Best Online Colleges & Universities in PA [2020 Ranked & Reviewed]

Students have the ability to earn their college degrees from wherever they choose due to the increased popularity on online college. College and universities throughout the country have been adding online degrees and programs to their curriculum – online colleges in PA are no exception. Technology has played a major role in the increased popularity of online college. For more information on the best online colleges and universities in the United States, check out our rankings .

Over the last couple of years, the value of an online degree has increased. This can be attributed to the fact that the overall popularity of online degrees has also increased. More colleges and universities are adding online degrees which gives students more options when considering online college. Most companies no longer discrimate against students who earned their degrees online. Check out our rankings for the best online colleges in Pennsylvania below.

Best Online Colleges in the U.S.

Best Online Colleges by State

Complete Guide to Online Degrees

List of Best Online Colleges in PA

Temple University

$16,080 In-State Tuition
$28,176 Out-Of-State Tuition
59% Acceptance Rate

Drexel University

$50,874 In-State Tuition
$50,874 Out-Of-State Tuition
77% Acceptance Rate

DeSales University

$36,000 In-State Tuition
$36,000 Out-Of-State Tuition
79% Acceptance Rate

Duquesne University

$38,178 In-State Tuition
$38,178 Out-Of-State Tuition
72% Acceptance Rate

Best Online Colleges & Universities in PA

Most Affordable Online Colleges in PA

Best Academic Online Colleges in PA

Our team analyzed various components when ranking the best online colleges in Pennsylvania. Some of the components we looked at included retention rates, graduation rates, and percentage of students that are taking online classes. While those were all important components to finding the best online colleges in Pennsylvania, our team looked at numerous other components throughout the ranking process.

It was important for our team to rank the online portion of these colleges and universities. As online college has become more popular, more and more schools have added online programs. Our team picked factors that specifically looked at the online aspect of these colleges and universities. An example of this would be looking at the percentage of students who are enrolled in online courses at their respective colleges and universities.

Our rankings of the best online colleges in Pennsylvania only contains public 4-year universities or private 4-year, not-for-profit colleges. Another constraint we put on the rankings when gathering data was that these schools had to offer at least 2 completely online undergraduate degrees. Our rankings for the best online colleges in Pennsylvania are below.

Sort and Expand Tables

Feel free to sort the tables below based on the criteria most important to you. Expand the tables to see the full rankings for the best online colleges in Pennsylvania.

Best Online Colleges in Pennsylvania

Rank	Institution Name	# Bachelors Programs Offered	# Masters Programs Offered	In-State Tuition	Out-Of-State Tuition
1	Temple University	6	14	16,080	28,176
2	Drexel University	13	37	50,874	50,874
3	DeSales University	11	21	36,000	36,000
4	Duquesne University	6	8	38,178	38,178
5	Saint Joseph's University	3	20	44,794	44,794
6	Point Park University	12	7	29,980	29,980
7	Robert Morris University	10	12	29,060	29,060
8	Geneva College	6	2	26,730	26,730
9	Villanova University	4	15	52,578	52,578
10	Lancaster Bible College	2	0	24,290	24,290
11	Thomas Jefferson University	9	6	39,495	39,495
12	Misericordia University	10	4	31,530	31,530
13	Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences	3	4	27,662	27,662
14	Cedar Crest College	4	3	38,616	38,616
15	Peirce College	10	2	14,400	14,400
16	Pennsylvania State University-World Campus	54	36	13,484	13,484
17	Carlow University	4	8	28,788	28,788
18	Saint Francis University	7	3	35,210	35,210
19	Immaculata University	9	2	26,500	26,500
20	Eastern University	5	8	32,492	32,492
21	Chatham University	2	3	36,276	36,276
22	Millersville University of Pennsylvania	3	2	9,570	19,290
23	Seton Hill University	3	2	35,248	35,248
24	Pennsylvania College of Technology	7	0	14,250	21,390
25	Keystone College	2	2	24,920	24,920
26	Mansfield University of Pennsylvania	2	3	9,450	18,900
27	La Salle University	2	7	29,810	29,810
28	Alvernia University	6	2	34,070	34,070
29	Neumann University	2	2	30,000	30,000
30	Gwynedd Mercy University	2	15	32,820	32,820
31	Mount Aloysius College	2	0	21,870	21,870
32	La Roche University	2	1	27,714	27,714

The Best of the Best

The above table is our findings on the best online colleges in Pennsylvania. For our complete rankings, our team looked at various factors ranging across three different categories. The three major categories that our factors were grouped into were academics, affordability, and an online college category. We gathered a large portion of the information from the National Center for Education and filled in missing information through a manual process. Every one of the above categories was assigned a different weight dependent on what our team thought was most significant for students looking to enroll in online college in Pennsylvania. Want to see which online colleges ranked best in the affordability or academics? Check out our rankings for the most affordable online colleges and best academic online colleges in Pennsylvania below.

These rankings should be used as a resource for students thinking about pursuing an online education. Students should use our list as a basis for conducting their own research. We assigned specific weights to various factors we considered important for online colleges – what we consider important may not be as important to you. Use this guide as a way to narrow down your search for the best online colleges in Pennsylvania. Read below for some more information on the top 5 online colleges in Pennsylvania from our rankings.

Temple University

Coming in at number one on our list of best online colleges in PA was Temple University. Temple is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is a public research university. Temple has a current enrollment of 39,740. Temple currently offers 6 online bachelors programs and 14 online masters programs. Some of the online masters programs they offer include a masters of business administration, occupational therapy, athletic training, and health policy and management.

Fast Facts

Bachelors Programs Offered – 6
Masters Programs Offered – 14
Graduation Rate – 71%
Retention Rate – 89%
% Students Receiving Financial Aid – 72%
% Students Admitted- 59%

Temple University Website

Drexel University

Drexel University is also located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Drexel is a private research university that was founded by Anthony Drexel in 1891. The school has a current enrollment of 24,634. Drexel offers 13 online bachelors programs and 37 online masters programs – the most online masters programs offered by any online college in PA. Some of their online masters programs include biomedicine and business, engineering management, project management, computer science, and electrical engineering. Drexel was also on our list of best online colleges and universities in the United States.

Fast Facts

Bachelors Programs Offered – 13
Masters Programs Offered – 37
Graduation Rate – 70%
Retention Rate – 89%
% Students Receiving Financial Aid – 84%
% Students Admitted- 77%

Drexel University Website

DeSales University

DeSales University is located in Center Valley, Pennsylvania. DeSales is a private catholic university and has a current enrollment of 3,438. The school currently offers 11 online bachelors programs and 21 online masters programs. Some of the various online bachelors programs they offer include business administration, criminal justice, early childhood and elementary education, and management. DeSales University was ranked number 51 on our list of best online colleges and universities in the United States.

Fast Facts

Bachelors Programs Offered – 11
Masters Programs Offered – 21
Graduation Rate – 68%
Retention Rate – 83%
% Students Receiving Financial Aid – 80%
% Students Admitted- 79%

DeSales University Website

Duquesne University

Duquesne University is a private university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school is a catholic university with an enrollment of 9,274. The school currently offers 6 online bachelors programs and 8 online masters programs. Some of the online bachelors programs include computer systems technology and organizational leadership. Some of the online masters programs include masters of business administration, analytics and information management, health administration, and supply chain management.

Fast Facts

Bachelors Programs Offered – 6
Masters Programs Offered – 8
Graduation Rate – 77%
Retention Rate – 84%
% Students Receiving Financial Aid – 94%
% Students Admitted- 72%

Duquesne University Website

Saint Joseph’s University

Saint Joseph’s University is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school is a private Jesuit university and was founded in 1851. The school has a current enrollment of 7,589. Saint Joseph’s currently only offers 3 online bachelors programs, but 20 online masters programs. Some of the online masters programs offered include business administration, business intelligence, computer science, educational leadership, food marketing, and cyber security.

Fast Facts

Bachelors Programs Offered – 3
Masters Programs Offered – 20
Graduation Rate – 80%
Retention Rate – 89%
% Students Receiving Financial Aid – 94%
% Students Admitted- 76%

Saint Joseph’s University Wesbite

Most Affordable Online Colleges in Pennsylvania

We decided that just having the complete ranking for online colleges in Pennsylvania was not enough. The rankings below are based solely off affordability factors. Some of the main factors we used when compiling this list included in-state tuition, out-of-state tuition, and the percentage of students who received any sort of financial aid. Check out the table below to see which schools offer the most affordable online programs in Pennsylvania.

Rank	Institution Name	In-State Tuition	Out-Of-State Tuition	% Who Receive Undergraduate Aid
1	Keystone College	24,920	24,920	98
2	Geneva College	26,730	26,730	97
3	Mansfield University of Pennsylvania	9,450	18,900	74
4	Peirce College	14,400	14,400	73
5	Pennsylvania State University-World Campus	13,484	13,484	66
6	Lancaster Bible College	24,290	24,290	76
7	Millersville University of Pennsylvania	9,570	19,290	55
8	Pennsylvania College of Technology	14,250	21,390	65
9	La Salle University	29,810	29,810	89
10	Point Park University	29,980	29,980	92
11	Mount Aloysius College	21,870	21,870	62
12	Robert Morris University	29,060	29,060	82
13	Carlow University	28,788	28,788	80
14	Temple University	16,080	28,176	72
15	La Roche University	27,714	27,714	76
16	Immaculata University	26,500	26,500	69
17	Eastern University	32,492	32,492	90
18	Misericordia University	31,530	31,530	86
19	Neumann University	30,000	30,000	80
20	Alvernia University	34,070	34,070	84
21	Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences	27,662	27,662	37
22	Duquesne University	38,178	38,178	94
23	Saint Joseph's University	44,794	44,794	94
24	Chatham University	36,276	36,276	82
25	DeSales University	36,000	36,000	80
26	Gwynedd Mercy University	32,820	32,820	73
27	Seton Hill University	35,248	35,248	74
28	Saint Francis University	35,210	35,210	69
29	Drexel University	50,874	50,874	84
30	Thomas Jefferson University	39,495	39,495	79
31	Cedar Crest College	38,616	38,616	76
32	Villanova University	52,578	52,578	53

Best Academic Online Colleges in Pennsylvania

If academics are most important to you, check out our list of the best academic online colleges in Pennsylvania. As more schools add online programs and degrees, quality of online programs continues to increase. Traditional big name schools are adding more online programs to their curriculum and increasing the value of an online degree. The continuing increase for online degrees and programs will encourage more schools to add online offerings which is a big win for students around the country.

Rank	Institution Name	Retention Rate	Graduation Rate	Acceptance Rate
1	Villanova University	96	90	29
2	Temple University	89	71	59
3	Duquesne University	84	77	72
4	Saint Joseph's University	89	80	76
5	Drexel University	89	70	77
6	Thomas Jefferson University	81	65	58
7	Lancaster Bible College	81	62	64
8	DeSales University	83	68	79
9	Cedar Crest College	80	56	57
10	Geneva College	76	65	63
11	Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences	90	50	74
12	Chatham University	78	52	55
13	Misericordia University	79	74	83
14	Point Park University	76	58	65
15	Saint Francis University	76	67	75
16	Seton Hill University	82	56	75
17	Eastern University	75	65	68
18	Robert Morris University	81	61	84
19	Immaculata University	75	67	81
20	Millersville University of Pennsylvania	75	61	78
21	Carlow University	80	57	87
22	Alvernia University	74	53	68
23	La Salle University	74	65	81
24	Neumann University	71	54	69
25	Peirce College	100	33	100
26	Pennsylvania State University-World Campus	62	26	54
27	Gwynedd Mercy University	82	50	92
28	Pennsylvania College of Technology	80	34	82
29	Keystone College	62	49	71
30	Mansfield University of Pennsylvania	71	54	92
31	La Roche University	70	53	99
32	Mount Aloysius College	72	31	92

Rankings

Our online college rankings for the state of Pennsylvania took a lot of different criteria into consideration. We only looked at 4-year public colleges or universities and 4-year private, not-for-profit colleges. We also only considered schools that offered at least 2 undergraduate online programs.

After compiling a list of colleges that met the above criteria, we looked at various factors that we felt were important when ranking online colleges. We looked at retention rates, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, number of online course offerings, and other various online college factors.

Online College FAQS

What is the cheapest online college?

According to our findings, the most affordable online college in PA is Keystone College. Keystone has an in-state tuition of $24,920 and has 98% of their students receiving some sort of financial aid. Geneva College is also very affordable with an in-state tuition of $26,730 but 97% of their students receiving some sort of financial aid.

What is a good online college in PA?

PA is home to numerous online colleges and universities. Temple is the best online college in PA according to our findings. Drexel University, DeSales University, Duquesne University, and Saint Joseph’s University round out the top 5 online colleges in PA.

Does Temple University offer online degrees?

Temple University does offer online degrees. They were ranked as the best online college in PA. They offer 6 online bachelors degrees and 14 online masters degrees. Some of their online masters programs include business administration, occupational therapy, athletic training, and health policy and management.

Best Online Colleges in PA