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Private nonprofit · Small city campus · verified rankings · federal data

Pennsylvania College of Art and Design

Students comparing Pennsylvania College of Art and Design on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Lancaster, Pennsylvania400 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 64Private nonprofitSmall enrollmentResearch university

The short answer

Pennsylvania College of Art and Design: Niche ranks it #1657 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 400 undergraduates, admits 99.2% of applicants, and posts a 68.5% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $32,150; aid recipients pay $30,083 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $33,301.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
99.2%

Above the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$30,083

39% below the $49,380 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$33,301

Below the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
68.5%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$27,000

Below the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
Not reportedPennsylvania College of Art and Design reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where Pennsylvania College ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National universities, liberal arts, regional and specialty listsNot ranked by this source
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) DollarsNot ranked by this source
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)#1657of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Pennsylvania College

Pennsylvania College of Art and Design is a private nonprofit institution in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Federal data show 85.1% first-year retention and a 9:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $30,083 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $49,380 sticker cost against $30,083 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Pennsylvania College of Art and Design on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

Tuition & fees
$32,150

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduates on Pell grants
47.4%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardShare of undergraduates, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$17,230

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $49,380 a year, but the average family pays $30,083 — a 39% difference. 47.4% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Pennsylvania College's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    9:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    85.1%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    400

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Pennsylvania College: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $32,150 and on-campus room and board is $17,230, for a published total of $49,380 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $30,083.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 99.2%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

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