The Best Finance Programs in Pennsylvania for 2026

Smeal College's Finance B.S. requires competitive entrance to major: a 3.50 cumulative GPA for guaranteed entry (2.60 to 3.49 is considered on a space-available basis), plus grades of C or better in courses like FIN 301, ACCTG 211 and MATH 140. Once admitted, students get hands-on access to three student-run resources named on the program page: the Nittany Lion Fund, a $12.5 million investor-owned equity hedge fund that places more than 50 students a year in Wall Street internships and jobs and counts 400 alumni now working on Wall Street; the Rogers Family Trading Room, more than 50 workstations running Bloomberg, FactSet and S&P Capital IQ; and Lion Leverage Capital, a student-managed paper portfolio of leveraged loans and high-yield bonds tied to roughly 100 Wall Street alumni. A 15-year-old Wall Street Boot Camp, taught by Penn State alumni, rounds out the program.

Penn State's 86% graduation rate and 61% admit rate make it the most accessible program of the four, more than double Lehigh's and Villanova's admit rates and about twelve times Penn's, per IPEDS. The cost gap is the real story: $20,066 a year in-state versus $41,212 out-of-state, a $21,146 difference, across an enrollment of 50,737, the largest school in this set by a wide margin. A 93.3 Hakia Score ranks Penn State fourth in Pennsylvania; the program fits a Pennsylvania resident who wants Wall Street-facing, hands-on trading experience without the private-school price tag, and it's a tougher case for an out-of-state student paying more than double. National median pay for financial analysts is $88,870 a year, per BLS.

Pitt Business anchors its finance major in the Financial Analysis Laboratory, a 3,000-square-foot facility with 58 computer stations, a stock ticker, and tote display boards that mirror an investment bank's trading floor. The University of Pittsburgh is a CFA Institute program partner, and the major requires Introduction to Finance (BUSFIN 1030) before students move into Corporate Finance and Investment Management, then choose three electives from a list that includes Valuation, FinTech, Real Estate Finance, and Mergers, Acquisitions and Corporate Structures.

Pitt earns a Hakia Score of 93.3, the highest of the four Pennsylvania finance programs profiled here, built on an 85% graduation rate paired with a 58% admit rate, the tightest admissions filter of the group. In-state tuition runs $20,556 against $40,060 out-of-state, a $19,504 gap that rewards Pennsylvania residency. With 35,724 students total, it is also the largest school on this list. It fits students who want quantitative rigor and real trading-floor technology at a public price, provided they can clear a sub-60% admit rate.

Grove City College's B.S. in Finance is, by its own description, 'specifically designed' to prepare students for the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE), Certified Financial Planner (CFP), and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exams. The curriculum runs 69 credit hours inside a Christ-centered core, and the Winklevoss School of Business holds ACBSP accreditation. The finance major incorporates at least 70% of the CFA Program Candidate Body of Knowledge, which qualifies students for CFA Program Student Scholarships, and a CFP Board registered Financial Planning minor lets students stack a second credential onto the degree. Students have interned at PNC, Charles Schwab, BNY Mellon, and Northwestern Mutual.

The Hakia Score sits at 85.4, driven by an 83% graduation rate and a 72% admit rate. Tuition is flat at $21,700 whether a student lives in Pennsylvania or elsewhere, $18,360 less than Pitt's $40,060 out-of-state rate for a non-resident. Enrollment is 2,383, the second-smallest school in this group. It fits students who want a licensure-focused curriculum and a predictable cost regardless of home state.

Muhlenberg's finance major, a B.A. housed in the Department of Accounting, Business, Economics, and Finance, puts students in charge of real money through the Muhlenberg Investment Society, which manages a portfolio worth more than $1 million. The major requires twelve courses: a foundation sequence spanning Financial Accounting, Macro and Microeconomics, Statistical Analysis, and Calculus I through III; a core of Corporation Finance and Money, Banking, and Financial Markets; a capstone seminar in Advanced Topics in Financial Management; and four electives drawn from a list that includes Financial Analytics, Investments and Portfolios, Mergers and Acquisitions, and Derivative Markets. The school reports a 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio and says 93% of graduates begin a career or advanced study within six months of graduation.

Muhlenberg's Hakia Score is 85.3, essentially tied with Grove City's 85.4, on an 82% graduation rate and a 72% admit rate. The tradeoff is cost: tuition is flat at $62,035 regardless of residency, nearly triple Grove City's $21,700 and $41,479 above Pitt's in-state rate of $20,556. Enrollment is just 1,788, the smallest school on this list. It fits students who want liberal-arts breadth, a hands-on student-managed fund, and small classes, and who can absorb the highest sticker price of the four.

Temple's Fox School of Business runs an accelerated 3-year BBA in Finance alongside the standard track, and students get hands-on experience through the William C. Dunkelberg Owl Fund, a real-money, student-managed investment portfolio. The curriculum covers asset valuation, credit analysis, fixed income analysis, and portfolio management, with required courses including Intermediate Corporate Finance and Security Analysis and Portfolio Management. Students train on Bloomberg, FactSet, and Capital IQ, the same platforms used on trading desks. The Department of Finance has 22 full-time faculty, and Fox has held AACSB accreditation since 1934.

Temple's Hakia Score is 84.4, the lowest of the four programs profiled here but still enough for a top-8 statewide ranking. Its 75% graduation rate is the lowest of the group, offset by the most open admissions path: an 80% admit rate, well above Pitt's 58%. In-state tuition is $21,989 against $37,789 out-of-state, a $15,800 gap. With 29,640 students enrolled, it is the second-largest school on this list. It fits students who want AACSB accreditation and real trading-platform training without Pitt's admissions bar.

University of Scranton is a private, nonprofit institution in Scranton, PA. Its Bachelor's in Finance program ranks #9 of the 12 analyzed here with an 83.6 Hakia Score, a composite of graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and graduate outcomes. That sits below the 88.1 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. The program graduates 80% of its students, below the 83% average across the ranked schools. University of Scranton admits 81% of applicants, less selective than the 61% average for the group. That is more open than the 5% rate at University of Pennsylvania, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands in the middle of the pack in a group where graduation runs from 71% to 97%.

On cost, University of Scranton charges $53,208 a year in-state. Over four years that totals about $212,832 in tuition. That puts it mid-pack on price on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $7,716 at West Chester University of Pennsylvania to $66,838 at Villanova University. As a private institution, its tuition does not change with residency, unlike the public universities on this list. Graduates step into a field with an $88,870 national median salary reported by the BLS. It earns its place in the top 12 on the balance of cost, completion, and outcomes.

Based in West Chester, PA, West Chester University of Pennsylvania is a public institution. Its Bachelor's in Finance program lands at #10 of the 12 ranked here, earning an 82.8 Hakia Score that weighs graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and outcomes. That sits below the 88.1 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. The program graduates 71% of its students, below the 83% average across the ranked schools. West Chester University of Pennsylvania admits 78% of applicants, less selective than the 61% average for the group. That is more open than the 5% rate at University of Pennsylvania, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands toward the lower end in a group where graduation runs from 71% to 97%.

On cost, West Chester University of Pennsylvania charges $7,716 a year in-state, roughly 2.5x the $19,290 out-of-state rate. Over four years that is about $30,864 in tuition for residents, against $77,160 for non-residents. That puts it among the most affordable on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $7,716 at West Chester University of Pennsylvania to $66,838 at Villanova University. Graduates step into a field with an $88,870 national median salary reported by the BLS. For prospective students, the main draw here is its low in-state cost.

Based in Philadelphia, PA, Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia is a private, nonprofit institution. Its Bachelor's in Finance program lands at #11 of the 12 ranked here, earning an 81.7 Hakia Score that weighs graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and outcomes. That sits below the 88.1 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. The program graduates 79% of its students, below the 83% average across the ranked schools. Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia admits 89% of applicants, less selective than the 61% average for the group. That is more open than the 5% rate at University of Pennsylvania, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands toward the lower end in a group where graduation runs from 71% to 97%.

On cost, Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia charges $53,060 a year in-state. Over four years that totals about $212,240 in tuition. That puts it mid-pack on price on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $7,716 at West Chester University of Pennsylvania to $66,838 at Villanova University. As a private institution, its tuition does not change with residency, unlike the public universities on this list. Graduates step into a field with an $88,870 national median salary reported by the BLS. For prospective students, the main draw here is its an online option.

Based in Mechanicsburg, PA, Messiah University is a private, nonprofit institution. Its Bachelor's in Finance program lands at #12 of the 12 ranked here, earning an 81.0 Hakia Score that weighs graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and outcomes. That sits below the 88.1 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. The program graduates 75% of its students, below the 83% average across the ranked schools. Messiah University admits 79% of applicants, less selective than the 61% average for the group. That is more open than the 5% rate at University of Pennsylvania, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands toward the lower end in a group where graduation runs from 71% to 97%.

On cost, Messiah University charges $41,300 a year in-state. Over four years that totals about $165,200 in tuition. That puts it mid-pack on price on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $7,716 at West Chester University of Pennsylvania to $66,838 at Villanova University. As a private institution, its tuition does not change with residency, unlike the public universities on this list. Graduates step into a field with an $88,870 national median salary reported by the BLS. It earns its place in the top 12 on the balance of cost, completion, and outcomes.