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Is DeSales University worth it?
A first pass affordability and outcome read for DeSales, using national average inputs. Run your own numbers for a personalized score.
Worth-It Score
Stretch
DeSales sits in the stretch band for a typical family. The long-run earnings picture at $61,295 helps, but median debt of $25,788 plus yearly net price of $31,643 creates a tighter path. For context, DeSales's net price runs about 34% above the typical 4-year, private nonprofit school. It can work, but the financing plan has to be deliberate.
Is the price fair?
Compared to 1237 similar 4-year, private nonprofit schools
This school
$30,524
/yrAverage school like this
$22,837
/yrThis weighs on your Worth-It Score
You'd pay about $7,687 more per year than the typical student at a similar school. Over 4 years that's roughly $31,000 in extra cost.
Score breakdown
The public version of the score weighs affordability, after graduation outcomes, and repayment burden.
Affordability
40% weight
The yearly net price is doing real work against the score and raises the financing burden quickly.
Outcome
40% weight
The outcome data does not create enough margin to fully offset the cost.
Repayment
20% weight
Median debt stays in a more comfortable repayment range for a typical graduate.
The numbers behind the score
Median net price per year
$31,643
Median earnings 10 years out
$61,295
Median debt at graduation
$25,788
Graduation rate
72%
At DeSales, a typical graduate carries about $25,788 in student debt and earns roughly $61,295 ten years after enrolling. On a standard 10-year repayment plan, that works out to about $293 per month, or 6% of pre-tax income. That sits inside a borrower comfort range for many graduates.
How earnings compare to a high school diploma
Graduates earn $19,495 more than the typical high school graduate ($41,800) ten years after entering this school. A federal rule finalized in July 2026 ties undergraduate student-loan eligibility to a comparison like this one, with the first calculations expected in 2027.
83% of former students here out-earned that benchmark ten years after entry, per College Scorecard.
Context, not a federal determination: the official test will use earnings measured four years after completion and thresholds the Department of Education has not yet published, which may vary by state. Our figure is College Scorecard median earnings ten years after entry. How this works
What this means for your family
DeSales is a private nonprofit four year school in Center Valley, PA. Private pricing can swing more dramatically based on aid, so your personalized score matters more here than the national average view alone.
Similar schools worth comparing
These schools share a similar sector, geography, or price range.
Private nonprofit 4-year
Bryn Mawr
Bryn Mawr, PA
Worth-It Score: 72/100
Median net price: $31,759
Private nonprofit 4-year
Gettysburg
Gettysburg, PA
Worth-It Score: 70/100
Median net price: $31,490
Private nonprofit 4-year
Carnegie Mellon
Pittsburgh, PA
Worth-It Score: 97/100
Median net price: $31,944
Private nonprofit 4-year
University of Valley Forge
Phoenixville, PA
Worth-It Score: 23/100
Median net price: $32,265
Private nonprofit 4-year
University of Scranton
Scranton, PA
Worth-It Score: 70/100
Median net price: $32,568
Common questions about DeSales
The median net price at DeSales is $31,643 per year. That is the average yearly price after typical grant aid for students in the public federal data, not the published sticker price.
Get your personalized Worth-It score
National averages are a starting point. Plug in your actual aid offer, intended major, and family situation to get a score that reflects your specific picture.
Looking at private colleges options in Pennsylvania? See the most affordable private colleges in Pennsylvania →
The Worth-It Score weighs affordability (40%), after graduation outcomes (40%), and repayment burden (20%). Underlying data points come from publicly available federal higher education reporting. See full methodology →
Now work out how to pay for it, cheapest money first.
A Worth-It Score tells you whether the price is justified. The 2026-27 funding guide covers the borrowing order, what changed on July 1, 2026, and the current limits.
Open the 2026-27 funding guide →