College · Private nonprofit · Reading, PA · City
Alvernia University
Reading, PA
Religious affiliation
Admit rate58%
6-yr median pay$50k
Net price / yr$28k
Undergrad size2,152
§ I · The real read
What it's actually like.
The bet
Net price of $28k/yr for a shot at a $50k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.
Getting in
Admit rate of 58% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1170.
If you get in
2,152 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.
Where you live
City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.
§ II · Cost & aid
Sticker vs. real.
Sticker cost of attendance is $58k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $28k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.
Sticker · 4 yrs$230k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$113k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$118k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback2.3x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.
Where the money goes · annual sticker.
- Tuition · in-state
- $45.0k
- Room & board
- $15.5k
- Books & supplies
- $1,000
How students pay for it.
Pell grants36%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans83%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$27k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $9k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes
Do people finish? Do they land?
1-yr retention72%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr56%
A meaningful chunk do not finish — ask why.
6-yr median pay$50k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$55k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out32%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity
Setting, size, and who this school is.
- Setting
- City
- Control
- Private nonprofit
- Undergrad size
- 2,152
- Location
- Reading, PA
- Region
- Mid East (DE, DC, MD, NJ, NY, PA)
- Carnegie class
- Doctoral/Professional Universities
- Size & setting
- Four-year · small · highly residential
- Undergrad program
- Four-year · full-time, selective, lower transfer-in
- Accreditor
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Identity
Religious affiliation
§ · Who studies here
The student body at a glance.
- White61%
- Hispanic17%
- Black11%
- Two or more races4%
- International3%
- Unknown3%
- Asian2%
First-gen students45%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time19%
Mixed full-time and part-time.
Median family income$53k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 40
What you can study.