2026 Best Value Urban & Regional Planning Schools in Pennsylvania
[Urban & Regional Planning](/majors/architecture-and-related-services/urban-and-regional-planning/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong urban & regional planning education at a price that pays off.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 9 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for urban & regional planning students.
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2026 Best Value Urban & Regional Planning Schools in Pennsylvania
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in urban & regional planning, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Urban & Regional Planning Schools
Temple University tops our 2026 list of the best value urban & regional planning schools in Pennsylvania. Temple University is a very large public school located in the city of Philadelphia. Students from in state pay about $23,005 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $38,805. Urban & Regional Planning graduates carry a median of $26,259 in student loans. Urban & Regional Planning graduates of Temple University earn a median of $54,642 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 80% of applicants are accepted.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at University Of Pennsylvania earned it the #2 place for urban & regional planning. University Of Pennsylvania is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia. Students from in state pay about $68,686 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for urban & regional planning graduates is $16,155. Soon after graduation, urban & regional planning degree recipients from University Of Pennsylvania generally make around $99,682. Set against $16,155 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. University Of Pennsylvania admits about 5% of applicants.
Villanova University came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best value urban & regional planning schools. Located in the suburb of Villanova, Villanova University is a large private not-for-profit university. Students from in state pay about $67,776 in tuition and fees. Urban & Regional Planning graduates carry a median of $26,184 in student loans. Urban & Regional Planning graduates of Villanova University earn a median of $72,601 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $26,184 median debt. The acceptance rate is 27%.
More Urban & Regional Planning Rankings
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 9 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
