Indiana, Pennsylvania (PA) Colleges and Universities

While there are only two traditional colleges in Indiana, PA, there are a few others located within a 25-mile radius. Read about the top traditional schools in several categories, including most program variety and lowest cost, to find the school for you.

View 7 Popular Schools »

Most Program Variety

Students who want flexibility in choosing a degree program might look for schools with a high number of academic options. These three public or private not-for-profit schools have the most program variety in the Indiana, PA, area.

1 - Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus

Indiana University of Pennsylvania's main campus in Indiana, PA, is a public, four-year school with about 15,000 students. The school offers roughly 115 programs; options include associate, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees as well as undergraduate and postbaccalaureate certificates. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the university awarded 24 associate, 2,171 bachelor's, 615 master's and 149 doctoral degrees in 2011-2012, along with more than 100 certificates. That year, the most popular programs of study were criminology for undergraduates, business administration for master's students and English language and literature for doctoral candidates.

2 - Saint Vincent College

Saint Vincent College, a private, four-year institution in Latrobe, PA, offers roughly 60 undergraduate and graduate programs to its approximately 1,900 students. In 2011-2012, 370 bachelor's and 107 master's degrees were awarded, per NCES. The same source reported that the most popular majors that year for bachelor's degree graduates were elementary education and biology, while graduate students primarily pursued education curriculum/instruction and nurse anesthetist degrees. NCES states that Saint Vincent also offers undergraduate and postbaccalaureate certificates. Saint Vincent is ranked #145 on the list of the country's best liberal arts colleges, as determined by U.S. News & World Report. At the graduate level, the Saint Vincent nurse anesthetist program is ranked #55 in the country.

3 - Commonwealth Technical Institute

Commonwealth Technical Institute, located in Johnstown, PA, is a private, two-year college with 238 undergraduate students. Individuals enrolled at this school can choose from about 30 academic options. According to NCES, the most popular associate degree program in 2011-2012 was telecommunications technology, while programs in food preparation and building/property maintenance had the highest certificate enrollment. That same year, the school awarded 45 associate degrees and more than 160 certificates.

Lowest Net Price

NCES determines the average net cost for individual schools by subtracting the amount of financial aid that students receive (on average) from the total cost of in-state attendance. The net prices for mainstream schools in and around Indiana, PA, fall between $15,000 and $26,000. The following three schools had the lowest net prices for 2010-2011, as reported by NCES.

1 - Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus

Indiana University of Pennsylvania's net price of $15,048 makes it the most affordable option in the area. In 2012-2013, tuition and fees totaled $8,672 for in-state and $19,480 for out-of-state students, and on-campus room and board costs were roughly $10,166. However, more than half of first-year undergraduates received grants or scholarships in the average amount of $6,088, while 78% obtained federal student loans, according to figures from NCES. College Board reported that five percent of students had their full financial need met, and attendees had an average debt of $35,229 at graduation.

2 - Saint Vincent College

Saint Vincent College has a net price of $16,645. Tuition and fees for the 2012-2013 academic year were $29,846, while students paid an estimated $9,594 for on-campus housing. NCES reported that nearly all incoming freshman received grant or scholarship aid in the average amount of $21,409; about 80% of Saint Vincent students also took out federal student loans.

3 - Commonwealth Technical Institute

Commonwealth Technical Institute's net price of $25,824 ranks it third in the area. NCES figures from 2012-2013 show that students paid $16,836 in tuition and fees, while on-campus room and board totaled $14,270. However, 44% of beginning students obtained an average grant or scholarship award of $5,509, according to NCES.

Highest Graduation Rates

The traditional colleges in the Indiana, PA, area all have graduation rates over 50%. The overall graduation rate reported by NCES represents full-time students who graduated within 150% of the normal time it takes to complete their degree program (e.g., six years for a bachelor's degree). The three schools are ranked as follows.

1 - Saint Vincent College

Saint Vincent College has the highest overall graduation rate in the area at 73%. NCES reported that out of students who began a bachelor's degree program in 2005, 64% graduated within four years, and 16% transferred to other institutions. Additionally, 84% of full-time students who enrolled in 2010 returned to the college in 2011.

2 - Commonwealth Technical Institute

Commonwealth Technical Institute has an overall graduation rate of 66% among students who entered the school in 2008. According to NCES, 61% of students who began in fall of 2008 graduated within the normal time for their program. Sixty-seven percent of students returned to the school in 2011 after beginning a program in 2010.

3 - Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus

Just over half (52%) of students at Indiana University of Pennsylvania graduated within 150% of the normal time for their course of study. The university's four-year graduation rate for bachelor's degree students was 30%. Figures from NCES show that the school had a retention rate of 74% for full-time students and 67% for part-time attendees who enrolled in 2010 and came back in 2011.

Lowest Student-Faculty Ratio

A student-faculty ratio can be an indication of the amount of personal attention and access to professors a student might receive at a school. Since schools in the Indiana, PA, area range from small technical colleges to larger universities, the student-faculty ratios vary widely. The schools with the lowest student-faculty ratios are listed in order below.

1 - Commonwealth Technical Institute

Commonwealth Technical Institute has a student-faculty ratio of 8:1 for its small student body. The school employs roughly 27 instructional faculty members, all of whom are full-time.

2 - Saint Vincent College

Saint Vincent College's 13:1 student-faculty ratio is due to the 105 full-time and 79 part-time instructors who teach at the school. Figures from U.S. News & World Report show that more than half of classes at the college have fewer than 20 students.

3 - Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus

Indiana University of Pennsylvania has 19 students per each instructor; this ratio puts this school in third for this category in the Indiana, PA, area. The university has 611 full-time and 102 part-time instructional faculty members. Just over a quarter of this school's classes have fewer than 20 students, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Indiana, PA, Schools at a Glance

School Name	Location	School Type	Program Levels Offered	Area Ranking
Commonwealth Technical Institute	Johnstown, PA (24.5 miles from Indiana, PA)	Two-year, private not-for-profit	Less-than-one-year certificates, one- to two-year certificates; associate degrees	Lowest Student-Faculty Ratio, 2nd Highest Graduation Rate, 3rd Most Program Variety, 3rd Lowest Net Price
Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus	Indiana, PA	Four-year, public	One-year certificates; associate, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees; postbaccalaureate and post-master's certificates	Most Program Variety, Lowest Net Price, 3rd Highest Graduation Rate, 3rd Lowest Student-Faculty Ratio
Saint Vincent College	Latrobe, PA (24.7 miles from Indiana, PA)	Four-year, private not-for-profit	Less-than-one-year certificates, one- to two-year certificates; bachelor's and master's degrees; postbaccalaureate certificates	Highest Graduation Rate, 2nd Lowest Student-Faculty Ratio, 2nd Most Program Variety, 2nd Lowest Net Price