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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania

20 Ranked Colleges
949 Degrees Awarded
$17,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor's in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

With 559,661 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, liberal arts / sciences and humanities is the 3rd most popular major in the United States. 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.

For this year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 20 colleges that offer 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the liberal arts / sciences and humanities program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools

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 / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. 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 $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 20 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities (Income $30-$48k) 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 $30-$48k. This large school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

UPenn not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend UPenn is $4,833 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%. 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.

Full UPenn Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#2

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
#2 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 $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Carnegie Mellon University landed the #2 spot on the list. Carnegie Mellon University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Carnegie Mellon did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Carnegie Mellon University is $13,782 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Carnegie Mellon University Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#3

University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown

Johnstown, Pennsylvania
#14 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k. University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown is a small public school situated in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It awarded 1 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

Pitt Johnstown also took the #14 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $16,998 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown.

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 / Sciences & Humanities at Pitt Johnstown

#4

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 $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Mansfield University of Pennsylvania landed the #4 spot on the list. Mansfield University is located in Mansfield, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.

Mansfield University also took the #17 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $16,252 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Mansfield University of Pennsylvania.

Full Mansfield University of Pennsylvania Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#5

University of Pittsburgh - Bradford

Bradford, Pennsylvania
#12 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pittsburgh - Bradford. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k list. Pitt Bradford is a small public school situated in Bradford, Pennsylvania. It awarded 9 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

Pitt Bradford also made our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #12. The estimated yearly cost for Pitt Bradford is $15,476 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

#6

West Chester University of Pennsylvania

West Chester, Pennsylvania
#6 in overall quality

West Chester University of Pennsylvania came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. WCUPA is a fairly large school located in West Chester, Pennsylvania that handed out 161 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 $30-$48k list, WCUPA has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $17,966 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend West Chester University of Pennsylvania.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

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

#7

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania

Cheyney, Pennsylvania
#18 in overall quality

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This small school is located in Cheyney, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

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 $8,609 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

#8

Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

Edinboro, Pennsylvania
#16 in overall quality

Edinboro University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #8. Edinboro, 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 47 students in 2019-2020.

Edinboro did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Edinboro University of Pennsylvania is $13,986 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

#7 in overall quality

University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. 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 / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.

Pitt did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus is $21,011 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Full Pitt Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#10

California University of Pennsylvania

California, Pennsylvania
#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, California University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k list. This medium-sized school is located in California, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 55 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal U did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend California University of Pennsylvania is $14,428 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Cal U Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#11

Clarion University of Pennsylvania

Clarion, Pennsylvania
#11 in overall quality

Clarion University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Clarion, Pennsylvania, this small public school awarded 146 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

Clarion University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $17,224 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Clarion University of Pennsylvania.

Full Clarion University of Pennsylvania Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#12

Eastern University

Saint Davids, Pennsylvania
#10 in overall quality

Eastern University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #12. This small school is located in Saint Davids, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at EU, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Eastern University is $18,260 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

#13

Saint Joseph's University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#5 in overall quality

Saint Joseph’s University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 21 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

St. Joe’s also made our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend St. Joe’s is $25,012 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Saint Joseph’s University Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#14

Lock Haven University

Lock Haven, Pennsylvania
#15 in overall quality

Lock Haven 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 $30-$48k ranking. Lock Haven University is a public institution located in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

LHU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $17,281 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Lock Haven University.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at LHU

#15

Villanova University

Villanova, Pennsylvania
#3 in overall quality

Villanova University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Villanova, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 52 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Villanova, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Villanova University is $21,359 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Villanova University Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#16

University of Scranton

Scranton, Pennsylvania
#8 in overall quality

University of Scranton landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Scranton is a small school located in Scranton, Pennsylvania that handed out 17 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees 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 / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $24,686 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $30-$48k 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

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

#17

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 $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #17. Manor College is a small school located in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania that handed out 3 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees 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 / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Manor College is $16,436 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Manor College Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#18

Drexel University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#4 in overall quality

Drexel University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 77 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students 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 $27,057 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The low 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 full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Drexel University

#19

Neumann University

Aston, Pennsylvania
#13 in overall quality

Neumann University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #19. This small school is located in Aston, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 67 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

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 yearly cost to attend Neumann is $21,636 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Neumann

#20

Lackawanna College

Scranton, Pennsylvania
#20 in overall quality

Lackawanna College landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Lackawanna College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Lackawanna College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for Lackawanna College is $17,256 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $30-$48k.

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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