Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Liberal Arts General Studies

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies in Pennsylvania (With Aid)

20 Ranked Colleges
949 Degrees Awarded
$23,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor's in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

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.

This year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 20 colleges that offered a degree in liberal arts general studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality liberal arts general studies programs that also have a lower cost than 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 liberal arts general studies program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. 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 Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid.

Top 20 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies in Pennsylvania (With Aid)

#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 Getting Aid list. UPenn is a private not-for-profit institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid list, UPenn has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UPenn is $25,802 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid.

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 excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, 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 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Pennsylvania

#2

West Chester University of Pennsylvania

West Chester, Pennsylvania

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend West Chester University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid list. West Chester, Pennsylvania is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 161 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid list, WCUPA has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for WCUPA is $22,495 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full West Chester University of Pennsylvania Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#3

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 #3 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid. Mansfield University is a small school located in Mansfield, Pennsylvania that handed out 24 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Mansfield University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for Mansfield University of Pennsylvania is $19,065 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid.

Full Mansfield University Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#4

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 Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pittsburgh - Bradford landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Pittsburgh - Bradford is a small school located in Bradford, Pennsylvania that handed out 9 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid list, Pitt Bradford has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Pitt Bradford is $18,906 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid.

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%.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Pittsburgh - Bradford

#5

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania

Cheyney, Pennsylvania

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid. Cheyney, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #18. The estimated yearly cost for Cheyney University of Pennsylvania is $7,656 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid.

Full Cheyney University of Pennsylvania Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#6

Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

Edinboro, Pennsylvania

Edinboro University of Pennsylvania came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. Edinboro University of Pennsylvania is a small school located in Edinboro, Pennsylvania that handed out 47 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Edinboro did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $16,833 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid per year to attend Edinboro.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Edinboro

#7

University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown

Johnstown, Pennsylvania

University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown is a small school located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania that handed out 1 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Pitt Johnstown not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Pitt Johnstown is $19,712 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid.

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 University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown

#8

California University of Pennsylvania

California, Pennsylvania

California University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. Cal U is a medium-sized school located in California, Pennsylvania that handed out 55 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal U also took the #9 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal U is $18,154 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid.

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

University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

Pitt also took the #7 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus is $27,938 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Pitt

#10

Clarion University of Pennsylvania

Clarion, Pennsylvania

Clarion University of Pennsylvania came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. Clarion University of Pennsylvania 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 $20,011 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Clarion University

#11

Lock Haven University

Lock Haven, Pennsylvania

Lock Haven University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 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 LHU is $20,506 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Lock Haven University

#12

Manor College

Jenkintown, Pennsylvania
#19 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, Manor College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 3 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Manor College, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $16,658 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid per year to attend Manor College.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Manor College

#13

Eastern University

Saint Davids, Pennsylvania
#10 in overall quality

Eastern University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Saint Davids, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid list, EU has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $22,284 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid per year to attend Eastern University.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at EU

#14

Lackawanna College

Scranton, Pennsylvania
#20 in overall quality

Lackawanna College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. Lackawanna College is a small school located in Scranton, Pennsylvania that handed out 4 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid list, Lackawanna College has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lackawanna College is $18,120 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid.

Full Lackawanna College Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#15

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Carnegie Mellon University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. Carnegie Mellon is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It awarded 17 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid list, Carnegie Mellon has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Carnegie Mellon is $34,508 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Carnegie Mellon

#16

Saint Joseph's University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Saint Joseph’s University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

St. Joe’s also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for St. Joe’s is $33,375 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

#17

Villanova University

Villanova, Pennsylvania

Villanova University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. Villanova, Pennsylvania is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 52 students 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 University is $41,027 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Villanova Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#18

Neumann University

Aston, Pennsylvania

Neumann University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #18. Neumann University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Aston, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 67 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Neumann also took the #13 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Neumann is $23,808 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Neumann

#19

Drexel University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Drexel 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 Getting Aid ranking. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 77 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

Drexel not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Drexel is $34,914 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid.

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

#20

University of Scranton

Scranton, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #20, University of Scranton did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid list. Scranton, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.

University of Scranton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $34,374 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid per year to attend University of Scranton.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Scranton Liberal Arts General Studies Report

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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.

Featured Liberal Arts Schools

Find Schools Near You