The Greater Philadelphia region has more than 92 colleges and universities creating a diverse and rich talent pool.
| Best Liberal Art School |
Rank |
| Amherst College |
1 |
| Williams College |
1 |
| Swathmore College |
3 |
| Wellesley College |
4 |
| Middlebury College |
5 |
| Bowdoin College |
6 |
| Pomona College |
6 |
| Carleton College |
8 |
| Davidson College |
9 |
| Haverford College |
10 |
| Bryn Mawr College |
23 |
| |
|
| Best U.S. Universities |
Rank |
| Harvard University |
1 |
| Princeton University |
2 |
| Yale University |
3 |
| MIT |
4 |
| Stanford University |
4 |
| University of Pennsylvania |
6 |
| California Institute of Technology |
6 |
| Columbia University |
8 |
| Duke University |
8 |
| University of Chicago |
8 |
Colleges listed in blue are located in Greater Philadelphia.
Source: U.S. News & World Report, 2009.
Among top 25 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA), higher education in Greater Philadelphia is:
4th in enrollment and degrees awarded. 3rd in spending per capita. 3rd in doctoral and advanced certificates and degrees awarded per capita. 2nd in bachelor degrees awarded per capita. The Philadelphia Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area (PMSA) ranked 4th among the nation’s metro areas, according to a 2003 study by the Atlanta Regional Consortium for Higher Education.
- Greater Philadelphia colleges and universities produce over 67,000 graduates every year, including 35,103 bachelor degrees and 22,084 advanced degrees.*
- Approximately 360,600 - full and part-time students are enrolled in the region's colleges and universities.
- Education is among the top employers in the region; the University of Pennsylvania is the top employer in the city of Philadelphia.
- The region’s colleges and universities make significant direct contributions to the region’s economy through their large employment, spending by students and their purchases of good and services.
- A recently published study by the Econsult Corp. found that the University of Pennsylvania contributes $6.5 billion to the Philadelphia economy annually with Drexel University contributing an additional $1.6 billion.
*Source: 2005-2006 National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) database. |
