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2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid

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

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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.

This year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 20 colleges that offered a degree in liberal arts / sciences and humanities. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great liberal arts / sciences and humanities programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the liberal arts / sciences and humanities program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The liberal arts / sciences & humanities school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid”.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 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 / sciences & humanities students with aid.

Top 20 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities in Pennsylvania (With Aid)

#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 Getting Aid. University of Pennsylvania is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.

UPenn also took the #1 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $25,802 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid per year to attend UPenn.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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. 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%.

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

#2

West Chester University of Pennsylvania

West Chester, Pennsylvania
#6 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 Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, West Chester University of Pennsylvania landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in West Chester, Pennsylvania, this fairly large public school awarded 161 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid 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 $22,495 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid per year to attend WCUPA.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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 WCUPA Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#3

Mansfield University of Pennsylvania

Mansfield, Pennsylvania
#17 in overall quality

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 / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid. Mansfield University is a public institution located in Mansfield, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 24 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Mansfield University also took the #17 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Mansfield University is $19,065 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid.

Full Mansfield University Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#4

University of Pittsburgh - Bradford

Bradford, Pennsylvania
#12 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 Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pittsburgh - Bradford landed the #4 spot on the list. This small school is located in Bradford, Pennsylvania, and 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 University of Pittsburgh - Bradford is $18,906 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 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%.

Full University of Pittsburgh - Bradford Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#5

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania

Cheyney, Pennsylvania
#18 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 Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania landed the #5 spot on the list. 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 also made our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #18. The yearly cost to attend Cheyney University of Pennsylvania is $7,656 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid.

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

#6

Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

Edinboro, Pennsylvania
#16 in overall quality

Edinboro University of Pennsylvania ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid list. Edinboro University of Pennsylvania is a small school located in Edinboro, Pennsylvania that handed out 47 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

Edinboro also took the #16 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Edinboro University of Pennsylvania is $16,833 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid.

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

#7

University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown

Johnstown, Pennsylvania
#14 in overall quality

University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, this small public school handed out 1 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

Pitt Johnstown not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $19,712 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid 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 University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown

#8

California University of Pennsylvania

California, Pennsylvania
#9 in overall quality

California University of Pennsylvania landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. California, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 55 students in 2019-2020.

Cal U also made our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for Cal U is $18,154 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Cal U

#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid list. Pitt 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 Pitt is $27,938 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid.

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

#10

Clarion University of Pennsylvania

Clarion, Pennsylvania
#11 in overall quality

Clarion University of Pennsylvania came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. Clarion University is a small public school situated in Clarion, Pennsylvania. It awarded 146 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees 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 $20,011 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid per year to attend Clarion University of Pennsylvania.

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

#11

Lock Haven University

Lock Haven, Pennsylvania
#15 in overall quality

Lock Haven University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. LHU is located in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 17 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 with aid list, LHU has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $20,506 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid per year to attend LHU.

Full LHU Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#12

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 Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 3 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities 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 / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $16,658 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid per year to attend Manor College.

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

#13

Eastern University

Saint Davids, Pennsylvania
#10 in overall quality

Eastern University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Saint Davids, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 4 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

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

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at EU

#14

Lackawanna College

Scranton, Pennsylvania
#20 in overall quality

Lackawanna College landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid 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 yearly cost to attend Lackawanna College is $18,120 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid.

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

#15

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
#2 in overall quality

Carnegie Mellon University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #15. Carnegie Mellon 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.

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

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 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. 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 full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Carnegie Mellon University

#16

Saint Joseph's University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#5 in overall quality

Saint Joseph’s University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #16. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 21 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid list, St. Joe’s has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for St. Joe’s is $33,375 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at St. Joe’s

#17

Villanova University

Villanova, Pennsylvania
#3 in overall quality

Villanova University 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 Getting Aid ranking. Villanova is a fairly large school located in Villanova, Pennsylvania that handed out 52 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

Villanova also made our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $41,027 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid per year to attend Villanova.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Full Villanova University Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#18

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 Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #18. Neumann University 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Neumann, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Neumann is $23,808 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid.

Full Neumann University Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#19

Drexel University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#4 in overall quality

Drexel 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 Getting Aid ranking. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 77 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

Drexel not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Drexel University is $34,914 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities 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%.

Full Drexel Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#20

University of Scranton

Scranton, Pennsylvania
#8 in overall quality

University of Scranton ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid list. University of Scranton is a private not-for-profit institution located in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Scranton also made our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend University of Scranton is $34,374 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid.

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.

Full University of Scranton Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 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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