Alvernia University — admissions, outcomes, merit aid & scholarships

🎯 Parent/student verdict

Match

Solid match for academically prepared students.

✅ Best for

Students focused on Health Professions (the school's signature program)
Families wanting a small liberal-arts experience

🎯 The reality

Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 1066 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification

Doctoral/Professional Universities

Total enrollment

2,152

1,000 - 4,999

In-state tuition

$45,000

sticker, before aid

Tuition

$45,000

flat rate (no in/out-of-state split)

Admit rate

62.3%

Accessible

SAT middle 50%

1066–1253

EBRW + Math composite

Test policy

Test-optional

2023

10-yr earnings

$55,055

median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry

$49,938

Earnings, 10 yrs after entry

$55,055

4-year completion

56%

Median debt (completers)

$27,000

Cost of attendance

$57,565

sticker price, not net

Pell-eligible students

36%

💰 True ROI

4.9× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)

$112,552

$28,138/yr avg net

Aid that hides behind the sticker

$117,708

vs sticker $230,260

10-yr earnings total

$550,550

$55,055/yr median, 10 yrs out

Years to recoup actual cost

2.0 yrs

at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At Alvernia University, the average net price is $28,138/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k

$23,436/yr

Family income $30-48k

$23,701/yr

Family income $48-75k

$24,131/yr

Family income $75-110k

$28,016/yr

Family income $110k+

$32,152/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use Alvernia University's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Alvernia University →

Opens on Alvernia University's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at Alvernia University

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what Alvernia University actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Health Professions

175 degrees · 57.9%

Typical career outcomes

Registered Nurse $86k Physician Assistant $130k Pharmacist $136k Physical Therapist (post-DPT) $100k

Highest-paying group on this list, but most careers require additional training beyond a 4-year degree.

2. Business, Management, & Marketing

57 degrees · 18.9%

Typical career outcomes

Financial Analyst $100k Management Analyst (Consultant) $99k Marketing Manager $158k Accountant / Auditor $80k

Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.

3. Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, & Firefighting

36 degrees · 11.9%

Typical career outcomes

Police Officer $72k Federal Special Agent $102k Detective / Investigator $91k

Public-sector careers in law enforcement, corrections, security. Strong pensions, modest base.

4. Psychology

17 degrees · 5.6%

Typical career outcomes

HR Specialist $68k Market Research Analyst $75k Clinical Psychologist (post-PhD) $93k Social Worker $58k

Most undergrad psych grads go into non-clinical roles. Clinical/counseling psych requires a master's or doctoral.

5. Public Administration & Social Services

17 degrees · 5.6%

Typical career outcomes

Social Worker $58k Social / Community Service Mgr $77k Urban / Regional Planner $82k

Government, nonprofit, social work. Mission-driven; lower wages than private sector but stable.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at Alvernia University

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP)	Credential	Cohort	1-yr earnings	4-yr earnings
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.	Bachelor's Degree	65	$77,394	$94,679
Business Administration, Management and Operations.	Bachelor's Degree	27	$52,742	$75,705
Accounting and Related Services.	Bachelor's Degree	22	$53,428	$67,562
Criminal Justice and Corrections.	Bachelor's Degree	31	$39,940	$58,810
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness.	Bachelor's Degree	8	$41,508	$58,231
Social Work.	Bachelor's Degree	18	—	$56,243
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General.	Bachelor's Degree	45	$42,607	$56,203
Psychology, General.	Bachelor's Degree	21	—	$52,044
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions.	Bachelor's Degree	18	$41,115	$48,809

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at Alvernia University

CS degrees (annual)

2

CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Alvernia University vs. another college

Type the college you want to compare against. We'll show admit rates, net price by your family income, top majors with career outcomes, and merit aid — all in one side-by-side view.

Alternatives to Alvernia University

Matched not just by selectivity, but by strategic goal — what a family actually decides on.

🏆 Better merit-aid options

These similar-selectivity schools have published auto-merit grids that Alvernia University doesnt — your kids scores could unlock real scholarship dollars.

University of Alabama in Huntsville

AL · Public

39 auto-merit scholarships on file

Texas Tech University

TX · Public

31 auto-merit scholarships on file

The University of Alabama

AL · Public

23 auto-merit scholarships on file

Mississippi State University

MS · Public

19 auto-merit scholarships on file