Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences

This is a school for doers, not theoreticians. Programs are laser-focused on immediate workforce needs, with 84% of graduates earning degrees in Registered Nursing—the rest split between Radiologic Technology, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, and Surgical Technology. Key features:

• Clinical rotations happen within Reading Hospital, a 700-bed regional medical center
• Affiliation with Alvernia University allows some students to earn college credits
• The curriculum emphasizes hands-on training over liberal arts requirements
• Small cohorts (just 79 graduates in a recent class) ensure close faculty attention

Don’t expect frat parties or study-abroad semesters—this is a commuter school where students juggle clinicals and coursework. That said:

• Orientation programs help students navigate hospital-based learning
• Extracurriculars lean professional (think skills workshops, not intramural sports)
• The Instagram feed showcases medical imaging labs more than campus events
• Many students already work in healthcare and attend part-time

The proof is in the scrubs: 54% of recent graduates (43 out of 79) were hired directly into the Tower Health system. For context:

• 38 of 63 Nursing grads joined the hospital
• 5 others were hired from smaller programs
• Earnings data isn’t published, but local RN salaries average $75K in Pennsylvania

The school doesn’t trumpet graduation rates, suggesting some attrition in rigorous clinical programs.

At ~$12,225 for tuition (same in/out-of-state), this is one of Pennsylvania’s more affordable health programs. Financial details:

• Average financial aid award: $5,022
• Scholarships target high-need fields like Surgical Technology
• Net price?Net priceWhat a family actually pays after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the sticker price — usually far less than the published cost. calculator helps estimate costs after aid
• Students from families earning over $110K pay ~$31,557 total

Pro tip: Check the hospital’s tuition scholarships for Nursing and Medical Imaging students.

This school is a stealth bargain for pragmatic students who want:

1. Hospital-embedded training—no ‘campus’ distractions, just ORs and ICUs 2. Direct hiring pipelines—over half of grads get jobs in the Tower Health system 3. Nursing dominance—84% of degrees are RNs, creating a tight-knit cohort 4. No-frills affordability—$12K tuition beats most private health programs

Downsides? Limited social life and no four-year degrees. But for focused future clinicians, it’s hard to beat the ROI.