2023 Best Value Colleges for General Social Sciences (Income $0-$30k) in Pennsylvania
8
Ranked Colleges
266
Degrees Awarded
$10,500
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.
General Social Sciences is the 54th most popular major in the country with 18,997 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, general social sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $32,991 and had an average of $24,438 in loans still to pay off.
Across Pennsylvania, there were 266 general social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,933 and $32,361 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 8 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general social sciences. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general social sciences programs, but they also cost less that 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 general social sciences program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The social sciences 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 Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k”.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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 Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 8 Best Value Colleges for General Social Sciences (Income $0-$30k) in Pennsylvania
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 1 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our pennsylvania social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, UPenn has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UPenn is $580 for Pennsylvania Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of Pennsylvania General Social Sciences Report
Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California University of Pennsylvania landed the #2 spot on the list. Cal U is a medium-sized public school situated in California, Pennsylvania. It awarded 58 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal U also made our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Cal U is $15,854 for pennsylvania social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on General Social Sciences at Cal U
Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania landed the #3 spot on the list. Edinboro is located in Edinboro, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
Edinboro also took the #4 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $12,212 for Pennsylvania Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Edinboro.
Read more about General Social Sciences at Edinboro
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harrisburg Area Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Harrisburg Area Community College is a fairly large school located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania that handed out 59 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at HACC, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Harrisburg Area Community College is $9,741 for Pennsylvania Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about General Social Sciences at HACC
Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. Pitt is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
Pitt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for Pitt is $15,084 for pennsylvania social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Social Sciences at Pitt
University of Pittsburgh - Greensburg did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. University of Pittsburgh - Greensburg is a small school located in Greensburg, Pennsylvania that handed out 1 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Pitt Greensburg did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for Pitt Greensburg is $9,777 for Pennsylvania Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Social Sciences at University of Pittsburgh - Greensburg
With a ranking of #7, University of Pittsburgh - Bradford did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Pitt Bradford is a small public school situated in Bradford, Pennsylvania. It awarded 1 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our pennsylvania social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, Pitt Bradford has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $10,311 for pennsylvania social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Pittsburgh - Bradford.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Social Sciences at Pitt Bradford
University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. Pitt Johnstown is a public institution located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our pennsylvania social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, Pitt Johnstown has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown is $10,570 for Pennsylvania Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Social Sciences at Pitt Johnstown
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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
- *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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