University of Scranton

Private · Moderately Selective · PA

Photo: Scanlan of English Wikipedia (Public domain)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationPA · Northeast

SettingUrban

Undergrads3,554

Student:faculty11:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate76.7%

6-yr grad rate79.8%

Drop-out rate14.6%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$54k

Out-of-state tuition$54k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity25.9%

Gender diversity55.9%

International0.4%

IdentityRoman Catholic

Overview

The University of Scranton is a private Jesuit university on a hillside campus overlooking downtown Scranton in northeastern Pennsylvania. It combines a Jesuit liberal arts core with a strong lineup of health-profession and pre-professional programs, producing a campus culture that pairs academic seriousness with an explicit emphasis on service and formation.

Academics

Health professions are Scranton's calling card: physical and occupational therapy programs are especially well regarded and often admit students directly into accelerated tracks, and nursing and pre-med preparation are similarly strong. Accounting and business also have a solid regional reputation. The Jesuit core curriculum requires philosophy and theology coursework of every student regardless of major, tying the professional programs back to a common liberal-arts foundation.

Campus & student life

The hillside campus is compact and walkable, with the city of Scranton visible below and easily reached on foot. Service work is built into student life, not an add-on, through retreats and community-engagement programs that are part of the Jesuit tradition. The residential campus and modest size make for a close-knit, community-minded social atmosphere.

Getting in

Scranton reviews holistically, and its health-profession direct-entry tracks, particularly PT and OT, are meaningfully more competitive than general admission, since they commit a student to a specific accelerated pathway from day one. Essays that show genuine interest in the Jesuit mission and service orientation are noticed.

After graduation

Its accelerated health-profession programs feed directly into physical therapy, occupational therapy, and nursing careers with strong licensure-exam track records, and pre-med graduates have a long history of medical school placement. The alumni network is especially active in the northeastern Pennsylvania and greater Philadelphia and New York health care and accounting sectors.

Worth knowing

Students admitted to the direct-entry PT or OT programs follow a defined multi-year sequence from the start, which suits someone already certain of that career path but is a bigger commitment than a typical undeclared-major freshman year.

scranton.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate81.2%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1160–1318 · ACT 25–30

Test policyoptional

Rec letters1

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying