Photo: Shuvaev · CC BY-SA 3.0Northampton County Area Community College is 3.8 miles from Palmer Township
No college sits inside Palmer Township’s boundary, but Northampton County Area Community College’s campus in Bethlehem, with 7,042 students on campus, is 3.8 miles from the center of town. About 7% of Palmer Township’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 Palmer Township. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Palmer Township
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Palmer Township
Six private colleges within 14.8 miles, one public college within 12.3 miles, and two 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 Over $110k, where Palmer Township’s median household income ($116,014) 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 Palmer 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: Miller-Motte College-Berks Technical Institute-Allentown (22); Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Lehigh Valley (22).
Questions about college near Palmer Township
Is Palmer Township a college town?
No. About 7 of every 100 Palmer Township residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as Pennsylvania (6). The nearest campus, Lafayette College, is 2.7 miles away in Easton.
What colleges are near Palmer Township?
9 colleges are within 15 miles. The largest: Lehigh University (9 miles, 7,156 students on campus), Northampton County Area Community College (3.8 miles, 7,042) and Warren County Community College (13.1 miles, 3,157).
What is the closest community college to Palmer Township, and what does it cost?
Northampton County Area Community College in Bethlehem, 3.8 miles away. Tuition and fees are $5,550 a year for Pennsylvania residents; the federal net price, $12,119, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Lehigh Valley cost if we live in Pennsylvania?
Tuition and fees are $15,208 a year in-state and $25,392 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $12,422 (under $30,000 income) to $24,539 (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 Palmer 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 →