Independent Colleges and Universities in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania colleges and universities have a little something for everyone. Do you prefer athletics to academics? No problem. Pennsylvania can help you. Do you like state-of-the-art science facilities? Pennsylvania has got you covered. Do you enjoy rolling farmlands? Or perhaps you are a big city slicker. Either way, the "Keystone State" can take care of you.
Pennsylvania private colleges and universities offer a wide range of education programs with degrees and certificates up to the doctoral level, as well as professional degrees such as law and medicine. These Pennsylvania private schools are diverse in character, academic emphasis, and origins. Some private colleges or schools have a religious affiliation; others are secular. Private colleges and universities may be profit or non-profit institutions. Typically, Pennsylvania independent colleges or private schools give weight to personal characteristics and activities in addition to considering GPA and test scores. While many Pennsylvania private schools are considerably more expensive than comparable state institutions, they also tend to offer more generous financial aid packages. Many students have found the actual out-of-pocket cost to earn a degree from a private college in Pennsylvania to be less than the cost of the state schools to which they were accepted. On the one hand, public colleges are usually less expensive, particularly for in-state residents. They get most of their money from the state or local government. Check out your state's Guide to Residency. Pennsylvania private colleges rely on tuition, fees, endowments, and other private sources of funding. On the other hand, Pennsylvania private colleges are usually smaller and can offer more personalized attention (and some believe, more prestige).
Pennsylvania College Graduate and Undergraduate Degrees
Founded in 1896, the Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Universities (PACU) is the nation's oldest state-based organization devoted to higher education. PACU is a voluntary association of 85 institutions drawn from all sectors of the Pennsylvania higher education community. All member institutions are chartered by the Commonwealth and accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools or by other national accrediting agencies.
ADVIS bring together comprehensive information on the 135 Independent Schools throughout the tri-state region, covering eastern Pennsylvania, northern Delaware, and Central and Southern New Jersey. These schools offer families a wide variety of educational options:
Most of the 135 ADVIS schools are day schools, although several are boarding schools;
Some schools serve only boys or girls, although most are coeducational;
Some schools have a religious affiliation;
Several schools are designed for students with special abilities or needs;
Most of the ADVIS schools are college preparatory.
Colleges and universities in Pennsylvania share a long tradition of academic excellence and cultural stimulation. But this makes perfect sense when one realizes that the various campuses spread throughout the state all have easy access to major cities (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Baltimore, New York, and Washington) and easy access to rural countryside.
