The editors at Lord’s Library have compiled this list of the best Christian colleges in Pennsylvania to save you the search.
Searching for the best Christian colleges in Pennsylvania can involve a fair bit of research with a number of options across the state. According to Pew Research Center’s 2014 Religious Landscape Study, the religious composition of Christian adults in the state is 73 percent. Pennsylvania’s Christian higher learning landscape includes colleges and universities with varying degrees of religious study, as well as dedicated Bible colleges for a scripture-first approach.
Choosing the institution that is right for you will largely depend on your spiritual and educational goals. It’s with this in mind that our editors assembled this list of the best Christian colleges in Pennsylvania to consider. Each entry includes the school’s location and a brief “From the institution” description to give you a high-level overview of the college and save you time. Simply click the college name or logo to go direct to the institution’s website if you want to learn more.
Note: The best Christian colleges in Pennsylvania are ranked in alphabetical order.
The Best Christian Colleges in Pennsylvania
Cairn UniversityLocation: Langhorne, PA
From the institution: “Cairn University exists to educate students to serve Christ in the church, society, and the world as biblically minded, well-educated, and professionally competent men and women of character. A path that will challenge them, inspire them, and prepare them for life and work. One that is centered on Jesus Christ and the Word of God, one that will give them a broad perspective on the world that is engaging and purposeful, one that will change their life and take them in a direction that will make a difference in this world and the lives of those around them.”
Clarks Summit University Location: Clarks Summit, PA
From the institution: “Clarks Summit University has prepared Christ-centered, career-ready graduates for more than 80 years. Founded in 1932, this private, Christian college embraces its Baptist convictions and propels graduates into careers and service opportunities around the globe. As an accredited Bible college, the Word of God is the foundation of our academic programs and welcoming student community. All undergraduate students earn a double major in Biblical Studies and the major of their choice.”
Eastern UniversityLocation: St. Davids, PA
From the institution: “Eastern University is a nationally-recognized Christian university offering a wide array of undergraduate, graduate, professional, seminary, and online programs. The university’s main campus is located in St. Davids, PA, with additional locations in Philadelphia and Harrisburg. Eastern’s core values of faith, reason, and justice are woven into all of its educational programs. Eastern University is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA and has an interdenominational Christian student body, faculty and administration.”
Geneva CollegeLocation: Beaver Falls, PA
From the institution: “Geneva College is a Christ-centered academic community that provides a comprehensive education to equip students for faithful and fruitful service to God and neighbor. Geneva College′s mission is student-focused, emphasizing Christ, comprehensive education, and service to God and neighbor. This is consistent with the college′s charter, bylaws and Foundational Concepts of Christian Education, as well as Geneva′s historic motto, Pro Christo et Patria (For Christ and Country).”
Grove City CollegeLocation: Grove City, PA
From the institution: “Grove City College strives to be the best Christian liberal arts college in America. Grounded in conservative values, we develop leaders of the highest proficiency, purpose, and principles ready to advance the common good. Grove City College equips students to pursue their unique callings through an academically excellent and Christ-centered learning and living experience distinguished by a commitment to affordability and its promotion of the Christian worldview, the foundations of free society, and the love of neighbor.”
Lancaster Bible CollegeLocation: Lancaster, PA
From the institution: “Our focus is on your journey to fulfill God’s purpose for your life. Our mission has remained constant since 1933: To educate Christian students to think and live a biblical worldview and to proclaim Christ by serving Him in the Church and society. Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary & Graduate School maintain an unqualified commitment to a historic, orthodox position on essential doctrines of the faith as expressed in this document. A statement of faith is central to the institution’s identity, serving as a unifying and clarifying document in an age of theological shifting and confusion. Hermeneutically, we approach Scripture from a grammatical, historical, and contextual viewpoint.”
Messiah UniversityLocation: Mechanicsburg, PA
From the institution: “Messiah University is a nationally ranked, private Christian university with a student body of 3,370 undergraduate and graduate students. Our scenic 471-acre suburban campus is located in central Pennsylvania, just 12 miles from the state capital of Harrisburg. The University was founded in 1909 by the Brethren in Christ Church. Today, the University’s faith base is broadly evangelical and includes students and employees from a variety of denominations and Christian faith traditions.”
Saint Joseph University Location: Philadelphia, PA
From the institution: “As Philadelphia’s Jesuit Catholic University, Saint Joseph’s provides a rigorous, student-centered education rooted in the liberal arts. We prepare students for personal excellence, professional success and engaged citizenship. Striving to be an inclusive and diverse community that educates and cares for the whole person, we encourage and model lifelong commitment to thinking critically, making ethical decisions, pursuing social justice and finding God in all things.”
St. Vincent CollegeLocation: Latrobe, PA
From the institution: “Saint Vincent College is an educational community rooted in the tradition of the Catholic faith, the heritage of Benedictine monasticism and the love of values inherent in the liberal approach to life and learning. Its mission is to provide quality undergraduate and graduate education for men and women to enable them to integrate their professional aims with the broader purposes of human life. The programs, activities and encounters that make up student life at Saint Vincent College encourage the intellectual gifts, professional aptitudes and personal aspirations of students to mature harmoniously.”
University of Valley ForgeLocation: Phoenixville, PA
From the institution: “The University of Valley Forge was founded in 1939 and is part of an international network of Assemblies of God colleges and universities. A private university with undergraduate, graduate, and lifelong learning programs, our mission is to prepare individuals for a life of service and leadership in the church and in the world. Our community is small, close-knit, and diverse. Each member—student, faculty, and staff—supports and guides each other as we grow and develop intellectually, physically, spiritually, and socially.”
NOW READ: The Ultimate List of Christian Colleges and Universities in America by State
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