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Private nonprofit · Suburban campus · founded 1842 · full profile

Villanova University

Pre-professional students — particularly finance, accounting and nursing — who want a small, tight-knit campus with a powerful alumni network, and who can absorb the cost or win merit aid.

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Villanova, Pennsylvania6,938 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 15CatholicBusiness schoolDivision I athletics

The short answer

Villanova's School of Business places exceptionally well into New York and Philadelphia finance, driving median earnings of $100,423 ten years after entry. It combines a 10:1 student-faculty ratio and a 91.9% graduation rate with a strong Catholic Augustinian identity and Division I basketball culture — at an average net price of $43,756, the highest on this site.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
27.0%

Below the dataset median of 76%

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

Average net price
$43,756

49% below the $85,470 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
$100,423

Above 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
91.9%

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
$25,874

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%
1395–1510

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where Villanova 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#57of 436National universities
Forbes2026America's Top Colleges#75of 500Top colleges (Forbes)
Washington Monthly2026National Universities#132of 442National universities
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#79of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)A#88of 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

Methodology sensitivity: Villanova's position moves 26 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

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 Villanova

Villanova's placement record is the core of its value. The Villanova School of Business recruits heavily into investment banking, consulting and accounting in New York and Philadelphia, and the alumni network in those industries is dense and genuinely active on behalf of students. Median earnings of $100,423 ten years after entry are high for a school ranked in the high 50s nationally, and that gap is mostly the business school.

The undergraduate experience is small-scale for a university with Division I visibility: 6,938 undergraduates, a 10:1 ratio, and a 91.9% six-year graduation rate. The Augustinian Catholic identity is substantive rather than nominal — a required core curriculum in ethics and theology, a large service-learning program, and a campus culture where that framing is present. Students of any faith attend, but prospective students who would find it alienating should visit.

The financial reality is the main caution. Average net price of $43,756 is the highest of any school profiled here, Villanova does not meet full demonstrated need for all admitted students, and median federal debt at graduation is $25,874. For business students on a finance track the earnings data supports the cost; for other majors the case is weaker, and the comparison against a strong public flagship deserves real scrutiny.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Villanova School of Business places exceptionally well into NY and Philadelphia finance.
  • Median earnings of $100,423 — well above what its ranking tier would predict.
  • A 10:1 student-faculty ratio and 91.9% six-year graduation rate.
  • Dense, actively engaged alumni network in finance and consulting.

Considerations

  • Average net price of $43,756, the highest of any college profiled here.
  • Does not meet full demonstrated need for all admitted students.
  • The Augustinian Catholic identity is substantive; it is a real fit question for some students.

Who this school genuinely fits

Pre-professional students — particularly finance, accounting and nursing — who want a small, tight-knit campus with a powerful alumni network, and who can absorb the cost or win merit aid.

What it costs

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

Tuition & fees
$67,776

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

Undergraduates on Pell grants
12.0%

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

Room & board
$17,694

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

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $85,470 a year, but the average family pays $43,756 — a 49% difference. 12.0% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Villanova'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. 1Finance
  2. 2Nursing
  3. 3Computer Science
  4. 4Accounting
  5. 5Communication

Standout programs

  • Villanova School of Business
  • Fitzpatrick College of Nursing
  • Engineering
  • Augustinian core curriculum
Student-faculty ratio
10:1

IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

First-year retention
95.1%

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

Undergraduate enrollment
6,938

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

Villanova: questions families ask

It is one of the strongest non-Ivy feeders into New York and Philadelphia finance. The Villanova School of Business is heavily recruited by investment banks, consultancies and the Big Four, and the alumni network in those industries actively sources candidates. Median earnings of about $101,000 ten years after entry are well above the norm for its overall ranking tier, and the business school drives most of that.

No. Villanova admits students of all faiths and none. But the Augustinian Catholic identity is substantive: the core curriculum includes required theology and ethics coursework, service learning is prominent, and the religious character is visible in campus life. Students who would find that uncomfortable should visit before committing.

Similar colleges

Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MIPublic

Michigan is the strongest all-around public university in the country by breadth, ranking top-25 nationally while enrolling 34,177 undergraduates. In-state students pay about $18,000 in tuition for a program that competes with private universities charging three times that; out-of-state students pay roughly $60,000 and receive limited need-based aid.

Acceptance rate
15.6%
Average net price
$13,138
Median earnings (10 yr)
$83,648
6-yr graduation rate
93.2%
US News · National universities#20 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#21 of 500Washington Monthly · National universities#29 of 442+3 more on profile

34,177 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 4 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

Grove City College

Grove City, PAPrivate nonprofit

Grove City College is a Christian liberal arts and engineering college in western Pennsylvania that charges $21,700 in tuition — roughly a third of what comparable private colleges list — because it refuses all federal funding and operates without the administrative overhead that comes with it. It graduates 83.2% of students within six years at a 13:1 student-faculty ratio. The trade-off is real: students cannot use Pell grants or federal loans here, and the campus culture is explicitly and conservatively Christian.

Acceptance rate
72.3%
Average net price
Not reported
Median earnings (10 yr)
Not reported
6-yr graduation rate
83.2%
US News · Regional colleges (North)#5 of 67Princeton Review · Overall (Niche)Listed · Top 10 Friendliest Students

2,216 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 7 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

Drexel University

Philadelphia, PAPrivate nonprofit

Drexel runs one of the two largest co-op programs in the country, with a five-year option that includes three six-month paid placements. At a 79.4% acceptance rate it is broadly accessible, but a 78.2% six-year graduation rate and $25,325 median federal debt make it a school where the specific offer matters more than the brand.

Acceptance rate
79.4%
Average net price
$38,509
Median earnings (10 yr)
$84,648
6-yr graduation rate
78.2%
US News · National universities#80 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#185 of 500Washington Monthly · National universities#118 of 442+2 more on profile

13,233 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 25 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

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