Cheap Colleges in Pennsylvania for Out-of-State Students
Out-of-state students pay between $9,050 and $41,790 a year in tuition and fees at the 30 public colleges and universities we rank in Pennsylvania, a gap of $32,740 between the cheapest and the most expensive. This list ranks the non-resident price, not the in-state price.
The median public college charges nonresidents $16,061, $3,276 (26%) above the national median of $12,786 for public colleges. Residents pay a median of $9,809, so the typical out-of-state premium is only $6,252 here, a ratio of 1.6 to 1.
Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology ranks first at $9,050, ahead of Butler County Community College ($12,000) and Harrisburg Area Community College ($12,472).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- All public colleges and universities, 4-year and 2-year (community colleges and state colleges included)
- Ranked by out-of-state tuition & fees, lowest first. Ties are broken by larger undergraduate enrollment, then by name.
- Main campuses only, with at least 60% of core data fields reported
- Main campus located in Pennsylvania
- At least 500 undergraduate students enrolled (fall 2024)
- A reported out-of-state tuition & fees value (schools without one are not ranked)
- Schools that report no tuition or a $0 price are not ranked
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; Pennsylvania has 30
- Data period
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: academic year 2024-25. Shown for public colleges only, because private colleges charge everyone the same price.
- In-state tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25. Some community colleges report the in-district rate.
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
- Graduation rate: first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2018 (4-year) or fall 2021 (2-year), finishing within 150% of normal time.
- Enrollment: undergraduate students, fall 2024.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing all 30 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology Lancaster, PA Public · 2-year | $9,050 | $9,050 | $14,104 | 65% | 1,446 |
| 2 | Butler County Community College Butler, PA Public · 2-year | $12,000 | $5,910 | $6,233 | 34% | 1,789 |
| 3 | Harrisburg Area Community College Harrisburg, PA Public · 2-year | $12,472 | $6,975 | $14,471 | 21% | 9,533 |
| 4 | Reading Area Community College Reading, PA Public · 2-year | $12,510 | $6,480 | $9,228 | 30% | 3,703 |
| 5 | Community College of Allegheny County Pittsburgh, PA Public · 2-year | $12,583 | $4,842 | $13,970 | 24% | 9,544 |
| 6 | Community College of Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA Public · 2-year | $12,744 | $4,632 | $11,911 | 22% | 11,948 |
| 7 | Lehigh Carbon Community College Schnecksville, PA Public · 2-year | $13,270 | $5,280 | $9,203 | 29% | 4,148 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania Highlands Community College Johnstown, PA Public · 2-year | $13,350 | $7,110 | $6,200 | 39% | 788 |
| 9 | Bucks County Community College Newtown, PA Public · 2-year | $13,963 | $5,683 | $6,389 | 30% | 5,289 |
| 10 | Westmoreland County Community College Youngwood, PA Public · 2-year | $14,424 | $6,018 | $5,167 | 28% | 2,441 |
| 11 | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Slippery Rock, PA Public · 4-year | $14,676 | $10,568 | $19,608 | 66% | 6,788 |
| 12 | Northampton County Area Community College Bethlehem, PA Public · 2-year | $15,270 | $5,550 | $12,119 | 22% | 7,667 |
| 13 | Delaware County Community College Media, PA Public · 2-year | $15,540 | $6,930 | $6,576 | 22% | 6,861 |
| 14 | Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Shippensburg, PA Public · 4-year | $15,974 | $13,720 | $23,726 | 54% | 4,086 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania Western University California, PA Public · 4-year | $16,054 | $11,436 | $18,256 | 51% | 7,451 |
| 16 | Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown, PA Public · 4-year | $16,068 | $11,314 | $21,331 | 54% | 6,180 |
| 17 | Luzerne County Community College Nanticoke, PA Public · 2-year | $16,260 | $6,600 | $9,433 | 22% | 3,317 |
| 18 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indiana, PA Public · 4-year | $16,297 | $11,380 | $16,804 | 54% | 6,764 |
| 19 | Montgomery County Community College Blue Bell, PA Public · 2-year | $17,250 | $6,690 | $11,124 | 26% | 7,301 |
| 20 | Cheyney University of Pennsylvania Cheyney, PA Public · 4-year | $18,870 | $10,904 | $14,265 | 24% | 617 |
| 21 | Lincoln University (PA) Lincoln University, PA Public · 4-year | $19,384 | $12,512 | $14,977 | 48% | 1,539 |
| 22 | East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania East Stroudsburg, PA Public · 4-year | $19,502 | $11,536 | $18,134 | 44% | 4,814 |
| 23 | Community College of Beaver County Monaca, PA Public · 2-year | $20,700 | $7,500 | $6,937 | 17% | 1,247 |
| 24 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA Public · 4-year | $22,599 | $10,775 | $23,331 | 70% | 14,164 |
| 25 | Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania Bloomsburg, PA Public · 4-year | $22,870 | $11,046 | $15,699 | 54% | 9,210 |
| 26 | Millersville University of Pennsylvania Millersville, PA Public · 4-year | $22,952 | $11,128 | $20,787 | 56% | 5,728 |
| 27 | Pennsylvania College of Technology Williamsport, PA Public · 4-year | $25,980 | $18,240 | $25,110 | 52% | 4,464 |
| 28 | Temple University Philadelphia, PA Public · 4-year | $38,958 | $23,011 | $28,198 | 75% | 20,970 |
| 29 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA Public · 4-year | $41,430 | $21,926 | $30,434 | 85% | 20,370 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA Public · 4-year | $41,790 | $20,644 | $32,875 | 86% | 42,284 |
How to compare these colleges
The ranked column is the out-of-state price. The in-state price is shown for comparison, and net price is the average for students who receive aid, measured mostly for in-state students at public colleges, so it is not a good guide to what a nonresident will pay. Many states cut the non-resident rate through regional exchange programs, reciprocity agreements or merit awards, and residency can change after a year of living in the state, so check each college's non-resident aid page before ruling a school out.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for Pennsylvania
Cheapest colleges in Pennsylvania
83 schools
Community colleges in Pennsylvania
16 schools
Best value colleges in Pennsylvania
80 schools
Highest graduate earnings in Pennsylvania
85 schools
Most affordable private colleges in Pennsylvania
70 schools
Same list in nearby states
Cheap colleges in New York for out-of-state students
74 schools
Cheap colleges in New Jersey for out-of-state students
28 schools
Cheap colleges in Maryland for out-of-state students
26 schools
All 147 colleges in Pennsylvania See the national version of this ranking