NurseSavvy ranking · Pennsylvania · updated October 10, 2026
Best Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania (2026): The NurseSavvy Top 10
We ranked all 83 RN programs in Pennsylvania that publish a first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate, on the four things that decide whether a program gets you to a nursing license you can afford: passing the NCLEX, actually finishing, the cost next to what nurses earn in Pennsylvania, and what graduates earn a year out.
Cedar Crest College comes out on top. Here are the top 10, with every number’s source — and you can re-rank them by what matters to you.
No school can pay for placement. Public data only — see the full methodology.
Rank it your way
Rank Pennsylvania’s 83 RN programs on what matters to you
NCLEX pass rate, students who finish, cost vs nurse pay, grads’ early pay — compare in-state, by region, or nationwide.
The top 10 nursing programs in Pennsylvania
Scores are out of 100 under the default NurseSavvy weights. A school with two programs (say, an ADN and a BSN) can appear twice.
- 173score
Cedar Crest College
AllentownBaccalaureate Degree· Private nonprofit
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 47 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100% of 47
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $18,659/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $80,844 1 yr out
- 270score
York College of Pennsylvania
YorkBaccalaureate Degree· Private nonprofit
A 96.7% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 92 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 96.7% of 92
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $18,556/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $77,469 1 yr out
- 369score
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
IndianaBaccalaureate Degree· Public
A 97.1% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 137 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 97.1% of 137
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $16,804/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $68,936 1 yr out
- 467score
Marywood University
DunmoreBaccalaureate Degree· Private nonprofit
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 31 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100% of 31
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $23,388/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $73,240 1 yr out
- 567score
Alvernia University
ReadingBaccalaureate Degree· Private nonprofit
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 35 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100% of 35
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $28,138/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $77,394 1 yr out
- 666score
West Chester University
West ChesterBaccalaureate Degree
A 96.1% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 76 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 96.1% of 76
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- Not publishedfill-in
- Early-career earnings
- Not publishedfill-in
- 766score
Neumann University
AstonBaccalaureate Degree· Private nonprofit
A 96.2% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 53 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 96.2% of 53
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $27,804/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $82,238 1 yr out
- 865score
Bucks County Community College
NewtownAssociate Degree· Public
A 95.2% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 62 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 95.2% of 62
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $6,389/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $73,282 1 yr out
- 965score
Luzerne County Community College
NanticokeAssociate Degree· Public
A 95.2% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 103 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 95.2% of 103
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $9,433/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $76,711 1 yr out
- 1065score
Reading Area Community College
ReadingAssociate Degree· Public
A 98.3% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 60 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 98.3% of 60
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $9,228/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- Not publishedfill-in
Fill-in: a figure the program hasn’t published is scored at the 33rd percentile of programs that publish it (same degree type) — not its own number.
The Pennsylvania leaders on each measure
Different students weigh these differently — here is who leads on each one alone, among programs that publish it.
- Highest NCLEX pass rate: Cedar Crest College (Baccalaureate Degree), 100% first-time.
- Lowest average net price: Westmoreland County Community College, $5,167/yr.
- Highest graduates’ pay: Immaculata University, $87,624 one year out.
- Top ADN vs top BSN: Bucks County Community College (#8 overall) and Cedar Crest College (#1 overall).
No Pennsylvania RN program in our data has published its own completion rate yet, so every program here scores the completion fill-in.
How we ranked Pennsylvania’s nursing schools
- NCLEX pass rate (33%). The 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN rate from the Pennsylvania board of nursing, steadied for small cohorts.
- Students who finish (33%). The program’s own on-time completion rate, where a board or the program publishes it.
- Cost vs nurse pay (20%). Average net price per year next to Pennsylvania’s median RN pay (College Scorecard + BLS).
- Graduates’ early pay (14%). What the program’s nursing graduates earn one year out, next to the state’s RN median.
A missing figure is a labeled 33rd-percentile fill-in, never a guess. Programs without a published NCLEX rate, and direct-entry master’s programs, are not ranked. Every formula and source →
Frequently asked questions
What is the best nursing school in Pennsylvania?
Under the NurseSavvy ranking, Cedar Crest College (Baccalaureate Degree, Allentown) ranks #1 of 83 RN programs in Pennsylvania with a score of 73 out of 100 and a 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate. "Best" depends on what you weigh most — re-rank the list on this page by your own priorities.
How did NurseSavvy rank Pennsylvania nursing schools?
Every RN program with a published 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate is scored 0–100 on four public measures: NCLEX pass rate (33%), students who finish (33%), cost next to local RN pay (20%), and graduates’ pay one year out (14%). Pass rates come from the Pennsylvania board of nursing; cost and pay from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.
What does “fill-in” mean on this list?
When a program has not published a figure, we do not guess it. It is scored at the 33rd percentile of programs (same degree type) that do publish it — below typical — and labeled “fill-in” wherever it appears. Publishing its real number can only help a program that performs well.
Can a school pay to rank higher?
No. Schools cannot pay, partner, sponsor, or advertise their way to a better rank. Every input is public data, and the same formula applies to every program.
Keep going
- ReferenceHow NurseSavvy ranks nursing schoolsHow NurseSavvy ranks nursing programs: every formula, data source, and refresh rule, plus why no school can pay for placement.
- State guideNursing in PennsylvaniaPennsylvania in one page: 132 nursing schools and their NCLEX pass rates, RN pay (median 96,430), NP pay, and compact-license status — each with its source.
- Pay dataNurse practitioner salary in PennsylvaniaNurse practitioners in Pennsylvania earn a median of 130,140 a year (May 2025).
- Pay dataRN salary in PennsylvaniaRegistered nurses in Pennsylvania earn a median of 96,430 a year (May 2025).
- GuideNursing School Dropout Rates: What a 100% NCLEX Pass Rate Can HideHow many nursing students actually finish, why a high NCLEX pass rate can hide high attrition, where programs publish completion rates, and the start-to-license number to ask every school for.
- FinderNursing school rankings you controlRank nursing programs by what matters to you — pass rate, students who finish, cost, and graduate earnings.