by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
General Education is the 41st most popular major in the country with 29,810 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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.
This year’s “Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 28 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general education. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general education programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the general education program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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 Getting Aid”.
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.
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lehigh Carbon Community College. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid. LCCC is a medium-sized public school situated in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania. It awarded 17 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $6,897 for pennsylvania education students with aid per year to attend LCCC.
Read more about General Education at Lehigh Carbon Community College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid list. University of Pennsylvania is a private not-for-profit institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 134 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UPenn, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $25,046 for pennsylvania education students with aid per year to attend UPenn.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid list. Pitt is a large public school situated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It awarded 174 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Pitt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus is $27,058 for pennsylvania education students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%.
Full University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus General Education Report
Out of the 28 schools in the Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Holy Family University landed the #4 spot on the list. Holy Family is a private not-for-profit institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 34 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Holy Family also made our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #18. The estimated yearly cost for Holy Family is $14,854 for Pennsylvania Education students with aid.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Temple University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid list. Temple University is a public institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 15 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Temple did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Temple University is $23,888 for pennsylvania education students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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%.
California University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. California University of Pennsylvania is a medium-sized school located in California, Pennsylvania that handed out 63 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal U also made our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #22. The estimated yearly cost for California University of Pennsylvania is $19,117 for Pennsylvania Education students with aid.
Read more about General Education at California University of Pennsylvania
With a ranking of #7, York College of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid list. Located in York, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 36 degrees to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
YCP did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $22,233 for pennsylvania education students with aid per year to attend York College of Pennsylvania.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 York College of Pennsylvania
With a ranking of #8, Westminster College Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid list. Westminster New Wilmington is a small school located in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania that handed out 6 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
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 College Pennsylvania is $20,603 for pennsylvania education students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at Westminster College Pennsylvania
With a ranking of #9, La Salle University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 128 degrees to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
La Salle also made our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $25,819 for pennsylvania education students with aid per year to attend La Salle.
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%.
With a ranking of #10, Cabrini University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid list. Cabrini University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Radnor, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 46 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Cabrini University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $21,020 for pennsylvania education students with aid per year to attend Cabrini University.
Millersville University of Pennsylvania came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. Millersville is a medium-sized public school situated in Millersville, Pennsylvania. It awarded 31 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our pennsylvania education students with aid list, Millersville has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Millersville University of Pennsylvania is $23,133 for pennsylvania education students with aid.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%.
With a ranking of #12, Wilson College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 62 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Wilson, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $21,852 for pennsylvania education students with aid per year to attend Wilson College.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #13, Cedar Crest College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid list. Allentown, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 22 students 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 $21,706 for pennsylvania education students with aid per year to attend Cedar Crest College.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Juniata College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid list. Juniata College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. It awarded 4 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Juniata, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $21,241 for Pennsylvania Education students with aid per year to attend Juniata College.
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%.
Messiah University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. Messiah University is a small school located in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania that handed out 20 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Messiah did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Messiah University is $26,864 for Pennsylvania Education students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Mercyhurst University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #16. Mercyhurst University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Erie, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Mercyhurst also made our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #21. The estimated yearly cost for Mercyhurst is $27,283 for pennsylvania education students with aid.
Gwynedd Mercy University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. Gwynedd - Mercy is located in Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
Gwynedd - Mercy also made our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #24. The yearly cost to attend Gwynedd Mercy University is $25,146 for pennsylvania education students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Education at Gwynedd Mercy University
Susquehanna University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. Susquehanna is a private not-for-profit institution located in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Susquehanna, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $25,396 for pennsylvania education students with aid per year to attend Susquehanna.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Neumann University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in Aston, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 10 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Neumann also made our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #25. It costs about $27,871 for pennsylvania education students with aid per year to attend Neumann.
Saint Francis University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. Loretto, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 19 students in 2020-2021.
Saint Francis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for Saint Francis is $29,962 for Pennsylvania Education students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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 Saint Francis University
With a ranking of #21, Alvernia University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid list. Alvernia University is a small school located in Reading, Pennsylvania that handed out 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. It costs about $30,641 for pennsylvania education students with aid per year to attend Alvernia University.
With a ranking of #22, Duquesne University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 4 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our pennsylvania education students with aid list, Duquesne has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $31,383 for Pennsylvania Education students with aid per year to attend Duquesne University.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Arcadia University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #23. Located in Glenside, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 8 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
Arcadia also took the #19 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Arcadia University is $28,574 for Pennsylvania Education students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Saint Joseph’s University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. St. Joe’s is a medium-sized school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 5 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at St. Joe’s, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Saint Joseph’s University is $33,492 for Pennsylvania Education students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Rosemont College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. Rosemont is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Rosemont, Pennsylvania. It awarded 2 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $17,825 for Pennsylvania Education students with aid per year to attend Rosemont College.
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 our data sources and methodologies
