Top Five Schools in Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private educational institution and was founded in 1740 by Benjamin Franklin. It is also a member of the Ivy League and was ranked fifth in the country by U.S. News & World Report. The school is located in Philadelphia and has an undergraduate student population of 9,710. Penn, as it is often commonly referred to, was one of the first universities in the U.S. to focus on several different areas of study, such as commerce, classics, medicine and theology. Today, the school has grown to include 12 professional schools, such as the Annenberg School for Communication, School of Education, Law School, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, School of Design, Graduate School of Engineering and Applied Science, School of Medicine, Graduate School of Nursing, School of Social Policy and Practice, School of Veterinary Medicine and the nationally-recognized Wharton School of Business. The undergraduate tuition is $35,918.
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private educational institution and was founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1900. It has an undergraduate student population of 5,495 and the U.S. News & World Report ranked its undergraduate program as 22nd in the nation. Carnegie Mellon is also nationally known for its outstanding programs in engineering, science, graphic design, public policy analysis and business. The university comprises seven professional schools and universities, which are the Tepper School of Business, John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management, Mellon College of Science, the Institute of Technology, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the College of Fine Arts and the School of Computer Science. The undergraduate tuition is $36,950.
Lehigh University
Lehigh University was founded in 1865 by Asa Packer and is a private institution. The university is located in Bethlehem and has 4,720 undergraduate students on campus. The university was originally conceived as a four-year technical school but has since grown to include four colleges: Business and Economics, Arts and Sciences, Engineering and Applied Science and Education. The undergraduate tuition at Lehigh University is $35,310.
Pennsylvania State University-University Park
Pennsylvania State University is a public educational institution and was founded in 1855. The school is located in State College and boasts a student population of over 84,000, which easily ranks it as one of the largest universities in the country. Students attending Penn State can choose from among a mind-boggling 160 majors. Pennsylvania State University is ranked 48th by U.S. News & World Report. Even though the university is quite large it also has some 19 commonwealth campuses located throughout Pennsylvania. The undergraduate tuition for a resident is $13,520 and is $24,708 for non-residents.
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, founded in 1787, is a public educational institution. The university is located in Pittsburgh and has an undergraduate student population of 17,246. The University of Pittsburgh is known nationally for its work in developing the first polio vaccine as well as its stellar programs in philosophy and medicine. Pitt, as it is commonly referred to, was ranked 59th among all other national universities by U.S. News & World Report. Today Pitt is known as being a university with very high research activity especially in the fields of engineering and science. For residents the undergraduate tuition is $12,106 and $21,606 for non-residents. For students wishing to enter into the schools of business administration, engineering, information sciences, nursing or health and rehab sciences, the costs are higher.
