Alvernia University is a great place to get an education. But don't just take our word for it.
 

  • In 2025, the Carnegie Foundation recognized the university as one of the country’s leading institutions for student opportunity and economic mobility. Alvernia was among a select group of institutions designated as High Access, High Earnings Opportunity Colleges and Universities in the 2025 Student Access and Earnings Classification.
  • In 2025, Alvernia earned national endorsements as a College of Distinction for the sixth consecutive year, recognized for its transformative undergraduate experience and strong outcomes in key areas including equity and inclusion, nursing, education, business, military support and career development. The university was also ranked among Money Magazine’s Best Colleges for the third year in a row. The publication evaluates colleges based on graduation rates, cost of attendance, financial aid, alumni salaries and other key metrics to identify top-value institutions.
  • The university was named Berks County’s top college/university in the Berks County Living 2025 People’s Choice Awards for the sixth consecutive year and Schuylkill County’s leading higher education institution in the Republican Herald 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards for the first time.
  • Alvernia earned the 2024 Best National University designation by U.S. News & World Report after climbing 21 spots in the rankings to be among the top 300 national universities. This marked the fifth consecutive year that Alvernia was among the colleges and universities in the top tier of its designation. Additionally, for the first time in university history, Alvernia was recognized as a Top 100 university for social mobility. Alvernia climbed 55 spots, ranking 84 out of 443 in the social mobility indicator, which measures the graduation rate of Pell Grant recipients.
  • Abound, an organization that helps adult learners find the best higher education opportunities, recognized Alvernia as one of the Top 100 Best Online Colleges for Adults in 2023. The university also received recognition in three other categories: Best Online Colleges North, Best Online Colleges Pennsylvania, and Best Online Colleges for Military and Veterans.
In This Section

About

Students on Alvernia's campus in fall 2023.
Why Choose Alvernia?
• A nationally ranked comprehensive regional university, Alvernia offers more than 50 majors and minors.
• An ever-expanding number of experiential learning opportunities includes internships, field experiences, co-ops, research projects, and study/service abroad programs.
• A rich campus life allows students to enjoy a full calendar of activities and events, more than 50 clubs, intramural sport and student leadership and governance opportunities.
• In growth mode, Alvernia continues to add value to its student experience: expanding academic programming in new facilities; adding student living space and updating residence halls; partnering with a community health provider; and adding amenities including a game room and new performance space.


Military Friendly

  • Military Friendly® Schools named Alvernia a 2025-2026 Military Friendly® School, awarding the university a silver designation for the second year in a row. The distinction highlights Alvernia’s strong commitment to supporting student veterans, service members and military-affiliated learners through dedicated resources, flexible pathways and financial assistance. Alvernia received this award for continually providing a high level of support for its active military duty and veteran students. Alvernia is one of the few institutions across the country that has a physical Veterans Center. This hub offers the resources, support, and advocacy necessary to succeed in higher education. The Veterans Success Team, comprised of a Veterans Center Coordinator and three student veterans, encourages participation in military organizations, develops outreach programs to enlighten the campus community about veteran culture, history, and raises awareness about issues surrounding veterans and their families. 

  • Alvernia is recognized as Yellow Ribbon Select School by MilitarySupportiveColleges.com for being an institution that is among the best place for any veteran, active duty service member, or anyone from their families using military educational benefits to earn a degree and for effective use of the VA’s Yellow Ribbon Program.


Program Accolades

Below is a list of rankings and accolades for our academic offerings:

Addictions and Mental Health Treatment


Alvernia's online Addictions and Mental Health Treatment program ranked No. 3 in BestColleges.com's Best Online Addiction Counseling Degrees of 2024. BestCollege, a resource for college planning and advice, utilized new methodology incorporating metrics such as affordability, student outcomes, flexibility/accessibility and ease of admissions. Along with being offered in an online format, this program is available as a traditional undergraduate program, in an adult education format. A post-baccalaureate certificate is also offered.
 

Business


Alvernia was recognized as a College of Distinction for its commitment to engaged, experiential education. Alvernia qualified for the Business field of study badge.
 

Criminal Justice


Alvernia University was recognized by the 2021 PLEXUSS Global Rankings for our Criminal Justice program, ranking #13 in Pennsylvania. College Factual ranked Alvernia in the top percentile of four categories in 2020-2021. This included the Highest Paid Criminal Justice Graduates award.
 

Digital Media Marketing


Alvernia's Digital Media Marketing program was ranked No. 4 in TechGuide's 2024 list of Bachelor's in Digital Marketing degree programs. TechGuide's ranking process considers factors such as tuition, student-to-faculty ratio, admission and graduation rates and alumni success.
 

Education


In 2023, Alvernia's early childhood education program was recognized by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) for its rigorous preparation of future teachers in how to teach reading, earning an “A” grade in the NCTQ report, Teacher Prep Review: Strengthening Elementary Reading Instruction. The program is among just 23% nationwide and three in Pennsylvania to earn an “A” from NCTQ for meeting standards set by literacy experts for coverage of the most effective methods of reading instruction often called the “science of reading.”

Alvernia's education programs earned a 2023-24 national endorsement from Colleges of Distinction (COD), an online platform that aids college-bound students in the college decision process and honors colleges and universities for their excellence.
 

Nursing


Alvernia’s nursing program earned national recognition from Colleges of Distinction (COD) and U.S. News & World Report for its high-impact curriculum and expansive experiential learning opportunities. The university also received nods in U.S. News & World Report’s national undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) rankings, landing in the top 550 programs nationwide.

RNCareers.org, a leading nursing education resource, ranked Alvernia No. 31 out of 93 nursing schools in Pennsylvania in its 2024 rankings. Nationally, Alvernia ranked No. 391 out of more than 1,700 nursing programs. Factors include program accreditation, tuition costs, academic excellence, faculty qualifications, student satisfaction, program offerings, career outcomes and school reputation.