Alvernia at a Glance
Alvernia is a private Franciscan university in Reading, Pa. Founded as Alvernia College in 1958 by the Bernardine Sisters of Saint Francis, the school gained university status in 2008. Alvernia offers a blend of rigorous liberal arts core education for development of the mind, strong technical training in high demand majors, experiential learning and engagement with the community through our Franciscan-based community service model.
• Over 60 undergraduate majors and minors in nearly every field will prepare you for your career of choice.
• Create your comeback with Alvernia's accelerated adult bachelor programs, which offer flexible scheduling for the busy learner.
• Reach your goals with graduate degree programs.
Why Choose Alvernia?
Student-faculty ratio
Percentage of graduates who said Alvernia academics met or exceeded their expectations.
Percentage of graduates who are employed or continuing education.
Alvernia's position in the Most Popular Colleges in Pennsylvania category in the Research.com 2026 Best Colleges Rankings.
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Locations
With sites in Reading and Pottsville, Pa., along with community-based partners in Philadelphia, Alvernia continues to grow as a comprehensive regional university.
2025-26 Student Body
2,866 students
• 1,517 trad undergraduate
• 660 adult
• 593 graduate
• 96 doctoral
612 student-athletes
34% first-generation students
Over 55,000 hours of service completed by current Alvernia students
Rankings and Facts
Alvernia is a great place to get an education. But don't just take our word for it.
Helping Students Save
The Office of Student Financial Services is available to answer questions and guide you through any financial aid situation. About 99% of our undergraduates receive some type of financial aid, including scholarships, grants, loans and work-study.
Community Engagement
Each generation of Alvernia graduates perform more than 30,000 hours of service each year, engaging with the local community and beyond through a wide variety of curricular and co-curricular experiential learning opportunities.
Athletics
Alvernia's Golden Wolves compete at the NCAA Division III level. Over 650 student-athletes competed in 29 team sports during the 2024-25 school year.
Alumni
Alvernia's graduate network features tens of thousands of Golden Wolves doing well and doing good across the globe.
State-of-the-Art Spaces
John R. Post Center at Reading CollegeTowne
$20 million in renovations transformed Alvernia’s downtown Reading site into a 250,000-square-foot living and learning facility.
John and Karen Arnold School of Nursing
The interprofessional Healthcare Simulation Center features a 55,000-square-foot space with expanded classrooms and laboratories.
John R. Post School of Engineering
The school houses labs containing millions of dollars of hands-on, real-world equipment and a continuously expanding maker space.