2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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” ranking - to help you make that 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” ranking looked at 20 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.
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.
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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” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania
The colleges and universities below are the best for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.
Top 20 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities in Pennsylvania
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend West Chester University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania. Located in West Chester, Pennsylvania, this fairly large public school handed out 161 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.
WCUPA also took the #6 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend WCUPA is $22,495 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.
The low student loan default rate of 4.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania list. Cal U is a medium-sized school located in California, Pennsylvania that handed out 55 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal U, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $18,154 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students per year to attend California University of Pennsylvania.
Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Cal U
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Clarion University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania list. 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 also made our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend Clarion University of Pennsylvania is $20,011 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.
Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Clarion University of Pennsylvania
Out of the 20 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania 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 public institution located in Bradford, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students list, Pitt Bradford has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pittsburgh - Bradford is $18,906 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.
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 Pitt Bradford
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania 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 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus is $27,938 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.
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 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report
Edinboro University of Pennsylvania ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania list. Edinboro is a public institution located in Edinboro, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 47 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students list, Edinboro has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Edinboro University of Pennsylvania is $16,833 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.
Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Edinboro
University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania list. Johnstown, 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 1 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. The yearly cost to attend Pitt Johnstown is $19,712 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.
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
Lock Haven University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania ranking, coming in at #8. 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.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at LHU, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lock Haven University is $20,506 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.
Mansfield University of Pennsylvania landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania ranking. 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.
Mansfield University also made our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #17. The yearly cost to attend Mansfield University of Pennsylvania is $19,065 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.
Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Mansfield University of Pennsylvania
Cheyney 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 ranking. Cheyney, 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 6 students in 2019-2020.
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania also took the #18 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cheyney University of Pennsylvania is $7,656 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.
Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
With a ranking of #11, Manor College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania list. 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.
Manor College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Manor College is $16,658 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.
Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Manor College
Lackawanna College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania ranking, coming in at #12. 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.
Lackawanna College also took the #20 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lackawanna College is $18,120 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.
Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Lackawanna College
With a ranking of #13, Eastern University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania list. EU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Davids, Pennsylvania. It awarded 4 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.
EU also made our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for EU is $22,284 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.
Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Eastern University
With a ranking of #14, Neumann University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania list. Neumann is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Aston, Pennsylvania. It awarded 67 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 list, Neumann has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Neumann University is $23,808 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.
Full Neumann University Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report
Saint Joseph’s University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania list. 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 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 Saint Joseph’s University is $33,375 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 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%. 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 Saint Joseph’s University Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report
University of Scranton did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania ranking, coming in at #16. Scranton, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students list, University of Scranton has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $34,374 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students 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 low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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 Scranton
Villanova University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania 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.
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 estimated yearly cost for Villanova is $41,027 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
With a ranking of #17, Drexel University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania list. Drexel is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 77 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees 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 estimated yearly cost for Drexel University is $34,914 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Drexel
Carnegie Mellon University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania list. Carnegie Mellon University is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 17 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.
Carnegie Mellon also took the #2 spot 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.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Carnegie Mellon University
With a ranking of #20, University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania list. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 10 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 list, UPenn has also earned the #1 rank 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 per year to attend University of Pennsylvania.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.
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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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Jacques Sablet (Switzerland, Morges, 1749-1803).
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