Photo: Shuvaev · CC BY-SA 3.0Cheltenham Township is home to five colleges, with 4,437 students on campus
Arcadia University (2,647 students on campus) and Salus University (1,137) are inside the town, and Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Abington (3,055) is 3.1 miles from the center, just over the line in Abington Township. About 11% of Cheltenham Township’s residents are enrolled in college, above Pennsylvania (6%).
From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Cheltenham Township. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college in Cheltenham Township
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Cheltenham Township
31 private colleges within 13.5 miles, three public colleges within 9 miles, and seven community colleges.
Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.
What would your family pay?
The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at $75–110k, where Cheltenham Township’s median household income ($109,022) falls.
The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Cheltenham Township: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid. *Reported for all the campuses that file together: Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Abington (22); Lincoln Technical Institute-Philadelphia (8); Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia (2); Rutgers University-Camden (3).
What students study in Cheltenham Township
Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field across Cheltenham Township’s 2 colleges, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.
Biggest programs
College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating. Left out: Gratz College, Westminster Theological Seminary, where most students study only online.
Questions about college in Cheltenham Township
Is Cheltenham Township a college town?
No. About 11 of every 100 Cheltenham Township residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), above Pennsylvania (6). The largest campus in the town, Arcadia University, has 2,647 students on campus.
What colleges are in Cheltenham Township?
Arcadia University, Salus University, Westminster Theological Seminary, Gratz College and 1 more are inside the town. Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Abington is 3.1 miles from the center, in Abington Township, La Salle University is 2.9 miles from the center, in Philadelphia, Chestnut Hill College is 4.8 miles from the center, in Philadelphia, and Manor College is 1.9 miles away in Jenkintown.
What is the closest community college to Cheltenham Township, and what does it cost?
Manor College in Jenkintown, 1.9 miles away. Tuition and fees are $21,780 a year for Pennsylvania residents; the federal net price, $13,078, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Abington cost if we live in Pennsylvania?
Tuition and fees are $15,268 a year in-state and $25,664 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $13,629 (under $30,000 income) to $25,785 (over $110,000), housing and food included.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Cheltenham Township. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →