Alvernia University
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.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
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.
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.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing12 · 19.4%
- No Data50 · 80.6%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
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.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Programmatic accreditations · 6
Action history · 11
- Jun 2025Renewal of AccreditationMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
- Oct 2023Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education · Physical Therapy (PT) - Professional programs for the physical therapist
- Oct 2023Renewal of AccreditationCommission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
- Oct 2023Renewal of AccreditationCommission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNDNP) - Nursing education programs at the doctorate degree levels
- Oct 2023Renewal of AccreditationCommission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the graduate degree levels
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 911 students received $5.2M in Pell grants, alongside $24.1M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
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.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 805 borrowers who entered repayment, 9 (1.1%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* 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.
Academic programs at Alvernia
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 15
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus5
- Public property4
Includes 5 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
- Collegetowne Dorms1 fireDamage $100-$999
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Alvernia vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Alvernia selected for federal comparison reporting.
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 | $28,329 | Doctoral/Professional |
Cabrini University | 51% | 69.2% | — | $24,051 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Carlow University | 60% | 86.9% | 2,416 | $20,822 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Centenary University | 55% | 83.1% | 1,398 | $19,037 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Chestnut Hill College | 49% | 74.5% | 1,288 | $29,944 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
DeSales University | 72% | 77.1% | 2,972 | $30,465 | Doctoral/Professional |
Georgian Court University | 54% | 78.8% | 2,013 | $20,218 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Gwynedd Mercy University | 65% | 89.6% | 2,017 | $27,141 | Doctoral/Professional |
Holy Family University | 60% | 71.0% | 3,225 | $12,251 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Hood College | 57% | 77.8% | 2,101 | $23,707 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Immaculata University | 71% | 85.8% | 2,512 | $29,464 | Doctoral/Professional |
Marymount University | 54% | 93.2% | 4,060 | $25,153 | Doctoral/Professional |
Marywood University | 72% | 60.6% | 2,530 | $22,222 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Misericordia University | 72% | 70.9% | 2,200 | $24,829 | Doctoral/Professional |
Mount Saint Mary College | 65% | 88.9% | 2,491 | $23,736 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Neumann University | 53% | 81.3% | 2,244 | $28,714 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Notre Dame of Maryland University | 50% | 82.2% | 1,788 | $24,536 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Point Park University | 59% | 96.9% | 3,448 | $24,791 | Doctoral/Professional |
Roberts Wesleyan University | 67% | 70.6% | 1,960 | $23,461 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Saint Francis University | 74% | 76.8% | 2,963 | $19,173 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Seton Hill University | 67% | 79.5% | 1,927 | $22,558 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
St Bonaventure University | 67% | 81.6% | 2,752 | $27,151 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Stevenson University | 68% | 78.9% | 3,684 | $26,806 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
University of Saint Francis-Fort Wayne | 54% | 96.0% | 1,763 | $20,361 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
University of St Francis | 67% | 65.3% | 3,074 | $16,284 | Doctoral/Professional |
Utica University | 56% | 92.0% | 3,627 | $21,869 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Viterbo University | 68% | 72.4% | 2,094 | $22,633 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Waynesburg University | 66% | 89.8% | 1,231 | $25,157 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
| Peer group median | 63% | 79.5% | 2,416 | $23,894 |
Alvernia Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
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- Scott PavoneDirector of Institutional Research
- Molly GaffneyInstitutional Research Data and Research Specialist
- Molly RobinsonInstitutional Research Data and Research Specialist
Reports & documents (2)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- FactbookInstitutional Data2026This webpage from Alvernia University provides a comprehensive outline of the university's various facets, including its academic programs, campus life, admissions processes, and community engagement initiatives. The page includes links to detailed sections for various areas of interest such as rankings, financial aid information, application procedures, and institutional accreditation. Recent news and upcoming events at the university are also highlighted, alongside frequently asked questions regarding admissions and student life. However, this specific page on 'Institutional Data' lacks detailed statistical information or key metrics directly related to the operational data of the institution.alvernia.edu
Grants & funding (1)
Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.
Notable alumni of Alvernia (4)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Jamie BartonPolitics
- 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?
How many students attend Alvernia University?
What is the average net price at Alvernia University?
What is the yield rate at Alvernia University?
Where is Alvernia University located?
Who runs Institutional Research at Alvernia University?
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