Thomas Jefferson University

Private · Moderately Selective · PA

Photo: Beyond My Ken (CC BY-SA 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationPA · Northeast

SettingUrban

Undergrads3,755

Student:faculty12:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate58%

6-yr grad rate68.6%

Drop-out rate17.5%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$48k

Out-of-state tuition$48k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity56.5%

Gender diversity73.6%

International1.9%

Identity—

Overview

Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia was formed by the merger of Jefferson, a health-sciences university tied to a major regional hospital system, and Philadelphia University, a design- and textiles-rooted institution. The combined university now spans two distinct academic cultures, clinical health sciences and applied design, under one name.

Academics

On the health-sciences side, nursing, pre-med, and a range of clinical and allied-health programs benefit directly from the university's hospital-system ties, giving students access to clinical placements few universities of comparable size can match. On the design side, fashion design, architecture, and industrial design carry forward Philadelphia University's design-school reputation, with a hands-on, studio- and lab-based approach across both halves of the university.

Campus & student life

The university occupies an urban Philadelphia footprint, split across health-sciences-focused facilities near the hospital campus and a more traditional collegiate campus on the design side, giving students in each track a fairly different day-to-day experience despite being part of the same institution.

Getting in

Programs on the health-sciences side, especially nursing and pre-clinical tracks, tend to be more competitive and formula-driven given clinical placement capacity, while design programs weigh portfolio and creative fit more heavily.

After graduation

Health-sciences graduates benefit directly from the university's hospital-system pipeline into clinical jobs and residencies in the Philadelphia region, while design graduates move into fashion, architecture, and industrial design firms, often within the Philadelphia-New York corridor.

jefferson.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate81%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1160–1330 · ACT 25–30

Test policyoptional

Rec letters1

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying