Doctoral/ProfessionalPrivate nonprofit

Alvernia University

Reading, Pennsylvania·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Mid East·alvernia.edu
6-yr Graduation
56%
-6.5pp vs Doctoral/Professional
Total enrollment
2,796
peer median 2,416
Avg net price
$28,329
+$4.4k vs Doctoral/Professional
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AboutAdmissionsOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR OfficeDocumentsGrantsAlumni

About

Alvernia University is a private Franciscan university in Reading, Pennsylvania. Founded as Alvernia College in 1958 by the Bernardine Sisters of St. Francis, the school gained university status in 2008.

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

IPEDS
Applied
5,715
5,715 candidates competed
Admitted
3,318
58.1% acceptance rate
Enrolled
442
13.3% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

IPEDS
Overall completion
56%-6.5pp vs Doctoral/Professional
4-year graduation
39%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
56%
Full-time retention
72%

Pell equity

23.0pp gap
Pell recipients
42%
Non-Pell
65%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 23.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

FVT/GE

Of 62 Title IV programs, 12 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 50 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
62
Passing
12
19.4% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

62programs
  • Passing12 · 19.4%
  • No Data50 · 80.6%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
1
Safe
11
No data
50

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

12
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+24.2%
$72,967 vs $58,761
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+37.2%
$80,640 vs $58,761
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+38.4%
$48,809 vs $35,274
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+47.5%
$52,044 vs $35,274
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Doctoral Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+47.9%
$86,896 vs $58,761
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences General
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+59.3%
$56,203 vs $35,274
Social Work
Bachelor Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
+59.4%
$56,243 vs $35,274
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+65.1%
$58,231 vs $35,274

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

12
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Doctoral Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
136%
$118,250 debt · $86,896 earn
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
85%
$62,315 debt · $72,967 earn
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
73%
$35,500 debt · $48,809 earn
Social Work
Bachelor Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
53%
$29,578 debt · $56,243 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
51%
$26,697 debt · $52,044 earn
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences General
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
48%
$26,924 debt · $56,203 earn
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
46%
$27,000 debt · $58,810 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
45%
$36,104 debt · $80,640 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Accredited since 1967Next review Jan 2033

Programmatic accreditations · 6

Action history · 11

  1. Jun 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Middle States Commission on Higher Education
  2. Oct 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    American Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education · Physical Therapy (PT) - Professional programs for the physical therapist
  3. Oct 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
  4. Oct 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNDNP) - Nursing education programs at the doctorate degree levels
  5. Oct 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the graduate degree levels

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$27,979
$30–48k$27,001
$48–75k$26,381
$75–110k$27,019
$110k+$30,036

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$28,329
+$4,436vs Doctoral/Professional median $23,894
Federal loans
81.9%
In-state tuition
$42,810
Out-of-state
$42,810

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 911 students received $5.2M in Pell grants, alongside $24.1M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
911
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$5.2M
$5,235,163 total
Direct Loans
$24.1M
3,345 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
’20
1k
’21
1k
’22
1k
’23
1k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$5.0M
1,231 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$6.1M
1,515 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$5.2M
248 loan awards
Parent PLUS$6.3M
283 loan awards
Grad PLUS$1.6M
68 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 805 borrowers who entered repayment, 9 (1.1%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.1%
-1.2pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
805
Defaulted
9
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
8.2%
2017
6.6%
2018
5.6%
2019
1.1%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Alvernia

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs62
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

631 total completions
01Health Professions
34955.3%
02Business
11718.5%
03Education
406.3%
04Security/Protective
294.6%
05Biological Sciences
254.0%
06Public Admin
193.0%
07Communication
172.7%
08Psychology
162.5%
09Parks/Recreation
132.1%
10Social Sciences
61.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
2,796
12-mo unduplicated
3,197
Undergraduate
2,688
Graduate
509

Gender split

Men
34%1,099
Women
66%2,098

Race / ethnicity composition

White
61.1%
Hispanic
15.3%
Black
10.4%
Non-resident
4.3%
Unknown
4.0%
Two or more
3.2%
Asian
1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

EADA
Athletes
611
357 M · 254 W
Women athletes
41.6%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$4.0M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$86K
$51K
Head-coach salaries
$48K
$29K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 15

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
86 M · 76 W
$297K
Football
95 M · —
$576K
Ice Hockey
35 M · 26 W
$589K
Soccer
31 M · 27 W
$211K
Baseball
52 M · —
$202K
Lacrosse
24 M · 23 W
$249K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
3.62
9 offenses · 2,484 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago0.391 yr ago3.62Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
10
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
2

Criminal offenses by type

Aggravated assault
4
Rape
3
Robbery
1
Fondling
1

By location

9total
  • On campus5
  • Public property4

Includes 5 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
0
Stalking
0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons08
Drugs322
Liquor067

Residence-hall fires

  • Collegetowne Dorms1 fire
    Damage $100-$999

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
14.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
120

Alvernia vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Alvernia selected for federal comparison reporting.

IPEDS
GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectAlvernia University
56%—2,796$28,329Doctoral/Professional
Cabrini University
51%69.2%—$24,051Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Carlow University
60%86.9%2,416$20,822Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Centenary University
55%83.1%1,398$19,037Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Chestnut Hill College
49%74.5%1,288$29,944Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
DeSales University
72%77.1%2,972$30,465Doctoral/Professional
Georgian Court University
54%78.8%2,013$20,218Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Gwynedd Mercy University
65%89.6%2,017$27,141Doctoral/Professional
Holy Family University
60%71.0%3,225$12,251Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Hood College
57%77.8%2,101$23,707Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Immaculata University
71%85.8%2,512$29,464Doctoral/Professional
Marymount University
54%93.2%4,060$25,153Doctoral/Professional
Marywood University
72%60.6%2,530$22,222Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Misericordia University
72%70.9%2,200$24,829Doctoral/Professional
Mount Saint Mary College
65%88.9%2,491$23,736Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Neumann University
53%81.3%2,244$28,714Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Notre Dame of Maryland University
50%82.2%1,788$24,536Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Point Park University
59%96.9%3,448$24,791Doctoral/Professional
Roberts Wesleyan University
67%70.6%1,960$23,461Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Saint Francis University
74%76.8%2,963$19,173Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Seton Hill University
67%79.5%1,927$22,558Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
St Bonaventure University
67%81.6%2,752$27,151Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Stevenson University
68%78.9%3,684$26,806Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of Saint Francis-Fort Wayne
54%96.0%1,763$20,361Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
University of St Francis
67%65.3%3,074$16,284Doctoral/Professional
Utica University
56%92.0%3,627$21,869Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Viterbo University
68%72.4%2,094$22,633Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Waynesburg University
66%89.8%1,231$25,157Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Peer group median63%79.5%2,416$23,894

Institutions like Alvernia

Explore the federal data for institutions in Alvernia's comparison group.

IPEDS

Alvernia Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Institutional Research
Reports to Office of the Provost
Email
scott.pavone [at] alvernia.edu
Phone
610-790-2959
Address
Francis Hall, Room 218A, 400 Saint Bernardine Street, Reading, PA 19607

The Office of Institutional Research provides information and research support for reporting, planning, and decision-making for the advancement of Alvernia University’s Mission, Vision and Values as well as leadership, research, and technology support for Alvernia’s institutional assessment process.

Visit IR office page
Team
3 members
  • Scott Pavone
    Director of Institutional Research
  • Molly Gaffney
    Institutional Research Data and Research Specialist
  • Molly Robinson
    Institutional Research Data and Research Specialist

Reports & documents (2)

Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

Grants & funding (1)

Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.

USA Spending

Notable alumni of Alvernia (4)

A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.

  • Jamie Barton
    Politics
  • Chris Ciabarra
  • Wayne Hoffman
  • Aydoğan Vatandaş

Frequently asked questions about Alvernia University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Alvernia.

What is the graduation rate at Alvernia University?

Alvernia University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 56% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Alvernia University?

Alvernia University reports a total enrollment of 2,796 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Alvernia University?

The average net price at Alvernia University is $28,329 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Alvernia University?

Alvernia University's yield rate is 13.3%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Alvernia University located?

Alvernia University is located in Reading, Pennsylvania 19607-1799.

Who runs Institutional Research at Alvernia University?

Alvernia University's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research, which reports to Office of the Provost.

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