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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Pennsylvania

20 Ranked Colleges
949 Degrees Awarded
$17,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor's in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

With 559,661 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, liberal arts general studies is the 1st most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, liberal arts general studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $26,786 and had an average of $16,538 in loans still to pay off.

Across Pennsylvania, there were 3,750 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,748 and $20,831 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 949 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 20 colleges that offer a degree in liberal arts general studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent liberal arts general studies 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 liberal arts general studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Liberal Arts General Studies Schools

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 20 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Pennsylvania

#1

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UPenn, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Pennsylvania is $3,181 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Pennsylvania Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#2

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Carnegie Mellon University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 17 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

Carnegie Mellon did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $12,542 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Carnegie Mellon University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Carnegie Mellon

#3

University of Pittsburgh - Bradford

Bradford, Pennsylvania

Out of the 20 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pittsburgh - Bradford landed the #3 spot on the list. Bradford, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

Pitt Bradford also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend Pitt Bradford is $14,937 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low 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%.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Pitt Bradford

#4

University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown

Johnstown, Pennsylvania

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Pitt Johnstown is a public institution located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Pitt Johnstown, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown is $16,112 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Pitt Johnstown Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#5

Mansfield University of Pennsylvania

Mansfield, Pennsylvania

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Mansfield University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Mansfield, Pennsylvania, this small public school awarded 24 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Mansfield University, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Mansfield University of Pennsylvania is $15,083 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Mansfield University

With a ranking of #6, University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Pitt, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus is $20,075 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#7

West Chester University of Pennsylvania

West Chester, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #7, West Chester University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in West Chester, Pennsylvania, this fairly large public school awarded 161 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

WCUPA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $16,531 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend WCUPA.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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%.

Full West Chester University of Pennsylvania Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#8

Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

Edinboro, Pennsylvania

Edinboro University of Pennsylvania landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Edinboro is a public institution located in Edinboro, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 47 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Edinboro, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $13,169 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Edinboro.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Edinboro

#9

California University of Pennsylvania

California, Pennsylvania

California University of Pennsylvania landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cal U is a public institution located in California, Pennsylvania. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 55 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal U also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $14,841 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California University of Pennsylvania.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at California University of Pennsylvania

#10

Clarion University of Pennsylvania

Clarion, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #10, Clarion University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Clarion University is a public institution located in Clarion, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 146 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Clarion University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Clarion University of Pennsylvania is $16,235 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Clarion University

#11

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania

Cheyney, Pennsylvania

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cheyney University of Pennsylvania is located in Cheyney, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cheyney University of Pennsylvania is $7,388 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania

#12

Villanova University

Villanova, Pennsylvania

Villanova University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Villanova is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It awarded 52 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Villanova did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Villanova is $22,517 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Villanova University

#13

Lock Haven University

Lock Haven, Pennsylvania

Lock Haven University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. LHU is a small school located in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania that handed out 17 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at LHU, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lock Haven University is $16,690 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Lock Haven University

#14

Drexel University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Drexel University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 77 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, Drexel has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Drexel University is $25,234 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Drexel

#15

Saint Joseph's University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #15, Saint Joseph’s University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. St. Joe’s is a medium-sized school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 21 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, St. Joe’s has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Saint Joseph’s University is $26,603 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.2% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at St. Joe’s

#16

Manor College

Jenkintown, Pennsylvania
#19 in overall quality

Manor College landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Manor College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania. It awarded 3 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Manor College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for Manor College is $16,002 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Manor College

#17

University of Scranton

Scranton, Pennsylvania

University of Scranton did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #17. Located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 17 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Scranton, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Scranton is $24,159 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Scranton

#18

Eastern University

Saint Davids, Pennsylvania
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #18, Eastern University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Saint Davids, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

EU also took the #10 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Eastern University is $21,610 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Eastern University

#19

Neumann University

Aston, Pennsylvania

Neumann University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Aston, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 67 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, Neumann has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Neumann is $19,878 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Neumann

#20

Lackawanna College

Scranton, Pennsylvania
#20 in overall quality

Lackawanna College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Lackawanna College is a small school located in Scranton, Pennsylvania that handed out 4 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Lackawanna College also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #20. It costs about $16,635 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lackawanna College.

Full Lackawanna College Liberal Arts General Studies Report

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Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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