2023 Best Value Colleges for General Education (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania
28
Ranked Colleges
1,014
Degrees Awarded
$18,500
Avg Net Price*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 29,810 people earned their degree in general education, making the major the 41st most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, general education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $48,719 and had an average of $23,394 in loans still to pay off.
Across Pennsylvania, there were 1,014 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $51,017 and $23,518 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 28 colleges that offer a degree in general education. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great general education programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the general education program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The education school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k”.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for General Education (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania
Out of the 28 schools in the Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pennsylvania landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Pennsylvania is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 134 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
UPenn also took the #1 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $1,938 for pennsylvania education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Pennsylvania.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at University of Pennsylvania
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lehigh Carbon Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, this medium-sized public school handed out 17 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend LCCC is $5,095 for Pennsylvania Education students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read full report on General Education at LCCC
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Holy Family University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k list. Holy Family is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 34 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our pennsylvania education students whose families make $30-$48k list, Holy Family has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Holy Family is $11,694 for Pennsylvania Education students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Education at Holy Family University
Out of the 28 schools in the Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 174 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
Pitt also made our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $17,691 for Pennsylvania Education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Pitt.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus General Education Report
Out of the 28 schools in the Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, York College of Pennsylvania landed the #5 spot on the list. York College of Pennsylvania is a private not-for-profit institution located in York, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 36 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our pennsylvania education students whose families make $30-$48k list, YCP has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $18,893 for Pennsylvania Education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend YCP.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full York College of Pennsylvania General Education Report
Temple University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Temple is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 15 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
Temple did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $19,355 for pennsylvania education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Temple University.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on General Education at Temple
Juniata College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 4 degrees to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
Juniata did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for Juniata is $15,816 for pennsylvania education students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at Juniata
California University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #8. California, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s education degrees to 63 students in 2020-2021.
Cal U did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for California University of Pennsylvania is $16,063 for Pennsylvania Education students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read full report on General Education at California University of Pennsylvania
Wilson College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k list. Wilson is located in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 62 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
Wilson not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Wilson College is $19,457 for Pennsylvania Education students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on General Education at Wilson College
Westminster College Pennsylvania landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Westminster New Wilmington is located in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
Westminster New Wilmington did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Westminster New Wilmington is $15,852 for pennsylvania education students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on General Education at Westminster New Wilmington
Cabrini University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #11. Cabrini University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Radnor, Pennsylvania. It awarded 46 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Cabrini University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cabrini University is $17,862 for pennsylvania education students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read more about General Education at Cabrini University
La Salle University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k list. La Salle University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 128 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
La Salle did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $21,539 for Pennsylvania Education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend La Salle University.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full La Salle General Education Report
Messiah University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Messiah University is located in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 20 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
Messiah also made our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend Messiah University is $19,670 for Pennsylvania Education students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at Messiah University
Millersville University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #14. Millersville, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s education degrees to 31 students in 2020-2021.
Millersville also made our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #14. The yearly cost to attend Millersville is $18,798 for pennsylvania education students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at Millersville University of Pennsylvania
Cedar Crest College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 22 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Cedar Crest did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $21,135 for pennsylvania education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Cedar Crest College.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at Cedar Crest
Susquehanna University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k list. Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.
Susquehanna also took the #15 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $18,710 for pennsylvania education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Susquehanna University.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about General Education at Susquehanna
Gwynedd Mercy University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #17. This small school is located in Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 10 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Gwynedd - Mercy also made our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #24. The yearly cost to attend Gwynedd - Mercy is $20,795 for Pennsylvania Education students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on General Education at Gwynedd - Mercy
Duquesne University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #18. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.
Duquesne also took the #10 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Duquesne University is $22,219 for pennsylvania education students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Duquesne University General Education Report
Saint Joseph’s University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.
St. Joe’s not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for Saint Joseph’s University is $23,963 for Pennsylvania Education students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on General Education at St. Joe’s
Mercyhurst University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k list. Mercyhurst University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Erie, Pennsylvania. It awarded 2 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Mercyhurst also took the #21 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $23,656 for Pennsylvania Education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Mercyhurst.
Read full report on General Education at Mercyhurst
Alvernia University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Alvernia is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Reading, Pennsylvania. It awarded 2 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Alvernia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for Alvernia is $23,745 for pennsylvania education students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read full report on General Education at Alvernia
Saint Francis University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k list. Saint Francis is a small school located in Loretto, Pennsylvania that handed out 19 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Saint Francis also took the #11 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Saint Francis University is $23,249 for Pennsylvania Education students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about General Education at Saint Francis University
Neumann University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #23. Neumann University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Aston, Pennsylvania. It awarded 10 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Neumann also made our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #25. The estimated yearly cost for Neumann University is $23,805 for pennsylvania education students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read full report on General Education at Neumann
Rosemont College ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Rosemont, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 2 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Rosemont is $15,336 for Pennsylvania Education students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at Rosemont
Arcadia University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Arcadia University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Glenside, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Arcadia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for Arcadia University is $25,459 for pennsylvania education students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full Arcadia University General Education Report
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