Dashboard

𝗜𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: Use the map linked here to find the financial aid pages at individual AICUP members, and learn about each school's unique aid and scholarship opportunities.

Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝟵 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗻𝘀𝘆𝗹𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 (𝗥𝗢𝗜) 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗼𝘄-𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗔𝗜𝗖𝗨𝗣 schools, according to Georgetown. And across all sectors, Pennsylvania ranks 4th in the nation in having the most “Colleges Where Low-Income Students Get the Highest ROI.”

The Wall Street Journal

Pennsylvania ranks 3rd in the nation with the most “Best Colleges,” according to the Wall Street Journal, outranking 48 states and DC. This is based on criteria like 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀, and 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲. 88% of the “Best Colleges” in Pennsylvania are AICUP schools (28 of the 32 total). All of the Top 19 schools in PA are AICUP schools.

WalletHub

1 in 10 of the “Best Colleges” in the US are in Pennsylvania; of the “Best Colleges and Universities” in Pennsylvania, 94% are AICUP schools; and the best college in the nation is in Pennsylvania, according to WalletHub, and it’s also an AICUP school

National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs (NASSGAP)

The Washington Post

The Washington Post reported that AICUP schools are 94% of the Pennsylvania schools offering “free tuition” programs in 2026. That’s in addition to the many more scholarships, grants, and discounts offered by AICUP schools that were not included in this survey, making the independent nonprofit sector one of the most affordable choices for college in the United States.

The Brookings Institution

Washington Monthly

Pennsylvania ranks 2nd in the nation with the most “Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars,” according to Washington Monthly, based on criteria like 𝗔𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀, and 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀. 75% of the best schools in Pennsylvania are AICUP schools.

Insight Into Academia magazine

Insight Into Academia magazine stated that, quote, “In Pennsylvania, EMI spotlighted independent nonprofit institutions as the leaders in boosting economic mobility—20 of the top 25 were members of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania.”

Third Way

The Third Way think tank considered these factors in calculating its mobility index: 1) The proportion of low-income students enrolled, and 2) What schools offer a strong financial return compared to the net price paid by low-income students to obtain their college degree.

College Scorecard (US Department of Education)

The vast majority of students receive some form of financial aid, meaning that their actual cost to attend may be much lower than they think. The DoEd's College Scorecard lists average net cost, rather than published cost or so-called "sticker" price. They define average annual cost as: “The average yearly cost to attend this college, minus any grants and scholarships the student receives."

NPR (National Public Radio) Philadelphia WHYY, Visual Capitalist, US Department of Education

Pennsylvania ranks 2nd among nation’s top destinations for freshman out-of-state college students, and 2 in 3 of those out-of-state students move to Pennsylvania to attend an AICUP school. Based on 34 years of data from the US Department of Education and IPEDS, this interesting fact was shared by NPR Philadelphia and Visual Capitalist.

Pennsylvania Department of Education, US Pennsylvania Department of Education, Inside Higher Ed

You can find what you're looking for in Pennsylvania, which has the 4th most colleges of any state in the US. Half the sector is independent nonprofit colleges and universities, which are the 80+ AICUP schools educating 279,000 students.

American Enterprise Institute (AEI) Fellow Preston Cooper writing for the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity (FREOPP)

An American Enterprise Institute (AEI) Fellow, Preston Cooper, made a tool to calculate “return on investment [ROI] for over 40,000 college degrees,” and found that: All top 35 colleges for best ROI in Pennsylvania are AICUP schools, and, 47 of the top 50 colleges for best ROI in PA are AICUP schools.

Nobel Prize

Since the founding of the Nobel Prize in 1901 through 2024, 409 total prizes were awarded to Americans, and of those, at least 66 winners are known to have been affiliated with an AICUP college or university.

Students discuss how they pay for college and share their perspectives on scholarships and grants from the AICUP schools in Pennsylvania. These nine video clips include responses related to several of the studies and sources featured in this dashboard, including reports by Georgetown, Washington Monthly, the Wall Street Journal, and more.