The University of Pennsylvania once again claimed the top spot in the state in Niche.com’s Best Colleges rankings for 2023.
Penn was one of three Philadelphia-area schools ranked among the top five in Pennsylvania, joined by Swarthmore College at No. 3 and Haverford College at No. 4. The Ivy League institution in West Philadelphia also occupied the No. 1 spot among Pennsylvania colleges on last year’s list, while Swarthmore and Haverford swapped positions from a year ago.
Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh held onto the No. 2 spot in the new statewide rankings, which Niche released on Monday. Lehigh University in Bethlehem rounded out the top five.
Pittsburgh-based Niche uses data and reviews for more than 4,000 colleges and universities across the nation to formulate its annual Best Colleges in America list. Acceptance rates, test scores and admission costs are among the factors taken into consideration.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranks No. 1 in the nation, followed by Stanford University and Harvard University. Penn fell just outside the top 10, coming in at No. 11 in the U.S.
In the Pennsylvania rankings, Villanova University fell to No. 7 this year after claiming the No. 5 spot a year ago and Bryn Mawr College dropped one spot to 11th place.
Two Philadelphia schools moved up the statewide list, with Drexel rising three spots from last year to No. 13 and Thomas Jefferson University advancing one position to No. 16. Temple University maintained its No. 15 ranking from the 2022 list, and Saint Joseph’s University fell from No. 19 to No. 22 despite its recent merger with the University of the Sciences.
Besides Penn, three other Philadelphia-area schools rank among the top 100 nationally on Niche.com’s 2023 Best Colleges in America list. Swarthmore finished at No. 31, Haverford at No. 51 and Villanova University at No. 65.
Here are the 25 Best Colleges in Pennsylvania for 2023, according the Niche.com:
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