in the college's middle range. Likely: above it, or the college admits most applicants. Reach: below it, or the college admits fewer than 1 in 5.
Small classes: 12 or fewer students per faculty member (federal data).
Strong outcomes: 75% or more of students graduate (federal data).
Major
Colleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.
Clear all
RecommendedOnly Compass Recommended colleges: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score.Honor RollOnly Honor Roll colleges: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score.ValueOnly colleges with a Value score of 85 or higher (grade A), from federal data.AcademicsOnly schools with an Academic Excellence grade of A or better (the top 10% of rated colleges), from federal data.Ivy LeagueOnly the eight Ivy League universities.Clear
Division I sportsCollege sports level from federal data: NCAA Division I (the biggest programs), Division II, Division III, or NAIA.ROTCThe college offers Army, Navy or Air Force ROTC, on campus or with a nearby college (federal data).Study abroadThe college offers study abroad (federal data).NursingColleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.EngineeringColleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.Under $20kNet price under $20,000 a year: what a typical student pays after grants and scholarships (federal data).Small classesSmall classes: 12 or fewer students per faculty member (federal data).
State: PennsylvaniaClear all

124 schools · Sorted by Compass Score

  • Compass ScoreGood

    Pennsylvania Western University

    Good: Compass grade B-
    California, PA · Public · 4-year · 11,305 students

    $18,256 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Neumann University

    Good: Compass grade B-
    Aston, PA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,171 students

    $27,804 a year after aid, on average

    ValueFairAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Pennsylvania State University-Penn State York

    Top 21% for earnings
    York, PA · Public · 4-year · 707 students

    $19,047 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Schuylkill

    Top 21% for earnings
    Schuylkill Haven, PA · Public · 4-year · 650 students

    $19,659 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Thiel College

    Good: Compass grade B-
    Greenville, PA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 920 students

    $22,347 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg

    Top 18% for earnings
    Greensburg, PA · Public · 4-year · 1,326 students

    $17,945 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Cheyney University of Pennsylvania

    Good: Compass grade B-
    Cheyney, PA · Public · 4-year · 724 students

    $14,265 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Albright College

    Solid: Compass grade C+
    Reading, PA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,652 students

    $20,024 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania

    Solid: Compass grade C+
    East Stroudsburg, PA · Public · 4-year · 5,460 students

    $18,134 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Eastern University

    Solid: Compass grade C+
    Saint Davids, PA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 6,981 students

    $26,662 a year after aid, on average

    ValueFairAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Wilson College

    Solid: Compass grade C+
    Chambersburg, PA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,694 students

    $21,741 a year after aid, on average

    ValueFairAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Chestnut Hill College

    Solid: Compass grade C+
    Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,402 students

    $27,970 a year after aid, on average

    ValueFairAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Shenango

    Top 21% for earnings
    Sharon, PA · Public · 4-year · 332 students

    $18,095 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Pennsylvania Institute of Technology

    Top 22% for low debt
    Media, PA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 662 students

    $17,850 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Lincoln University

    Solid: Compass grade C+
    Lincoln University, PA · Public · 4-year · 1,848 students

    $14,977 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Harrisburg University of Science and Technology

    Solid: Compass grade C+
    Harrisburg, PA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 3,558 students

    $15,376 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Manor College

    Solid: Compass grade C+
    Jenkintown, PA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 599 students

    $13,078 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Keystone College

    Solid: Compass grade C+
    La Plume, PA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,051 students

    $22,051 a year after aid, on average

    ValueFairAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Peirce College

    Top 22% for low net price
    Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 872 students

    $12,148 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Strayer University-Pennsylvania

    Trevose, PA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 1,503 students

    Value not rated yetAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    American College of Financial Services

    King of Prussia, PA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 4,204 students

    Value not rated yet
  • Not yet rated

    Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

    Erie, PA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 4,117 students

    Value not rated yet
  • Not yet rated

    Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine

    Scranton, PA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 649 students

    $23,384 a year after aid, on average

    Value not rated yet
  • Not yet rated

    Gratz College

    Melrose Park, PA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 482 students

    Value not rated yet

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