2027 Best Value Clinical Nurse Specialist Schools in Pennsylvania
[Clinical Nurse Specialist](/majors/health-care-professions/nursing/clinical-nurse-specialist/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
To produce this 2027 ranking, College Factual evaluated 3 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for clinical nurse specialist students.
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2027 Best Value Clinical Nurse Specialist Schools in Pennsylvania
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the clinical nurse specialist degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Clinical Nurse Specialist Schools
Robert Morris University earned the #1 spot for value among clinical nurse specialist schools in Pennsylvania. Set in the suburb of Moon Township, Robert Morris University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $35,770. Typical student debt for clinical nurse specialist graduates is $27,000. Early-career clinical nurse specialist graduates make about $85,290. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Robert Morris University admits about 90% of applicants.
University Of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Campus is a great value for students pursuing a degree in clinical nurse specialist, landing the #2 spot this year. University Of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Campus is a very large public school located in the city of Pittsburgh. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $21,926, while out-of-state students pay about $41,430. Students borrow a median of $25,500 to complete the clinical nurse specialist program here. Early-career clinical nurse specialist graduates make about $98,377. Set against $25,500 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 58% of applicants are accepted.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Desales University earned it the #3 place for clinical nurse specialist. Desales University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Center Valley. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $46,800. Students borrow a median of $31,000 to complete the clinical nurse specialist program here. Clinical Nurse Specialist graduates of Desales University earn a median of $97,620 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 77%.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 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 · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 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.
