10-yr median earnings
$69,107
Federal aid recipients only
Private Nonprofit · Allentown, Pennsylvania
Muhlenberg College
Muhlenberg College is a private nonprofit institution in Allentown, Pennsylvania. as a private nonprofit, published Scorecard outcomes cover federal-aid recipients at this campus — endowment and sticker price sit outside those cohort fields.
- $69,107
- 10-yr median earnings
- 72.0%
- Acceptance rate
- $28,905
- Avg net price / yr
- 81.2%
- 150%-time completion
The verdict
Muhlenberg College pairs top-10% former-student earnings with a moderately open admit.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 8%
- former-student earnings, US
- 72.0%
- acceptance rate
- 81.2%
- 150%-time completion
- +30%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
City: Midsize
Carnegie: Bacc: A&S
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this Muhlenberg College 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 ("Baccalaureate Colleges: Arts & Sciences Focus"), 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
C+
College Value Score
62/100
Muhlenberg College
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 A+
$69,107
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price F
$28,905
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate A
81.2%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$25,455
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A+
86.7%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention A-
89.9%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$28,905
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
81.2%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 81.2%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - Muhlenberg College vs peers
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 Muhlenberg College 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.
Muhlenberg College: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$69,107 Top 8% higher than 92% of 5,103 US colleges
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 | Muhlenberg College | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $69,107 | #395 of 5103 | 92nd |
| Average net price | $28,905 | #4379 of 5020 | 13th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 81.2% | #641 of 4858 | 87th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,727 | #1618 of 5462 | 70th |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
1,727
Undergraduate enrollment
72.0%
Acceptance rate
1,343
SAT average
81.2%
150%-time completion
$69,107
10-yr median earnings
89.9%
First-year retention
How Muhlenberg College ranks in Pennsylvania
State rank among 270 reporting Pennsylvania colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | Muhlenberg College | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $69,107 | #31 of 270 | 89th |
| Average net price | $28,905 | #227 of 264 | 14th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 81.2% | #45 of 259 | 83rd |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,727 | #68 of 282 | 76th |
Highest former-student earnings in Pennsylvania
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine | $138,767 | - |
| 2 | Carnegie Mellon University | $114,862 | $31,944 |
| 3 | University of Pennsylvania | $111,371 | $28,699 |
| 4 | Lehigh University | $105,584 | $36,931 |
| 5 | Villanova University | $100,423 | $43,756 |
| 6 | Bucknell University | $93,807 | $40,766 |
| 7 | Lafayette College | $91,410 | $34,433 |
| 8 | Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia | $86,881 | $29,689 |
| 9 | Saint Joseph's University - Lancaster | $86,881 | $42,478 |
| 10 | Joseph F McCloskey School of Nursing | $86,138 | - |
| 11 | Drexel University | $84,648 | $38,509 |
| 12 | Swarthmore College | $80,257 | $23,149 |
| 31 | Muhlenberg CollegeThis school | $69,107 | $28,905 |
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 72.0% |
| SAT Average | 1,343 |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 610 – 700 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 640 – 710 |
| ACT Average | 30 |
| ACT (25th-75th) | 29 – 33 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at Muhlenberg College
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k $12,302
$0 – $30k
$12,302 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$16,629 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$19,717 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$37,603 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Muhlenberg College - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $62,805 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $62,805 |
| Average Net Price | $28,905 |
21.2%
Pell Grant Rate
52.7%
Federal Loan Rate
$25,455
Median Debt
$270/mo
Monthly Payment
Muhlenberg College costs less today than it did in 2013
Average net price fell from $29,528 to $26,851 (-9.1%) between 2013 and 2023, before any inflation adjustment, which makes the real-terms fall larger still. Most colleges moved the other way: the median change across the 4,315 schools measured over the same span was +14.6%.
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $29,5282023 · $26,851
Over the same years, enrollment went -24.6% (2,357 → 1,777 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
58.2%
Female
15.8%
First Generation
Outcomes
89.9%
Retention Rate
$53,265
Median Earnings (6yr)
79.5%
Earning Over $25K
86.7%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 81.2% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 89.9% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $53,265 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $69,107 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 79.5% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 86.7% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $25,455 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $270/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Top programs at Muhlenberg College by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Accounting and Related Ser…
Accounting and Related Services
$105,494 median earnings
- Mathematics
Mathematics
$100,869 median earnings
- Finance and Financial Mana…
Finance and Financial Management Services
$94,403 median earnings
- Economics
Economics
$93,760 median earnings
- Biology, General
Biology, General
$83,215 median earnings
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$78,360 median earnings
- Political Science and Gove…
Political Science and Government
$66,540 median earnings
- Psychology, General
Psychology, General
$60,778 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.
| Program | Credential | Completers | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accounting and Related Services | Bachelor's | 24 | $105,494 | $27,000 |
| Mathematics | Bachelor's | 14 | $100,869 | $24,428 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | Bachelor's | 39 | $94,403 | $26,733 |
| Economics | Bachelor's | 16 | $93,760 | $24,298 |
| Biology, General | Bachelor's | 31 | $83,215 | $24,388 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Bachelor's | 66 | $78,360 | $23,645 |
| Political Science and Government | Bachelor's | 29 | $66,540 | $26,909 |
| Psychology, General | Bachelor's | 53 | $60,778 | $25,844 |
| Communication and Media Studies | Bachelor's | 57 | $58,473 | $23,829 |
| Dance | Bachelor's | 24 | $56,503 | $27,000 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | Bachelor's | 72 | $42,092 | $27,000 |
| English Language and Literature, General | Bachelor's | 24 | $40,161 | $27,000 |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | Bachelor's | 27 | - | $26,280 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | Bachelor's | 12 | - | - |
| Music | Bachelor's | 16 | - | - |
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Independent Scorecard matches among reporting colleges — not recommendations from the institution or a counselor.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Private Nonprofit institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Private Nonprofit institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Similar 2013–2023 Net-Price Trend
Same-sector institutions with the same direction and nearest fitted annual change; only series with R² of at least 0.40 qualify.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at Muhlenberg College? ▼
Muhlenberg College is a private nonprofit institution in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The acceptance rate is 72.0%. The average SAT score is 1,343. Undergraduate enrollment is 1,727 students.
How much do Muhlenberg College former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Muhlenberg College who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $69,107 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $53,265.
How much does Muhlenberg College cost? ▼
The average net price at Muhlenberg College is $28,905. In-state tuition is $62,805 and out-of-state tuition is $62,805. Median student debt at graduation is $25,455.
What is the graduation rate at Muhlenberg College? ▼
Muhlenberg College has a 81.2% 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 89.9%.
Is Muhlenberg College worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Muhlenberg College is $25,455, while former students earn a median of $69,107 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 37% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 86.7% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $270.
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.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from Muhlenberg College
- Compare Muhlenberg College against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in Pennsylvania side by side.Browse Pennsylvania
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
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.