Rankings & Facts

Points of Pride

• U.S. News & World Report magazine ranks Alvernia in its annual listing of Best U.S. Colleges and Universities, in the best regional universities category (North). The publication also previously named Alvernia as a Best Buy in the Northeast.


• Collegecompare.com, a leading provider of reviews and ratings in the higher education industry, named Alvernia to it's January 2015 list of Ten Best Colleges and Universities in Pennsylvania for its graduate degree programs.


• The prestigious Carnegie Foundation selected Alvernia as one of only 23 institutions in Pennsylvania and 361 nationally to receive its 2015 Community Engagement Classification. Other schools receiving the national recognition included Duke, Emory, Villanova and Notre Dame universities.


• Alvernia was one of only four institutions in Pennsylvania (including the University of Pennsylvania) — and one of 43 nationally — to earn the President’s Higher Education Interfaith Community Service Honor Roll (with Distinction) award for 2014. Organized by the Corporation for National and Community Service and the U.S. Department of Education, the distinction is the highest federal recognition that universities can receive for community service and civic engagement. The university also received Honor Roll recognition for General Community Service and Education.


• Niche.com’s 2016 Best Colleges poll ranks Alvernia as one of the top 50 colleges and universities in Pennsylvania! Niche’s 2015 poll ranked Alvernia’s dorms #6 in Pennsylvania and #85 in the nation based on opinions from 60,000 students.


• Alvernia was ranked as a top college by Affordable Colleges Online as one of the 2013 Highest Return on Investment Colleges in Pennsylvania.


• BestColleges.com named Alvernia as one of the Best Catholic Colleges in America in 2013.


• As a recognized leader in student engagement, 86% of Alvernia students are active in a campus organization or athletics team and 70% are involved in two or more! NASPA, the national student affairs organization, named Alvernia as a lead institution for civic learning and democratic engagement in 2014.


• The Templeton Foundation honored Alvernia as one of the top 100 Character-building Colleges in the nation and as a model of excellence in education.


• G.I. Jobs magazine named Alvernia as a Military Friendly School, recognizing the university’s commitment to support the continuing education needs of American military personnel. Only the top 15 percent of universities, colleges and trade schools in the nation hold the distinction.


• Alvernia’s athletic teams are among the most competitive in the NCAA’s Division III. The university’s teams have appeared in more than 30 NCAA tournaments including the men’s basketball Final Four. Other accomplishments include multiple conference and regional championships with numerous athletes named as Academic All-Americans.