Peirce College is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It enrolls 799 students (a small, tight-knit student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Below you'll find verified data on admissions, cost, student outcomes, programs offered, and what graduates typically earn, all pulled from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and IPEDS.
AccreditorMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
US College Data scores each college on four pillars (outcomes, value, affordability, and selectivity) on a 0–100 scale, ranked within its peer group (4-Year Open / Online). Scores are calculated from verified College Scorecard and IPEDS data, not opinion or paid placement. Where data is missing, that pillar isn't scored.
Good
67/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Open / Online
Outcomes39
Value66
Affordability60
Selectivity—
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
Admissions data is not yet reported for Peirce College.
Acceptance Rate
—
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Cost & Financial Aid
The real cost of attending Peirce College isn't the sticker price. It's the net price,which is what most students actually pay after grants and scholarships. According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, the average net price is $12,148 per year. That's below the typical net price for private nonprofit colleges nationally.
Average Net Price
$12,148
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
53%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
62%
Borrowing to attend
Full Cost Breakdown
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees
$15,060
Room & Board (off-campus)
$8,800
Books & Supplies
$1,200
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$1,800
Total Cost of Attendance
$18,660
Application fee: $50 (one-time, due at submission)
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$3,50010%percentile
$6,37525%percentile
$31,250Medianpercentile
$33,62575%percentile
$48,75090%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $22,394
↓ $8,856
No Pell $19,939
↓ $11,311
Dependent students $21,631
↓ $9,619
Independent students $21,999
↓ $9,251
Female students $22,500
↓ $8,750
Male students $20,291
↓ $10,959
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $14,459, less than completers ($31,250), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
22% of full-time students who enrolled at Peirce College graduate within six years, and 75% return for their second year, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
6-Year Graduation Rate
22%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
75%
Returning for their second year
What this means:
Lower than typical completion. Worth asking the school how they support students who fall behind.
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, students who entered Peirce College earn a median of $50,660 ten years after first enrolling. That's close to the national median for U.S. colleges.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$50,660
Earning > $25K
75%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$47,200
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$58,000
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$39,600
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$52,500
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$69,500
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $10,800, about 19% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
29.0 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Moderate. Only 68% of graduates are paying down principal seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Peirce College is home to 799 students, a small, close-knit community. Some distinctive traits: 55% are first-generation college students, 83% study part-time.
Total Enrolled
799
Part-Time
83%
First-Generation
55%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
Black 50.9%407
White 21.7%173
Hispanic 12.6%101
Asian 3.1%25
Other 2.4%19
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Peirce College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Setting
Large CityPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Housing
Commuter campusNo on-campus housing
Adult Learners
91%of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NAIAathletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semesterscheduling structure
Designation
Predominantly Black Institution (PBI)
What You Can Study
Peirce College offers
a varied set of programs:
22 distinct programs across
8 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
The student-to-faculty ratio at Peirce College is 11:1, close to the national average.
Student : Faculty
11:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$28M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$73,212
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
18 instructional faculty across 3 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
10
56%
$80,943
Associate Professors
7
39%
$64,409
Assistant Professors
1
6%
$57,523
Pros & Cons of Peirce College
A quick at-a-glance summary of how Peirce College tends to stack up for prospective students,weighing its data, size, setting, and cost profile together.
PROS
Below-average net price
Small classes (low student-faculty ratio)
Tight-knit, close community feel
Solid post-graduation earnings
Wide reach of need-based federal aid
First-gen-friendly student body
CONS
Fewer clubs, activities, and social options
Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
Modest first-year retention
Higher than typical student debt at graduation
Mostly part-time student body, less full-time campus feel
Best for:
Based on the data, Peirce College is a fit for
working adults or students needing part-time study options; students who thrive in small, close-knit environments.
Frequently Asked Questions about Peirce College
Quick answers to the questions most students and parents ask. Every answer below is calculated from verified government data about Peirce College.
How much does Peirce College cost?
The average net price after aid at Peirce College is $12,148 per year, this is what students typically pay after grants and scholarships are applied. Net price data: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Peirce College worth it?
Solid return on investment. Graduates earn a median of $50,660 ten years after entering, against an average net price of $12,148 per year. That's roughly 4.2x earnings-to-cost. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Peirce College known for?
Peirce College is best known for its programs in Business Administration, Liberal Arts, Health Administration. These are the most popular fields by completed degrees, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
What do Peirce College graduates earn?
Median earnings 10 years after entering Peirce College are $50,660, based on College Scorecard 2023-24 federal earnings data for Title IV recipients.
Is Peirce College accredited?
Yes. Peirce College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend Peirce College?
Peirce College enrolls 799 students, per IPEDS 2023-24 fall enrollment data.
What is the graduation rate at Peirce College?
Peirce College graduates 22% of full-time students within six years, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
Is Peirce College a public or private college?
Peirce College is a Private Nonprofit institution.
Where is Peirce College located?
Peirce College is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
What programs does Peirce College offer?
Peirce College offers 22 distinct programs. The most popular include Business Administration, Liberal Arts, Health Administration.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Peirce College?
The student-to-faculty ratio at Peirce College is 11:1, per IPEDS 2023-24 data.
Related Colleges in Pennsylvania
Other colleges in Pennsylvania share the same applicant pool, regional economy, and academic landscape. Comparing nearby options puts admissions, costs, and outcomes in context, useful when weighing your fit against local alternatives.
Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
H
How to Build Your College List Pillar
The full process of narrowing from 3,839 US colleges to a shortlist of ~10. Cost, location, size, selectivity, and fit factors that actually predict whether you'll thrive.
What actually makes a college work for first-generation students, the support and aid signals that predict success, and how to find the schools that deliver them using federal data.
How to find the colleges that deliver the strongest return on a STEM degree by weighing earnings outcomes against net cost, rather than chasing the most selective name.
Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
American Colleges by the Numbers
One federal dataset, 3,839 colleges. The median school costs $16,371 a year, admits 78% of applicants, and enrolls 1,259 students. The shape of US higher ed.
Higher education data
Net price
College enrollment
Acceptance rate
College ownership
Do Selective Schools Actually Graduate More Students?
Across 1,645 four-year colleges, graduation rates climb steadily with selectivity, from 54% at open-admission schools to 93% at the most exclusive. The gap is real.
Graduation rate
Acceptance rate
Selectivity
Completion
College outcomes
For-Profit Colleges Charge the Most and Pay the Least
For-profit colleges post the highest median net price of any sector and the lowest graduate earnings. They cost more than private nonprofits and pay less than publics.
For-profit colleges
Net price
Earnings
College ROI
College ownership
Rankings That Feature Peirce College
Peirce College appears in these rankings, built from the same federal data and the UCD Score.
Best Criminal Justice Colleges in Pennsylvania
The top Criminal Justice colleges in Pennsylvania, ranked by UCD Score on outcomes, value, and net price.
80 UCD Score
90 Colleges
$5,167 Lowest Net
$75,701 Top Earn
Continue Exploring
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.