Photo: Canadian2006 · CC BY-SA 3.0Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics is 5.9 miles from Elizabeth
No college sits inside Elizabeth’s boundary, but Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics’s campus in West Mifflin, with 591 students on campus, is 5.9 miles from the center of town. About 5% of Elizabeth’s residents are enrolled in college, about the same as 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 Elizabeth. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Elizabeth
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Elizabeth
11 private colleges within 13.8 miles, three public colleges within 14.3 miles, and three 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 $48–75k, where Elizabeth’s median household income ($51,174) 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 Elizabeth: 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 Greater Allegheny (22); University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus (5).
Questions about college near Elizabeth
Is Elizabeth a college town?
No. About 5 of every 100 Elizabeth residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as Pennsylvania (6). The nearest campus, Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics, is 5.9 miles away in West Mifflin.
What colleges are near Elizabeth?
15 colleges are within 15 miles. The largest: the University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus (12.4 miles, 33,505 students on campus), Carnegie Mellon University (12.2 miles, 15,082) and Community College of Allegheny County (14.2 miles, 8,553).
What is the closest community college to Elizabeth, and what does it cost?
Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics in West Mifflin, 5.9 miles away. Tuition and fees are $18,730 a year for Pennsylvania residents; the federal net price, $32,618, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Greater Allegheny cost if we live in Pennsylvania?
Tuition and fees are $14,408 a year in-state and $24,134 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $10,600 (under $30,000 income) to $22,758 (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 Elizabeth. 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 →