2027 Best Value Critical Care Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania
[Critical Care Nursing](/majors/health-care-professions/nursing/critical-care-nursing/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong critical care nursing education at a price that pays off.
To produce this 2027 ranking, College Factual evaluated 3 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for critical care nursing students.
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2027 Best Value Critical Care Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in critical care nursing, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Critical Care Nursing Schools
Cedar Crest College tops our 2027 list of the best value critical care nursing schools in Pennsylvania. Cedar Crest College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Allentown. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $46,314. Critical Care Nursing graduates carry a median of $33,518 in student loans. Critical Care Nursing graduates of Cedar Crest College earn a median of $67,662 early in their careers. Set against $33,518 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 84%.
Desales University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in critical care nursing, landing the #2 spot this year. Set in the suburb of Center Valley, Desales University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $46,800. Students borrow a median of $31,000 to complete the critical care nursing program here. Early-career critical care nursing graduates make about $97,620. Set against $31,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 77%.
Lancaster General College Of Nursing And Health Sciences came in at #3 on our 2027 list of the best value critical care nursing schools. Set in the rural area of Lancaster, Lancaster General College Of Nursing And Health Sciences is a small private not-for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $32,933 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $26,402 to complete the critical care nursing program here. Early-career critical care nursing graduates make about $47,496. Set against $26,402 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 41% of applicants are accepted.
More Critical Care Nursing Rankings
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, 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.
