| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Private nonprofit two-year college that also awards bachelor’s degrees |
| Location | One campus in Media, PA, in the Philadelphia suburbs |
| Credentials | Certificates, associate of science (A.S.) and bachelor of science (B.S.) degrees |
| Formats | In person, hybrid and fully online, depending on the program |
| Accreditation | Middle States Commission on Higher Education since 1983; reaffirmed June 2026 |
| Federal aid | Yes |
| 2026-27 cost | $505 per credit plus a $50 per credit technology fee, one rate for all students |
| Students | 811 in fall 2024, a college record |
| Founded | 1953; in Media since 1982 |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
A small private college in Media with a health-care focus
Pennsylvania Institute of Technology (P.I.T.) is a private, nonprofit college in Delaware County, in the Philadelphia suburbs. It was founded in 1953 to teach math and science to pre-engineering students and moved from Upper Darby to its 14-acre campus in Media in 1982. Today most of its career programs are in health care: practical nursing, medical assisting, sonography, neurodiagnostic technology and autopsy technician training, alongside business, cannabis and general degrees. Middle States approved it to award bachelor’s degrees in 2021. Fall 2024 enrollment reached 811, the largest in its history, according to the college’s enrollment announcement. In June 2026 its regional accreditor reaffirmed its accreditation.
P.I.T.’s programs and how they are taught
P.I.T. lists 22 programs: certificates, associate of science degrees and three bachelor’s degrees. Every program is billed at the same per-credit rate, and the program pages mostly do not state credit totals. Where a cell shows a dash, the college does not say.
| Program | Credential | Length | Delivery | Prepares for | Published cost (2026-27) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practical Nursing | Certificate | 12 months full-time; 50 nursing credits | In person, daytime only | NCLEX-PN | About $26,850 plus about $5,145 for prerequisites; $1,500 course fees |
| Allied Health – Practical Nursing | A.S. | About 2 years | In person and hybrid | NCLEX-PN | – |
| Allied Health – Pre-Nursing | A.S. | About 2 years | – | Transfer to an RN program elsewhere | – |
| Clinical Medical Assistant | Certificate; also an Allied Health A.S. track | Three 11-week terms | Hybrid | CMA, EKG, phlebotomy and patient care technician exams | $355 national exam in course fees |
| Diagnostic Medical Sonography | A.S. | 15 months full-time after prerequisites (catalog) | In person, October start | ARDMS SPI and RDMS (abdomen, OB/GYN) | Board exams in course fees |
| Neurodiagnostic Technology | Certificate of completion | About 12 months | Seated or online, plus 2 clinical days a week | ABRET EEG exams | – |
| Autopsy Technician | Certificate | Two 11-week terms | Hybrid, with externship | – | – |
| Healthcare Management with Coding Academy | A.S. | About 2 years | Mostly online, with in-person lab | A medical coding certification (not named) | – |
| Health Science | A.S. and B.S. | About 2 years for the A.S. | Hybrid; day and evening | None; a pathway to other programs | – |
| Business Administration | A.S. and B.S. | – | Fully online | – | – |
| Cannabis Business, Health Therapy, Horticulture | A.S.; Business also B.S. | – | Hybrid | – | – |
| Cannabis Cultivation; Generative AI in the Workplace | Certificates | – | Fully online | – | – |
| General Studies; Psychology & Behavioral Health | A.S. | – | Fully online | – | – |
Two programs are less obvious than their names. Neurodiagnostic Technology is the former Crozer Health School of Clinical Neurophysiology, now run by P.I.T. Autopsy Technician prepares students for morgue and pathology work, ending with an externship in a medicolegal or pathology setting. P.I.T. has no RN program: Pre-Nursing and Health Science are pathways toward programs elsewhere or toward its own sonography and nursing programs.
What the main programs cover
Practical Nursing (certificate)
The certificate runs about 1,500 hours over four terms, mixing lecture, lab and clinicals. Clinical sites include hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, rehab and post-acute centers, senior centers and schools; faculty assign the sites and students drive themselves. Before starting, students need BIO 120 (anatomy and physiology I and II) and AHT 105 (math and medical terminology), each with a C or better; the TEAS is not required. Students must be 17 to enroll and 18 to take the NCLEX, and pass FBI and other background checks, a physical and a drug screen. The next start is 11 January 2027.
Clinical Medical Assistant (certificate)
Over three 11-week terms, students prepare for four certification exams: clinical medical assisting, EKG technician, phlebotomy technician and patient care technician. The fee list shows what the course includes: a national exam taken after completion, exam-prep materials, ECG and phlebotomy study guides, a blood-pressure cuff and stethoscope, and a short online course on résumés and interviewing. The program page does not name the certifying body, so ask which organization’s exam graduates take. The certificate is also offered within the Allied Health A.S., which adds general education. The next start is 11 January 2027.
Diagnostic Medical Sonography (A.S.)
Sonography students train in two CAAHEP-accredited concentrations, OB/GYN and Abdominal-Extended, with coursework in abdominal, OB/GYN, vascular and musculoskeletal imaging. The program runs as one in-person cohort a year that starts in October, and P.I.T. markets its Health Science A.S. as a route into the program. Course fees cover the ARDMS physics (SPI) exam and the RDMS abdomen and OB/GYN boards, board preparation, liability insurance, clinical tracking and a student membership in the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography.
Neurodiagnostic Technology (certificate)
This roughly 12-month certificate trains students for neurodiagnostic (EEG) work and leads to ABRET credentialing exams. Seated students attend classes and clinical days from Tuesday to Thursday. Students who live more than 30 miles from Media can take the coursework online, with two clinical days a week in a neurodiagnostic lab. The program came from Crozer Health, where its 2023 and 2024 cohorts trained. It reports 100% job placement for its 2023, 2024 and 2025 cohorts but publishes no exam pass rates.
Autopsy Technician (certificate)
This hybrid certificate takes two 11-week terms and prepares students for jobs assisting with autopsies. It ends with a supervised externship in an approved medicolegal or pathology setting. The jobs P.I.T. names are autopsy technician, forensic autopsy technician, autopsy assistant and morgue technician or attendant. It is training for morgue and pathology work only. The program claims no programmatic accreditation and names no certification exam. Its next start is 11 January 2027.
One tuition rate for every student
P.I.T. charges everyone the same rate, with no in-state or out-of-state tier: $505 per credit hour for 2026-27 plus a $50 per credit technology fee, according to its tuition and fees page. Full-time means 9 or more credits a term; more than 12 needs a dean’s approval.
| 2026-27 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition, all students | $505 per credit |
| Technology fee | $50 per credit |
| Full-time year (27 credits, 9 a term over 3 terms) | $13,635 tuition plus $1,350 fees = $14,985 |
| One-time academic program fee (CMA, Health Science, Pre-Nursing, Neurodiagnostic, Autopsy Technician), from 1 Oct 2026 | $165 |
| Practical Nursing course fees (NCLEX processing, prep software, supplies, insurance) | $1,500 |
| Graduation fee | $100 |
The college’s 2026-27 cost of attendance adds estimates of $1,316 for books and supplies and $18,216 for housing and food off campus, or $5,089 for students living with a parent. P.I.T. has no student housing. Practical Nursing has its own estimate: about $26,850 for the nursing portion plus about $5,145 for the prerequisite courses, with scrubs and clinical items extra. Niche, using federal data, lists a net price of $17,980 a year.
P.I.T. takes federal student aid, and its students also use Pennsylvania (PHEAA) state grants and Pell Grants; the college says 93% of students receive some form of aid. Students can hold only one P.I.T. scholarship. The largest, W.W. Smith Scholars, pays $2,000 to $10,000 to full-time students living in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery or Philadelphia County, or the City of Camden, NJ, with a 2.5 GPA and financial need. Others include a $1,000 Presidential Scholarship for associate students with a 3.75 GPA, up to $500 for new students and up to $450 for Practical Nursing academic excellence. There is also a tuition waiver for students aged 65 and over. The college’s net price calculator gives a personal estimate.
Open admission, except for Practical Nursing
Applicants need a high school diploma or a GED, take a computerized placement assessment and have an admissions appointment, in person or online. Applications are accepted all year, but requirements vary by program. Practical Nursing admission is competitive, with prerequisites, background checks and screenings, and sonography admits one cohort each October. Most programs run on 11-week terms, three a year. Practical Nursing is daytime only, Neurodiagnostic Technology’s seated track meets Tuesday to Thursday, and Health Science offers day and evening classes.
Accreditation, licensing results and graduation rates
P.I.T. has been accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education since 1983. MSCHE reaffirmed its accreditation on 25 June 2026, after an on-site visit in March 2026, and set the next evaluation for 2033-34. MSCHE also requested a supplemental information report, due 13 September 2027 (a follow-up, not a warning or probation), showing how it uses assessment results to improve learning and how it sets and assesses institutional goals. The college’s own accreditation page still describes the 2018 reaffirmation.
The Practical Nursing program is approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing. Diagnostic Medical Sonography and Neurodiagnostic Technology are accredited by CAAHEP. Clinical Medical Assistant, Healthcare Management, Autopsy Technician and the business and cannabis programs claim no programmatic accreditation. P.I.T. no longer offers its Physical Therapist Assistant program, whose accreditation CAPTE withdrew on 31 October 2023 (final on 30 December 2023).
First-time NCLEX-PN results for P.I.T.’s practical nursing graduates, per the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing:
| Exam year (Oct to Sep) | First-time takers | Passed | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 115 | 67 | 58.26% |
| 2022-23 | 238 | 149 | 62.61% |
| 2023-24 | 122 | 112 | 91.80% |
| 2024-25 | 115 | 99 | 86.09% |
College-wide results are much weaker. Of the fall 2019 entering cohort, 19.5% (16 of 82) graduated within 150% of normal time, according to P.I.T.’s graduation-rate disclosure; the rate has fallen from 58.3% for the fall 2015 cohort. Only 29.1% of full-time students who started in fall 2023 returned the next year (22.6% of part-time students). The sonography program’s 2023 annual report covered a very small group: 6 of 6 graduates were employed within six months, and 4 of 6 passed their credentialing exams.
Before you enroll
- Graduation rates are low: 19.5% of the fall 2019 cohort graduated within 150% of normal time, and full-time retention for the fall 2023 cohort was 29.1%.
- Practical Nursing pass rates have swung: 58.26% and 62.61% in 2021-22 and 2022-23, when up to 238 graduates tested in a year, then 91.80% and 86.09% in the two years since. The program is daytime only, and students drive to clinical sites the faculty assign.
- The Clinical Medical Assistant certificate is not programmatically accredited, and the college does not name the certifying body for its exams. Ask which exam you will be eligible for before you enroll.
- P.I.T. has no RN program. Pre-Nursing and Health Science are pathways, not job credentials.
- P.I.T.’s online-programs page does not say which states online students may enroll from, so check before applying from outside Pennsylvania.
Tutoring, job placement and transfer help
All in-person teaching is on the Media campus at 800 Manchester Avenue, apart from clinical rotations and externships at outside sites. P.I.T. reports a 15:1 student-faculty ratio. Tutoring is free, degree graduates get job-placement help for life, and the college has transfer agreements with local colleges. There is no on-campus housing.
What students say
On Niche, Pennsylvania Institute of Technology is rated 3.84 out of 5 from 75 reviews, with an overall grade of C (checked October 2026). Reviewers praise faculty and staff who want students to succeed, strong preparation for the NCLEX-PN, and a demanding but worthwhile practical nursing program. Complaints include slow communication and email replies, and a fast-paced, heavy workload in practical nursing. Many of the most recent visible reviews come from practical nursing graduates and were posted close together in July 2025, so they say more about that program than the college as a whole.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Nursing and Allied Health
- Practical Nursing (LPN) (certificate)
- Allied Health – Practical Nursing (A.S.)
- Clinical Medical Assistant (certificate)
- Allied Health – Clinical Medical Assistant (A.S.)
- Allied Health – Pre-Nursing (A.S., transfer pathway)
Diagnostic and Laboratory Health
- Diagnostic Medical Sonography (A.S.)
- Neurodiagnostic Technology (certificate)
- Autopsy Technician (certificate)
Health Administration and Health Science
- Healthcare Management with Coding Academy (A.S.)
- Health Science (A.S. and B.S.)
Business
- Business Administration (A.S., online)
- Business Administration (B.S., online)
Cannabis
- Cannabis Business (A.S. and B.S.)
- Cannabis Health Therapy (A.S.)
- Cannabis Horticulture (A.S.)
- Cannabis Cultivation: Principles & Practices (certificate, online)
General Studies and Online Certificates
- General Studies (A.S., online)
- Psychology & Behavioral Health (A.S., online)
- Generative AI in the Workplace (certificate, online)
Campus Locations
Philadelphia (Media), PA 800 Manchester Avenue, Media, PA 19063