Where does the Crown Roots College Database get its data?

All data comes from verified federal and institutional sources: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) for tuition, enrollment, and financial aid figures; each school's own net price calculator for the prices on our school lists; NACUBO for endowment data; and manual institutional verification of no-loan policies and need-meeting commitments.

No-Loan & Affordable Colleges for Pocono Families

The Problem This Solves

$45,000

What families see: "Average Financial Aid"

$18,000

What families miss: "What you still pay each year"

Every college posts a price, and most post a generous-sounding aid figure. Neither tells a family what it will actually pay. Grants, merit scholarships, and need-based aid are real and within reach for many Pocono students, but families rarely see them added up against the full cost. The problem isn't a lack of opportunity. It's a lack of information.

What's missing is The Gap: the full yearly cost (tuition, fees, housing, food, books, travel, and personal costs) minus grants. It is what a family has to cover through savings, work, or loans. For a Pocono family of five earning $56,000, East Stroudsburg's own calculator shows a Gap of $16,239 a year for a student with a 3.5 GPA. In/Root puts that number first, for every school.

What the Colors Mean

Here and in In/Root, every Gap is printed in a color that shows how much your family would have to cover each year:

$1,800 Very Affordable $0 to $2,500 a year Likely within reach for your family.

$5,200 Moderate $2,501 to $7,500 a year Plan for it. Over four years, $10,000 to $30,000 beyond grants.

$12,400 Expensive $7,501 to $15,000 a year A real cost to cover. Over four years, $30,000 to $60,000 beyond grants.

$17,000 Very Expensive over $15,000 a year More than $60,000 over four years. Look for scholarships before committing.

Loans are debt, not aid. The Gap is what a family has to cover through savings, work, or borrowing, so we never subtract loans from it.

What the Data Reveals

For a Pocono family of five earning $56,000, the same family used for the Crown Top 10, the numbers can be surprising:

	Princeton	Lehigh	East Stroudsburg
Sticker Price	$94,624	$92,320	$32,292
Grants and Scholarships	$94,624	$82,420	$20,547
The Gap, per year	$0	$9,900	$11,745
4-Year Total	$0	$39,600	$46,980
Drive from Stroudsburg	About 1 hr 40 min	About 45 min	Local
Admits	5%	29%	90%+

The school with the lowest sticker price costs this family the most. Every figure is the full yearly cost less grants, before loans, from each school's own net price calculator. Lehigh's calculator lists no travel cost, so its real total is a little higher. The East Stroudsburg figure is for a student with a 4.0 GPA, the same as the Hidden Value Schools baseline. For the 3.5 student in the Crown Top 10, East Stroudsburg costs $16,239 a year. The catch is admission: Princeton and Lehigh only cost this little for a student who gets in.

Our School Picks

If you are a student with a 3.2 to 3.7 GPA and about an 1100 SAT, from a family earning under $75,000 a year, these are strong options for Pocono families, along with the degrees worth pursuing at each.

	School	Cost per year	Degrees worth pursuing	Drive
1	Pitt-Johnstown (PA)Lowest bill we found. Pitt matches the Pell Grant dollar for dollar.Degrees worth pursuing: Computer, electrical, mechanical, chemical, and civil engineering; computer science; finance; accounting	$13,050*	Computer, electrical, mechanical, chemical, and civil engineering; computer science; finance; accounting	4 hr 15 min
2	Youngstown State (OH)Charges Pennsylvania students almost the Ohio price. Strong engineering.Degrees worth pursuing: Electrical, chemical, mechanical, civil, and industrial engineering; computer science; nursing; accounting	$17,452†	Electrical, chemical, mechanical, civil, and industrial engineering; computer science; nursing; accounting	4 hr 45 min
3	Slippery Rock (PA)Best graduation rates on the list.Degrees worth pursuing: Safety management; civil and mechanical engineering; nursing; accounting; finance	$14,102	Safety management; civil and mechanical engineering; nursing; accounting; finance	5 hr
4	Commonwealth University (Bloomsburg) (PA)Large nursing program close to home.Degrees worth pursuing: Nursing; computer science; business; special education; social work	$13,332	Nursing; computer science; business; special education; social work	1 hr 30 min
5	PennWest (PA)Clear scholarship amounts by GPA, so families know where they stand.Degrees worth pursuing: Nursing; mechatronics and electrical engineering technology; accounting; finance; art	$13,580*	Nursing; mechatronics and electrical engineering technology; accounting; finance; art	4 to 5 hr 30 min
6	Indiana University of Pennsylvania (PA)Safety sciences graduates earn as much as engineers.Degrees worth pursuing: Safety sciences; nursing; computer science; finance; accounting; design	$14,731*	Safety sciences; nursing; computer science; finance; accounting; design	4 hr 30 min
7	East Stroudsburg (PA)Home. Computing and nursing are the programs to look at.Degrees worth pursuing: Computer science; nursing; special education; social work	$16,239	Computer science; nursing; special education; social work	Local
8	University of Akron (OH)Paid co-op built into engineering. Costs more than Youngstown State.Degrees worth pursuing: Chemical, mechanical, civil, and biomedical engineering; finance; accounting	$20,655	Chemical, mechanical, civil, and biomedical engineering; finance; accounting	5 hr 30 min
9	Daemen University (NY)A private college whose aid brings it close to the state schools.Degrees worth pursuing: Nursing; health science paths toward physical therapy and physician assistant	$16,825*	Nursing; health science paths toward physical therapy and physician assistant	4 hr 45 min
10	Kutztown University (PA)Our creative pick.Degrees worth pursuing: Communication design; teacher education; social work	$15,206	Communication design; teacher education; social work	1 hr

How to read the price. It is the full yearly cost for one sample family: tuition, fees, housing, food, books, travel, and personal costs, less grants, before loans. It is measured the same way as the Hidden Value Schools list. The sample family: Pennsylvania residents, household of five, $56,000 income, student with a 3.5 GPA and 1110 SAT living on campus. Prices come from each school's own cost calculator and are estimates, not offers. Books, travel, and personal costs are each school's own estimate. Your cost will be different, so run the school's calculator with your own numbers. Drive times from Stroudsburg are approximate.
* Estimate, built from older calculator data or the school's published budget. Expect the current figure to differ.
† Can be lower. YSU's estimate does not include YSU Foundation scholarships (more than $11 million a year), department awards, or outside scholarships. The $2,000 Housing Grant in this figure needs a separate application.
Last reviewed: October 2026.

Look up any school in In/Root →

Hidden Value Schools

Selective, high-endowment schools within about five hours of the Poconos that can cost a family less than East Stroudsburg University. These prices only matter to a student who is admitted, and admission takes top grades and test scores: Princeton, Penn, and Swarthmore admit fewer than one in ten applicants. The ★ Under $12K badge marks schools where The Gap falls below $12,000 a year for the income you select.

Your family income bracket:

Side-by-Side Comparison

Figures are estimates from each school's own net price calculator for one sample family: the full yearly cost less grants and scholarships, before loans.

How to read the price. It is the yearly net price (tuition, fees, housing, food, books, travel, and personal costs, less grants, before loans) from each school's own net price calculator, run in October 2026. The sample family: Pennsylvania residents, household of five, renting, with $2,000 in savings, and a student living on campus. Each income range was run at one income: $20,000, $39,000, $61,500, $92,500, and $130,000, so "Over $110,000" describes a family near $130,000, not higher incomes. East Stroudsburg is the baseline, run for a student with a 4.0 GPA, and every school listed costs less at each income shown.
Comparing with the Crown Top 10. Both lists use the same full cost. East Stroudsburg's price differs between them only because of income and grades. For a $56,000 family, ESU costs $11,745 a year for a 4.0 student and $16,239 for the 3.5 student in the Crown Top 10. The $48,000 to $75,000 range here was run at $61,500, where ESU's PA State Grant falls below $900, so it shows $16,030.
These are estimates for one family, not offers and not averages. These schools count home equity and other assets, so a family that owns a home should expect a higher number. Acceptance rates are approximate. Run the school's calculator with your own numbers.
Last reviewed: October 2026.

Data Sources

All data in the college database comes from verified federal and institutional sources:

IPEDS

The federal Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System: tuition, fees, enrollment, financial aid, and graduation rates.

School Net Price Calculators

Each school's own calculator, run for one sample family: the Crown Top 10 at $56,000, and Hidden Value Schools at five incomes from $20,000 to $130,000. We use calculators because published averages lag behind current aid.

NACUBO

The National Association of College and University Business Officers: endowment data and financial strength.

Institutional Research

Manual verification of no-loan policies, acceptance rates, and need-meeting commitments from each institution.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which colleges have no-loan financial aid policies?

Many colleges with endowments above $500,000 per student, including several Ivy League and other highly selective universities, have no-loan financial aid policies: they replace student loans with grants. For a Pocono family of five earning $56,000, Princeton University costs $0. Princeton covers tuition, housing, food, fees, and a travel allowance with grants for families earning under $150,000. East Stroudsburg University's own calculator puts the same family at $11,745 a year for a student with a 4.0 GPA and $16,239 for a 3.5 student.

What is "The Gap" in college financial aid?

The Gap is what a family pays each year after grants and scholarships: the full cost of attendance (tuition, fees, housing, food, books, travel, and personal costs) less grants, before loans. Loans are not counted as aid. For a Pocono family of five earning $56,000, East Stroudsburg University's own calculator shows a Gap of $11,745 a year for a 4.0 student and $16,239 for a 3.5 student. Several selective schools with large endowments cost the same family less, some $0. In/Root sorts every school by lowest Gap first.

Are elite colleges cheaper than state schools for low-income families?

For a student who gets in, often yes. For a Pocono family of five earning $56,000, Princeton University costs $0 and Lafayette College costs $4,047 a year, while East Stroudsburg University's own calculator shows $11,745 for a 4.0 student. Schools with large endowments can meet a family's full financial need, so what they cost can be far below their sticker price. The catch is admission: these schools take top grades and test scores.

What is the Crown Top 10?

The Crown Top 10 is our list of ten colleges that a typical Crown Roots student (a 3.2 to 3.7 GPA and about an 1100 SAT) can realistically get into, that a Pocono family earning under $75,000 can pay for, and that lead to careers our students ask about. We rank on the full yearly cost for a sample family after grants, before loans, using each school's own cost calculator, and on what graduates of specific programs earn. Very selective schools that can cost little or nothing are listed separately as Hidden Value Schools.

Where does this database get its data?

All figures come from federal and institutional sources: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) for tuition and financial aid; each school's own net price calculator for the prices on our school lists; NACUBO for endowment data; and manual institutional verification of no-loan policies.

In/Root