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2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k

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

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 559,661 liberal arts / sciences and humanities students received their degree, making the major the 3rd most popular in the country. In 2017-2018, liberal arts / sciences and humanities 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 / sciences and humanities 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 / sciences and humanities graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 20 colleges that offered a degree in liberal arts / sciences and humanities. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality liberal arts / sciences and humanities 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 / sciences and humanities program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

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

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 20 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities (Income $0-$30k) in Pennsylvania

#1

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Pennsylvania is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 10 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

UPenn also made our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for UPenn is $3,181 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. 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 impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full University of Pennsylvania Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#2

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Carnegie Mellon University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Carnegie Mellon University is a fairly large school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that handed out 17 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

Carnegie Mellon also made our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend Carnegie Mellon University is $12,542 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $0-$30k.

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. 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%.

Full Carnegie Mellon University Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#3

University of Pittsburgh - Bradford

Bradford, Pennsylvania
#12 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pittsburgh - Bradford. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k. Pitt Bradford is located in Bradford, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $0-$30k list, Pitt Bradford has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Pitt Bradford is $14,937 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at University of Pittsburgh - Bradford

#4

University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown

Johnstown, Pennsylvania
#14 in overall quality

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 / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, this small public school handed out 1 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

Pitt Johnstown also took the #14 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown is $16,112 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 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 University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#5

Mansfield University of Pennsylvania

Mansfield, Pennsylvania
#17 in overall quality

Out of the 20 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Mansfield University of Pennsylvania landed the #5 spot on the list. Mansfield University is a small public school situated in Mansfield, Pennsylvania. It awarded 24 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees 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 / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Mansfield University is $15,083 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Mansfield University of Pennsylvania

#7 in overall quality

University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $0-$30k list, Pitt has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $20,075 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Pitt.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Pitt

#7

West Chester University of Pennsylvania

West Chester, Pennsylvania
#6 in overall quality

West Chester University of Pennsylvania came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. West Chester University of Pennsylvania is located in West Chester, Pennsylvania and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 161 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WCUPA, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend West Chester University of Pennsylvania is $16,531 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, 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 85%.

Full WCUPA Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#8

Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

Edinboro, Pennsylvania
#16 in overall quality

Edinboro University of Pennsylvania came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Edinboro University of Pennsylvania is a public institution located in Edinboro, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 47 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Edinboro not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Edinboro is $13,169 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

#9

California University of Pennsylvania

California, Pennsylvania
#9 in overall quality

California University of Pennsylvania came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California University of Pennsylvania is a medium-sized public school situated in California, Pennsylvania. It awarded 55 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal U has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $14,841 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California University of Pennsylvania.

Full Cal U Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#10

Clarion University of Pennsylvania

Clarion, Pennsylvania
#11 in overall quality

Clarion University of Pennsylvania landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Clarion, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 146 students in 2019-2020.

Clarion University also took the #11 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $16,235 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Clarion University.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Clarion University

#11

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania

Cheyney, Pennsylvania
#18 in overall quality

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 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 / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Cheyney University of Pennsylvania is $7,388 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania

#12

Villanova University

Villanova, Pennsylvania
#3 in overall quality

Villanova University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. 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 / sciences and humanities degrees to 52 students in 2019-2020.

Villanova also took the #3 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Villanova is $22,517 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. 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 Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Villanova

#13

Lock Haven University

Lock Haven, Pennsylvania
#15 in overall quality

Lock Haven University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, this small public school awarded 17 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

LHU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for LHU is $16,690 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Lock Haven University Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#14

Drexel University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#4 in overall quality

Drexel University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 77 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

Drexel did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Drexel is $25,234 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, 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 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Drexel

#15

Saint Joseph's University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#5 in overall quality

Saint Joseph’s University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. St. Joe’s is a private not-for-profit institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

St. Joe’s also took the #5 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend St. Joe’s is $26,603 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Saint Joseph’s University

#16

Manor College

Jenkintown, Pennsylvania
#19 in overall quality

Manor College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. Manor College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania. It awarded 3 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $0-$30k list, Manor College has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $16,002 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Manor College.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Manor College

#17

University of Scranton

Scranton, Pennsylvania
#8 in overall quality

University of Scranton came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Scranton is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It awarded 17 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Scranton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $24,159 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Scranton.

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%. 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 / Sciences & Humanities at University of Scranton

#18

Eastern University

Saint Davids, Pennsylvania
#10 in overall quality

Eastern University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Eastern University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Davids, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

EU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for Eastern University is $21,610 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Eastern University

#19

Neumann University

Aston, Pennsylvania
#13 in overall quality

Neumann University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Neumann is located in Aston, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 67 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.

Neumann not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for Neumann is $19,878 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Neumann Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#20

Lackawanna College

Scranton, Pennsylvania
#20 in overall quality

Lackawanna College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #20. Lackawanna College is a small school located in Scranton, Pennsylvania that handed out 4 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $0-$30k list, Lackawanna College has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Lackawanna College is $16,635 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Lackawanna College

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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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