Private nonprofit · Academy

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · Large city

Admit rate
$42,454
Avg net price
58%
Graduation rate
$29,881
Median earnings

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (large city setting), enrolling 23 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitSmall · 23 undergradsLarge cityCold wintersNear the coast

About Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, colloquially referred to as Philly, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the sixth-most populous city in the United States. Before the arrival of Europeans in the early 17th century, the Lenape, an Indian tribe also known as the Delaware Indians, lived in the village of Shackamaxon in present-day Philadelphia and the surrounding area. Philadelphia is home to many national historical sites that relate to the founding of the United States. Independence National Historical Park is the center of these historical landmarks and one of the country's 22 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
Philadelphia, PA
To the ocean
2 miles
Nearest airport
7 miles to Philadelphia (PHL) · major hub

How Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts compares

Graduation rate58%

Higher than 56% · #64 of 116 in Pennsylvania

First-year retention0%

Higher than 1%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$29,881

Higher than 3% · #116 of 116 in Pennsylvania

Average net price$42,454

Cheaper than 3% · #110 cheapest of 112 in Pennsylvania

Median debt at graduation$22,309

Lower than 57%

Student–faculty ratio2 : 1

Lower than 99%

Undergraduate enrollment23

Larger than 2%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

39students
  • Undergraduate2359%
  • Graduate1641%

Undergraduates by gender

23undergrads
  • Women1565%
  • Men835%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White57%
  • Black4.3%
  • Hispanic13%
  • Asian4.3%
  • Other or multiracial22%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
23
Graduate enrollment
16
Student–faculty ratio
2 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
35%
First-generation students
Students over 25
16%
Median family income
$46,414
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$40,221
Endowment
$44,902,219

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

Admissions

Admission rate
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$44,600
Room & board
Books & supplies
$1,768
Total cost of attendance
$66,106
Average net price
$42,454

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)
58%
Graduated on time (4 years)
45%
First-year retention
0%
Transferred to another college
42%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$24,229
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$29,881
Median debt at graduation
$22,309
Students with federal loans
65%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
49%

About 12% 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
27
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
100%+
Housing charge (year)
$14,700
Application fee
$60

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%.

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
$39,928
$30–48k
$42,301
$48–75k
$42,893
$75–110k
$44,893
$110k+
$46,702

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
$185,126

$42,893/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.

Is it worth it?

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

Median earnings (10 years)
$29,881
Typical debt at graduation
$22,309
Debt vs. one year's pay
75%
Out-earn a HS grad
29%

Typical debt would take roughly 7.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Weigh it value

The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.

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.

Campus climate

Summer high
89°F
Winter low
28°F
Annual rain
50.7″
Annual snow
16.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.55.0JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Phila Franklin Inst, PA US station (0.5 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 Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts side by side →

Colleges near Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

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.