Why did 19 schools in Pennsylvania come off the list?

Of the 19 schools flagged in December 2025 and not now, 16 now clear the benchmark, 3 no longer have an earnings figure. The Department replaced the data on 22 March 2026 with a newer group of graduates (completers of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023) and a re-estimated high school benchmark, so coming off the list is not by itself evidence that a school's graduates earn more.

What earnings benchmark are Pennsylvania schools compared with?

$35,008: the median earnings of Pennsylvania high school graduates aged 25 to 34 in the March 2026 release, in January 2026 dollars. The December 2025 release used $35,936, in June 2025 dollars and from an earlier survey, so the two are not a like-for-like comparison. A school that mostly enrolls out-of-state students or operates in several states is compared with the national median instead, $34,635.

Does the lower earnings notice affect financial aid?

No. The Department says the notice is informational only. It does not affect eligibility for federal aid, the Student Aid Index or how the FAFSA is processed, and students can still list and attend a flagged school. It is shown only to first-year undergraduates.

FAFSA lower earnings list

Pennsylvania schools on the FAFSA “lower earnings” list

43 schools in Pennsylvania are flagged "lower earnings" in the Department of Education's March 2026 release, the list the 2027-28 FAFSA uses, out of 266 Pennsylvania schools with an earnings figure. The December 2025 release, which earlier news coverage reported, flagged 57: 19 came off and 5 were added.

A Pennsylvania school is flagged when its graduates’ median earnings four years after completing are below $35,008, the median for Pennsylvania high school graduates aged 25 to 34 (March 2026 release, January 2026 dollars). A school that mostly enrolls out-of-state students or operates in several states is compared with the national median, $34,635, instead.

Data period: March 2026 release, completers of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023. Nationally: 999 schools flagged now, 1,365 in December 2025. National report and method

Last verified: September 25, 2026

Flagged in the March 2026 release (43)

Names as the Department lists them. A linked name opens the school’s CampusPin profile, which shows its earnings and benchmark.

Altoona Beauty School Inc
American Barber and Beauty Academy, new since December (had no figure)
Barber School of Pittsburgh
Bella Capelli Academy
Bucks County School of Beauty Culture Inc
Butler Beauty Academy
Butler Beauty Academy-Kittanning Beauty Academy
Butler Beauty Academy-New Castle Beauty Academy
CDE Career Institute, new since December (was not flagged)
Champ's Barber School
Champ's Barber School-Lebanon
Commonwealth Technical Institute
Curtis Institute of Music
Douglas Education Center
Empire Beauty School-Lehigh Valley
Empire Beauty School-Center City Philadelphia
Empire Beauty School-Cheltenham
Empire Beauty School-Hanover
Empire Beauty School-Harrisburg
Empire Beauty School-Lancaster
Empire Beauty School-Lebanon
Empire Beauty School-Monroeville
Empire Beauty School-NE Philadelphia
Empire Beauty School-North Hills
Empire Beauty School-Pottsville
Empire Beauty School-Reading
Empire Beauty School-Shamokin Dam
Empire Beauty School-Springfield
Empire Beauty School-West Mifflin
Empire Beauty School-Wyoming Valley
Empire Beauty School-York
European Medical School of Massage, new since December (had no figure)
Fountain of Youth Academy of Cosmetology, new since December (had no figure)
Great Lakes Institute of Technology
Jean Madeline Aveda Institute
Metro Beauty Academy
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Premier Barber Institute, new since December (had no figure)
The Beauty Institute
The Beauty Institute
The Beauty Institute-Ambler
The Salon Professional Academy-Altoona
Venus Beauty Academy

Flagged in December 2025, not now (19)

The reason is given for each. Because the benchmark and the graduating cohort changed too, coming off is not by itself evidence that graduates earn more.

ASPIRA City College, no earnings figure now
Barber and Beauty Academy of Pennsylvania, no earnings figure now
Berks Career & Technology Center, no earnings figure now
Cortiva Institute, now above the benchmark
Fortis Institute-Forty Fort, now above the benchmark
Fortis Institute-Scranton, now above the benchmark
Institute of Medical Careers, now above the benchmark
Jna Institute of Culinary Arts, now above the benchmark
Lancaster School of Cosmetology & Therapeutic Bodywork, now above the benchmark
Laurel Business Institute, now above the benchmark
Laurel Technical Institute, now above the benchmark
Miller-Motte College-Berks Technical Institute, now above the benchmark
Miller-Motte College-Berks Technical Institute-Allentown, now above the benchmark
Miller-Motte College-Berks Technical Institute-Lewisburg, now above the benchmark
Pennsylvania College of Art and Design, now above the benchmark
Philadelphia Technician Training, now above the benchmark
South Hills Beauty Academy, now above the benchmark
West Virginia Junior College-United Career Institute, now above the benchmark
YTI Career Institute-Altoona, now above the benchmark

What the notice does and does not mean

It is informational: it does not affect federal aid eligibility, and a flagged school can still be listed and attended.
It describes a whole school, not a program. The Department says earnings differ by credential and field.
It covers graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled when earnings were measured.
A school with no earnings figure shows no notice. That is an absence of data, not a pass.

Add the Pennsylvania FAFSA notice card to your website (counselors, college-access programs, schools)

Plain HTML with no script and no tracking: the state's flagged count, the previous release and the benchmark, with the notice's caveats and the source, linking back to this page and its full list of schools.

<div style="font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,Segoe UI,Roboto,sans-serif;max-width:680px;border:1px solid #e2e8f0;border-radius:12px;padding:16px;color:#0f172a"><p style="margin:0 0 10px;font-size:16px;font-weight:600">The FAFSA &ldquo;lower earnings&rdquo; notice in Pennsylvania</p><table style="width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:14px"><tbody><tr><td style="padding:6px 8px;border-bottom:1px solid #f1f5f9">Schools flagged now (March 2026 release, used by the 2027-28 FAFSA)</td><td style="text-align:right;padding:6px 8px;border-bottom:1px solid #f1f5f9;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums">43 of 266 with an earnings figure</td></tr><tr><td style="padding:6px 8px;border-bottom:1px solid #f1f5f9">Schools flagged in the December 2025 release</td><td style="text-align:right;padding:6px 8px;border-bottom:1px solid #f1f5f9;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums">57</td></tr><tr><td style="padding:6px 8px;border-bottom:1px solid #f1f5f9">Pennsylvania benchmark: median earnings of high school graduates aged 25 to 34</td><td style="text-align:right;padding:6px 8px;border-bottom:1px solid #f1f5f9;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums">$35,008</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin:10px 0 0;font-size:12px;line-height:1.5;color:#475569">A school is flagged when its graduates&rsquo; median earnings four years after completing are below the benchmark. The notice is informational: it does not affect federal aid eligibility, and it describes a whole school, not a program. Source: U.S. Department of Education; every school named, via <a href="https://campuspin.com/research/fafsa-lower-earnings-colleges/pennsylvania">CampusPin</a>.</p></div>

Questions about Pennsylvania

How many Pennsylvania schools are on the FAFSA lower earnings list?: 43 schools in Pennsylvania are flagged "lower earnings" in the Department of Education's March 2026 release, the list the 2027-28 FAFSA uses, out of 266 Pennsylvania schools with an earnings figure. The December 2025 release, which earlier news coverage reported, flagged 57: 19 came off and 5 were added. Every one is named on this page.
Why did 19 schools in Pennsylvania come off the list?: Of the 19 schools flagged in December 2025 and not now, 16 now clear the benchmark, 3 no longer have an earnings figure. The Department replaced the data on 22 March 2026 with a newer group of graduates (completers of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023) and a re-estimated high school benchmark, so coming off the list is not by itself evidence that a school's graduates earn more.
What earnings benchmark are Pennsylvania schools compared with?: $35,008: the median earnings of Pennsylvania high school graduates aged 25 to 34 in the March 2026 release, in January 2026 dollars. The December 2025 release used $35,936, in June 2025 dollars and from an earlier survey, so the two are not a like-for-like comparison. A school that mostly enrolls out-of-state students or operates in several states is compared with the national median instead, $34,635.
Does the lower earnings notice affect financial aid?: No. The Department says the notice is informational only. It does not affect eligibility for federal aid, the Student Aid Index or how the FAFSA is processed, and students can still list and attend a flagged school. It is shown only to first-year undergraduates.

Sources, methodology & citation

Data snapshot: March 22, 2026Last verified: September 25, 2026

Sources used across this page

Not every source informs every figure. Each data point draws on the source appropriate to it see the relevant section and the data dictionary for field-level provenance.

Federal Student Aid, FSA Data Center: Lower Earnings Data
The Department of Education’s institution-level earnings data and the "lower earnings" designation shown on the FAFSA Submission Summary (March 2026 release; the December 2025 release via the Internet Archive).
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard
Net price by income band, post-graduation earnings, and federal aid context.
IPEDS / NCES College Navigator
Federal enrollment, admissions, tuition, retention, and program data. Released annually with a 1–2 year lag.

Where a value is unavailable it is shown as unavailable, never as 0, free, or a negative judgment. Always confirm final details with the institution before applying.

Methodology Data dictionary Report a correction

Suggested citation

CampusPin. (2026). Pennsylvania schools on the FAFSA "lower earnings" list. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/research/fafsa-lower-earnings-colleges/pennsylvania

Pennsylvania schools on the FAFSA “lower earnings” list

Flagged in the March 2026 release (43)

Flagged in December 2025, not now (19)

What the notice does and does not mean

Questions about Pennsylvania

More on Pennsylvania colleges

Other states