Temple University is a public institution offering graduate degrees based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It enrolls 20,970 students (a very large student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.
AccreditorMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.
Good
65/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes77
Value31
Affordability34
Selectivity42
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
Temple University admits 80.4% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.
Acceptance Rate
80.4%
Easy
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test PolicyTest OptionalApplicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Temple University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Becoming less selective ↑
22.9 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $28,198 a year on average, it sits in line with what public colleges charge nationally. Plan for the gap between that and what you can pay without borrowing. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$23,011
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$38,958
Room & Board (on-campus)
$17,690
Room & Board (off-campus)
$17,690
Books & Supplies
$1,250
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$4,555
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$4,555
Total Cost of Attendance
$40,903
Application fee: $55 (one-time, due at submission)
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$22,694
$30,001 – $48,000
$23,431
$48,001 – $75,000
$26,534
$75,001 – $110,000
$29,397
Over $110,000
$34,947
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$5,50010%percentile
$11,00025%percentile
$24,395Medianpercentile
$28,50075%percentile
$36,45890%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $21,500
↓ $2,895
No Pell $18,500
↓ $5,895
Dependent students $19,500
↓ $4,895
Independent students $22,000
↓ $2,395
Female students $20,500
↓ $3,895
Male students $19,500
↓ $4,895
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $10,996, less than completers ($24,395), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
69% of students who start here finish within six years, and 83% come back after first year. Roughly half finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.
6-Year Graduation Rate
69%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
83%
Returning for their second year
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $63,727 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$63,727
Earning > $25K
83%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$55,700
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$63,100
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$65,100
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$55,400
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$57,400
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $7,400, about 12% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
15.5 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Excellent. 87% of graduates were paying down at least $1 of principal seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 20,970 students, a sprawling student community.
Total Enrolled
20,970
Part-Time
6%
First-Generation
30%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 40.3%8,455
Black 20.4%4,278
Asian 15.3%3,202
Hispanic 10.9%2,277
Other 4.9%1,034
International 3.9%818
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Temple University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Temple University offers
an extensive catalog of programs:
241 distinct programs across
29 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
There are 12 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.
Student : Faculty
12:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$4.0B
Strong financial cushion supports aid and stability
Avg Faculty Salary
$112,018
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
2,171 instructional faculty across 4 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
645
30%
$154,582
Associate Professors
752
35%
$105,796
Assistant Professors
708
33%
$85,212
Instructors
66
3%
$66,595
Pros & Cons of Temple University
No college is right for everyone. Here is where Temple University is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Best for:
Based on the data, Temple University is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier.
Frequently Asked Questions about Temple University
The questions families ask most about Temple University, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is Temple University hard to get into?
Not especially. Temple University admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 80.4%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Temple University?
80.4% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does Temple University cost?
Budget around $28,198 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Temple University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $63,727 a year against a net price of $28,198, about 2.3 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Temple University known for?
Mostly Psychology, Information Systems, Medicine. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Temple University graduates earn?
About $63,727 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Temple University accredited?
Yes. Temple University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend Temple University?
20,970 students. Large, so expect big lectures and more independence in finding your own footing. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Temple University?
69% finish within six years. That leaves a meaningful share who do not finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Temple University a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Temple University located?
Temple University is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
What programs does Temple University offer?
241 different programs, most commonly Psychology, Information Systems, Medicine. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Temple University?
12 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
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Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
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Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
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