Public · University

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania

Cheyney, Pennsylvania · Fringe rural

#4 best value in Pennsylvania
Admit rate
$14,265
Avg net price
41%
Graduation rate
$37,837
Median earnings

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Cheyney, Pennsylvania (fringe rural setting), enrolling 617 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU).

PublicSmall · 617 undergradsFringe ruralIndependentCold wintersSnowyNear the coast

About Cheyney, Pennsylvania

Cheyney is an unincorporated community that sits astride Chester and Delaware counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is the home of Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. The university derives its name from George Cheyney's Farm, which became the current campus of Cheyney University in 1902. George Cheyney's Farm and the surrounding area was part of the original land grant given to William Penn in 1681. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Fringe rural
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
To the ocean
10 miles
Nearest airport
16 miles to Philadelphia (PHL) · major hub

How Cheyney University of Pennsylvania compares

Graduation rate41%

Higher than 24% · #93 of 116 in Pennsylvania

First-year retention69%

Higher than 26%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$37,837

Higher than 10% · #114 of 116 in Pennsylvania

Average net price$14,265

Cheaper than 76% · #4 cheapest of 112 in Pennsylvania

Median debt at graduation$21,785

Lower than 61%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment617

Larger than 25%

Percentiles compare Cheyney University of Pennsylvania with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Pennsylvania.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

617undergrads
  • Women28246%
  • Men33554%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White0.7%
  • Black88%
  • Hispanic5.5%
  • Asian1.3%
  • Other or multiracial4.7%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
617
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
66%
First-generation students
45%
Students over 25
8%
Median family income
$25,393
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$94,824
Endowment
$1,924,019

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 227 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Pennsylvania86%
  • Other U.S. states14%

Most first-years stay in state — Cheyney University of Pennsylvania draws overwhelmingly from Pennsylvania.

Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Cost

In-state tuition
$10,904
Out-of-state tuition
$18,870
Room & board
$11,016
Books & supplies
$100
Total cost of attendance
$26,782
Average net price
$14,265

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
41%
Graduated on time (4 years)
32%
First-year retention
69%
Transferred to another college
25%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$28,568
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$37,837
Median debt at graduation
$21,785
Students with federal loans
58%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
14%

About 9% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
772
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
100%+
Housing charge (year)
$7,148
Meal plan (year)
$4,368
Application fee
Free
Athletics
Independent
Varsity athletes
59 (29 men · 30 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (3)

Basketball25
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)23
Volleyball11

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
2
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (617 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

0.7reported offenses a year
0.7 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
0.7

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$13,585
$30–48k
$12,358
$48–75k
$14,773
$75–110k
$20,215
$110k+
$16,493

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$63,956

$14,773/year × about 4.3 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

56%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$9,064
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 56% — get grant money from Cheyney University of Pennsylvania itself, averaging $9,064, which softens the sticker price.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 192 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$37,837
Typical debt at graduation
$21,785
Debt vs. one year's pay
58%
Out-earn a HS grad
34%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.8 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$37,189
Men
$38,737

Men out-earn women by $1,548 (4%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
86°F
Winter low
20°F
Annual rain
50.9″
Annual snow
30.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.95.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, W Chester 2 NW, PA US station (6.2 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Cheyney University of Pennsylvania

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Cheyney University of Pennsylvania side by side →

Colleges near Cheyney University of Pennsylvania

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.