US College Programs

Pennsylvania Colleges and Majors, Ranked by Graduate Pay and Debt

  • 1,688 programs report first-year pay
  • 188 schools with program pages
  • 85 field rankings

College Scorecard June 2026 release ยท BEA price parities 2024

The short answer

The median Pennsylvania bachelor's program pays its graduates $42,030 in their first year, $1,989 more than the national median. Of the 61 bachelor's fields ranked in Pennsylvania, computer engineering pays the most ($85,446) and theatre the least ($20,539). The median bachelor's program leaves its graduates with $27,000 in federal debt, compared with $25,000 nationally.

Median first-year pay, bachelor's$42,030Across 1,236 programs. National $40,042
Median pay after 5 years, bachelor's$61,478Across 1,281 programs. National $57,933
Median federal debt, bachelor's$27,000Across 1,279 programs. National $25,000
Prices compared with the US2% lowerBEA price level 97.6, US average 100

Pay and debt by credential

Medians across every Pennsylvania program at each credential that reports the figure, next to the national median.

Bachelor's fields in Pennsylvania, ranked

Each row is one field's median across its Pennsylvania bachelor's programs. Field names link to the full ranking of those programs.

Some nursing bachelor's programs are for nurses who are already licensed and working (RN-to-BSN). College Scorecard counts them with programs for new students, and their graduates' pay reflects years of nursing experience, so high pay at a program here may not mean higher starting pay for a new nurse.

Associate's fields in Pennsylvania, ranked

Each row is one field's median across its Pennsylvania associate's programs. Field names link to the full ranking of those programs.

Certificate fields in Pennsylvania, ranked

Each row is one field's median across its Pennsylvania certificate programs. Field names link to the full ranking of those programs.

188 Pennsylvania schools

Every Pennsylvania school with at least one program page. School names link to the school's page, which ranks all its programs. Schools with one program link straight to that program.

"Programs" counts the school's programs that report first-year pay.

Common questions

The median computer engineering bachelor's program in Pennsylvania pays its graduates $85,446 in their first year, the most of 61 bachelor's fields ranked here. Electrical engineering is next, at $80,512.

About this data

  • Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid, and earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school.
  • Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
  • Medians are across programs, not students: each program counts once, however many graduates it has.
  • Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Pennsylvania figures when their main campus is in another state.
  • Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
  2. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024