Top Universities in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania has one of the richest higher education ecosystems in the US — anchored by Penn and Carnegie Mellon (both top-15 nationally), the Penn State system, and an extraordinary density of liberal arts colleges.

University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia)
An Ivy League research university founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1740 — Penn is particularly strong in business (Wharton School — the world's first collegiate business school, founded 1881, consistently #1 globally), medicine (Perelman School — Penn Medicine is one of the top health systems in the world), law, and social policy (Fels Institute of Government). Penn's campus in West Philadelphia is connected to University City, a major biomedical research hub.

Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh)
A top-15 research university with extraordinary strength in computer science (CMU's CS program is consistently #1 in the world), artificial intelligence (CMU's Language Technologies Institute and Robotics Institute are global leaders), engineering, drama (CMU's School of Drama is the finest drama school in the US for producing Broadway professionals), and fine arts. CMU was formed by the merger of Carnegie Technical Schools and the Mellon Institute in 1967.

Pennsylvania State University (State College)
The commonwealth's land-grant research university — Penn State's main campus (46,000 students) is the largest in the Pennsylvania university system. Penn State is strong in engineering, geosciences, materials science, business (Smeal College), and agriculture. The Penn State system has 24 campuses across Pennsylvania. Penn State's Hershey Medical Center is the primary academic medical center for central Pennsylvania.

Swarthmore, Haverford, and Bryn Mawr Colleges (the "Tri-Colleges")
Three highly selective liberal arts colleges on Philadelphia's Main Line — Swarthmore (consistently #1-3 among liberal arts colleges nationally), Haverford (honor code tradition, Quaker heritage), and Bryn Mawr (women's college with exceptional graduate programs in classical and Near Eastern archaeology, social work, and humanities). The three share a consortium for courses and resources.