Acceptance Rate and Application Statistics
The following table compares the admission related statistics including number of applicants, admitted, and enrolled between best schools in Pennsylvania. The average acceptance rate of best schools in Pennsylvania is 34.83% and the average admission yield (enrollment rate) is 20.38%.
University of Pennsylvania has the tighest (lowest) acceptance rate of 5.40% and University of Pennsylvania has the highest yield (enrollment rate) of 67.98% among best schools in Pennsylvania. The numbers in parenthesis() in below table represent the number and rate by gender (men/women). The statistics is based on the latest data from IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education for academic year 2024-2025.
| Rank | Name | Applicants | Admitted | Enrolled | Acceptance Rate | Enrollment Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Pennsylvania | 65,226 (30,339/34,887) | 3,523 (1,634/1,889) | 2,395 (1,108/1,287) | 5% (5%/5%) | 68% (68%/4%) |
| 2 | Swarthmore College | 13,065 (5,746/7,311) | 975 (465/510) | 427 (203/224) | 7% (8%/7%) | 44% (44%/3%) |
| 3 | Carnegie Mellon University | 33,941 (20,143/12,734) | 3,959 (1,973/1,870) | 1,808 (974/780) | 12% (10%/15%) | 46% (49%/6%) |
| 4 | Lehigh University | 20,396 (10,556/9,834) | 5,289 (2,551/2,736) | 1,501 (795/706) | 26% (24%/28%) | 28% (31%/7%) |
| 5 | Haverford College | 7,341 (3,631/3,705) | 908 (401/506) | 387 (183/203) | 12% (11%/14%) | 43% (46%/5%) |
| 6 | Lafayette College | 10,195 (5,322/4,871) | 3,206 (1,566/1,640) | 698 (338/360) | 31% (29%/34%) | 22% (22%/7%) |
| 7 | Villanova University | 23,256 (10,207/13,046) | 6,274 (2,823/3,450) | 1,740 (773/967) | 27% (28%/26%) | 28% (27%/7%) |
| 8 | Bucknell University | 11,377 (5,691/5,684) | 3,291 (1,460/1,830) | 991 (470/521) | 29% (26%/32%) | 30% (32%/9%) |
| 9 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 88,478 (40,752/47,118) | 53,579 (23,582/29,600) | 9,169 (4,459/4,645) | 61% (58%/63%) | 17% (19%/10%) |
| 10 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | 60,898 (26,607/34,291) | 35,372 (14,766/20,606) | 4,596 (1,902/2,694) | 58% (55%/60%) | 13% (13%/8%) |
| Average | 33,417 (15,899/15,899) | 11,638 (5,122/6,464) | 2,371 (1,121/1,239) | 34.83% (32.2%/40.7%) | 20.38% (21.9%/19.2%) | |
SAT Scores Comparison
The average SAT score of best schools in Pennsylvania is 1455. By subject, the average score of the SAT EBRW(Evidence-based Reading and Writing) is 719 and the average SAT Math score is 736.
University of Pennsylvania has the highest SAT scores of 1,550 and Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus has the lowest SAT scores of 1,330 among best schools in Pennsylvania. The following table compares SAT Scores between best schools in Pennsylvania for the academic year 2024-2025.
| Rank | Name | Submit%* (Submit#**) | SAT Total | Evidence-Based Reading and Writing | Math |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Pennsylvania | 50% (1,204) | 1550 | 760 | 790 |
| 2 | Swarthmore College | 39% (168) | 1540 | 760 | 780 |
| 3 | Carnegie Mellon University | 53% (951) | 1540 | 750 | 790 |
| 4 | Lehigh University | 30% (445) | 1440 | 710 | 730 |
| 5 | Haverford College | 39% (151) | 1510 | 750 | 760 |
| 6 | Lafayette College | 24% (164) | 1430 | 710 | 720 |
| 7 | Villanova University | 19% (323) | 1450 | 710 | 740 |
| 8 | Bucknell University | 29% (283) | 1400 | 700 | 700 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 31% (2,848) | 1330 | 660 | 670 |
| 10 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | 40% (1,814) | 1360 | 680 | 680 |
| Average | 35.40% | 1455 | 719 | 736 | |
ACT Scores Comparison
The average ACT score of best schools in Pennsylvania is 33. By subject, the average ACT English score is 34 and the ACT math score is 32.
The following table compares ACT Scores between best schools in Pennsylvania for academic year 2024-2025.
| Rank | Name | Submit%* (Submit#**) | Composite | English | Math |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Pennsylvania | 17% (416) | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| 2 | Swarthmore College | 16% (69) | 34 | 35 | 33 |
| 3 | Carnegie Mellon University | 22% (405) | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| 4 | Lehigh University | 9% (137) | 32 | 34 | 31 |
| 5 | Haverford College | 17% (67) | 34 | 35 | 33 |
| 6 | Lafayette College | 10% (70) | 31 | 34 | 30 |
| 7 | Villanova University | 9% (164) | 33 | 35 | 32 |
| 8 | Bucknell University | 10% (96) | 32 | 33 | 29 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 5% (494) | 30 | 30 | 28 |
| 10 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | 10% (463) | 31 | 32 | 29 |
| Average | 12.50% | 33 | 34 | 32 | |
*Number of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.
**Percent of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.
Application Requirements
The following table list and compare the requirements when applying best schools in Pennsylvania based on academic year 2024-2025 data.
| Rank | Name | HS GPA | HS Rank | HS Record | Prep. Program | Rec. | Compe. | SAT/ACT | TOEFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Pennsylvania | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 2 | Swarthmore College | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 3 | Carnegie Mellon University | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 4 | Lehigh University | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 5 | Haverford College | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 6 | Lafayette College | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 7 | Villanova University | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 8 | Bucknell University | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 9 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 10 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
✔: Required △: Considered but not Required ✔: Recommended ✗: Neither Required nor Recommended
- HS GPA: High School or Secondary School GPA
- HS Rank: High School or Secondary School Rank
- HS Record: High School or Secondary School Record
- Prep. Program: Completion of College Preparatory Program
- Rec.: Recommendations
- Comp.: Formal demonstration of competencies (e.g., portfolios, certificates of mastery, assessment instruments)
The ranking data is provided by CollegeEvaluator. We compare the schools that ranked top 10 in Pennsylvaniaand in top 500 ranking for all colleges and universities in United States.
Top Colleges By Subject
- Tightest Schools To Admit (Lowest Acceptance Rate)
- Affordable Schools To Admit (Highest Acceptance Rate)
- Most Favored Schools (Highest Yield)
- Colleges with Low Yield
- Expensive Colleges (Highest Tuition & Fees)
- Inexpensive Colleges (Lowest Tuition & Fees)
- Colleges with Most Students
- Colleges with Least Students
- Colleges with Most Online Students
- Colleges with Least Online Students
- Colleges with Highest Graduation Rates
- Colleges with Lowest Graduation Rates
- Low Student to Faculty Ratio
- High Student to Faculty Ratio
*Number of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.
**Percent of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.