Private Nonprofit · Reading, Pennsylvania

Alvernia University

Alvernia University is a private nonprofit institution in Reading, Pennsylvania. as a private nonprofit, published Scorecard outcomes cover federal-aid recipients at this campus — endowment and sticker price sit outside those cohort fields.

$55,055
10-yr median earnings
58.1%
Acceptance rate
$28,138
Avg net price / yr
56.9%
150%-time completion

The verdict

Alvernia University pairs top-quartile former-student earnings with a moderately open admit.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

Top 21%
former-student earnings, US
58.1%
acceptance rate
56.9%
150%-time completion
+10%
earnings, 6→10 yrs
City: Small Carnegie: Doctoral/Prof
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Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.

How to read this Alvernia University profile

Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Doctoral/Professional Universities"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.

Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.

Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.

College Value Score

D
College Value Score
45/100
Alvernia University

A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.

Earnings B+
$55,055
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price F
$28,138
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate D
56.9%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$27,000
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment B+
72.6%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention F
72.0%
First-year students returning for year two
Alvernia University vs. the national benchmark
EarningsNet PriceCompletionDebtRepaymentRetention

Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.

10-yr median earnings

$55,055

Federal aid recipients only

Avg net price

$28,138

After grants and scholarships

150%-time completion

56.9%

Full-time, first-time cohort

150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 56.9%

Four-year-institution cohort

College ROI Quadrant - Alvernia University vs peers

Alvernia University positioned by earnings vs cost Two-by-two quadrant chart: x-axis median earnings 10 years after enrollment, y-axis average net price after financial aid. Each dot is a college, colored by completion within 150% of normal time (garnet ≥65%, amber 45-64%, red <45%). Net price increases upward, earnings increase rightward, so: bottom-right = best value (low cost, high earnings); top-right = premium (high cost, high earnings); bottom-left = community college tier (low cost, modest earnings); top-left = cost challenge (high cost, low earnings). Currently plotting 8 colleges. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard joined to Carnegie Classification. Alvernia University positioned by earnings v… Carnegie Classification: Doctoral/Prof Doctoral/P… COST CHALLENGE PREMIUM COMMUNITY BEST VALUE $33K $78K Median Earnings 10 Years After Enrollment ($) $8K $33K Avg Net Price ($) Alvernia University (you are here): $55K earn · $28K net · 57% grad You are here - Alvernia University Susquehanna University: $62K earn · $29K net · 78% grad Susquehanna Univer… DeSales University: $61K earn · $32K net · 72% grad DeSales University Mercyhurst University: $47K earn · $19K net · 59% grad Mercyhurst Univers… Gettysburg College: $72K earn · $31K net · 83% grad Gettysburg College Messiah University: $54K earn · $27K net · 77% grad Messiah University Reading Area Community College: $39K earn · $9K net · 30% grad Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences: $75K earn · $28K net · 30% grad Grad rate (4yr) ≥65% 45-64% <45%
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education

Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.

How Alvernia University ranks nationally

Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.

Alvernia University: former-student earnings vs. every US college

10-year median earnings, College Scorecard

$55,055 Top 21% higher than 79% of 5,103 US colleges

$0–$20,000: 169 US colleges (3%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 2,245 US colleges (44%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 1,897 US colleges (37%). This entry sits in this band. $60,000–$80,000: 606 US colleges (12%). Above this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 134 US colleges (3%). Above this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 39 US colleges (1%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 11 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 2 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. This college $0 $160,000 every US college, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Metric Alvernia University National rank Percentile
10-yr median earnings $55,055 #1096 of 5103 79th
Average net price $28,138 #4296 of 5020 14th (lower is better)
150%-time completion 56.9% #2448 of 4858 50th
Undergraduate enrollment 2,152 #1407 of 5462 74th

National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.

Quick Facts

2,152
Undergraduate enrollment
58.1%
Acceptance rate
1,170
SAT average
56.9%
150%-time completion
$55,055
10-yr median earnings
72.0%
First-year retention

How Alvernia University ranks in Pennsylvania

State rank among 270 reporting Pennsylvania colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.

Metric Alvernia University State rank Percentile
10-yr median earnings $55,055 #110 of 270 59th
Average net price $28,138 #218 of 264 17th (lower is better)
150%-time completion 56.9% #164 of 259 37th
Undergraduate enrollment 2,152 #54 of 282 81st

Highest former-student earnings in Pennsylvania

#School10-yr earningsNet price
1Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine$138,767-
2Carnegie Mellon University$114,862$31,944
3University of Pennsylvania$111,371$28,699
4Lehigh University$105,584$36,931
5Villanova University$100,423$43,756
6Bucknell University$93,807$40,766
7Lafayette College$91,410$34,433
8Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia$86,881$29,689
9Saint Joseph's University - Lancaster$86,881$42,478
10Joseph F McCloskey School of Nursing$86,138-
11Drexel University$84,648$38,509
12Swarthmore College$80,257$23,149
110Alvernia UniversityThis school$55,055$28,138

Admissions

Admission Rate 58.1%
SAT Average 1,170
SAT Math (25th-75th) 523 – 628
SAT Reading (25th-75th) 570 – 658
0%100%58.1%
Share of applicants admitted

Costs & Financial Aid

Net price by family income at Alvernia University

Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket

net price / yr

What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Alvernia University - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Tuition & Net Price

In-State Tuition $45,000
Out-of-State Tuition $45,000
Average Net Price $28,138
36.2%
Pell Grant Rate
82.5%
Federal Loan Rate
$27,000
Median Debt
$286/mo
Monthly Payment

2013–2023: what Alvernia University costs has stayed close to flat

Average net price moved +8.0% over 10 years, from $26,227 to $28,329 in nominal dollars. The median college measured over the same span moved +14.6%.

Average net price, 2013–2023

11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.

2013: $26,2272014: $26,9752015: $24,2702016: $25,3982017: $26,3592018: $27,3622019: $27,8512020: $30,6412021: $26,7712022: $29,8812023: $28,329
2013 · $26,2272023 · $28,329

Over the same years, enrollment went -5.9% (2,169 → 2,042 students).

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.

Student Demographics

Race & ethnicity

Student body at a glance

71.1%
Female
45.0%
First Generation

Outcomes

72.0%
Retention Rate
$49,938
Median Earnings (6yr)
69.9%
Earning Over $25K
72.6%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)

Outcomes & debt snapshot

Measure Cohort / horizon Value
Completion within 150% of normal time First-time, full-time 56.9%
First-year retention First-time, full-time freshmen 72.0%
Median earnings 6 years after entry $49,938
Median earnings 10 years after entry $55,055
Share earning over $25,000 Working, not enrolled 69.9%
Loan repayment rate Completers, 3 years after leaving 72.6%
Median federal student debt At completion $27,000
Estimated monthly payment Standard 10-year plan $286/mo

Programs & Earnings

Field-of-study summary by credential

Credential Programs Award count Avg earnings Top earnings Avg debt
Bachelor's 15 309 $63,143 $94,679 $27,456
Master's 4 171 $76,804 $80,640 $51,694
Doctoral 1 0 $86,896 $86,896 $116,150

Top programs at Alvernia University by completer earnings

Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file

median earnings

What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Program Credential Completers Median Earnings Median Debt
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Bachelor's 65 $94,679 $27,000
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions Doctoral - $86,896 $116,150
Business Administration, Management and Operations Master's 65 $80,640 $37,677
Business Administration, Management and Operations Bachelor's 27 $75,705 $27,000
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions Master's 85 $72,967 $65,711
Accounting and Related Services Bachelor's 22 $67,562 $25,000
Criminal Justice and Corrections Bachelor's 31 $58,810 $27,000
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness Bachelor's 8 $58,231 $27,000
Social Work Bachelor's 18 $56,243 $28,125
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General Bachelor's 45 $56,203 $26,911
Psychology, General Bachelor's 21 $52,044 -
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions Bachelor's 18 $48,809 $32,167
Communication and Media Studies Bachelor's 12 - -
Education, General Master's - - -
Special Education and Teaching Bachelor's 14 - -

Independent Scorecard matches among reporting colleges — not recommendations from the institution or a counselor.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the acceptance rate at Alvernia University?
Alvernia University is a private nonprofit institution in Reading, Pennsylvania. The acceptance rate is 58.1%. The average SAT score is 1,170. Undergraduate enrollment is 2,152 students.
How much do Alvernia University former students earn?
Federally aided former students at Alvernia University who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $55,055 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $49,938.
How much does Alvernia University cost?
The average net price at Alvernia University is $28,138. In-state tuition is $45,000 and out-of-state tuition is $45,000. Median student debt at graduation is $27,000.
What is the graduation rate at Alvernia University?
Alvernia University has a 56.9% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 72.0%.
Is Alvernia University worth the student debt?
The median student debt at Alvernia University is $27,000, while former students earn a median of $55,055 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 49% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 72.6% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $286.

Sources & methodology

Private-nonprofit profiles emphasize Scorecard cost-after-aid and completion alongside IPEDS Carnegie class. Endowment, gifts, and sticker price are not Scorecard fields on this page.

Figures are the Mar–Jul 2026 federal retrievals. Nonprofit campuses vary widely in aid practice — net price here is the Title-IV-recipient cohort average, not an individual award letter. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Where to go next from Alvernia University

Nonprofit Scorecard medians describe federal-aid recipients who were working and not enrolled — they are not sticker-price ROI and not advice.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Private-nonprofit profiles compile Scorecard net-price and earnings cohorts with IPEDS structure fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.