2023 Best Value Colleges for General Social Sciences in Pennsylvania (With Aid)
8
Ranked Colleges
266
Degrees Awarded
$18,600
Avg Net Price*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 18,997 people earned their degree in general social sciences, making the major the 54th most popular in the United States. 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.
For this year’s “Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 8 colleges that offer a degree in general social sciences. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general social sciences 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 general social sciences program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid.
Top 8 Best Value Colleges for General Social Sciences in Pennsylvania (With Aid)
Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pennsylvania landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Pennsylvania is a private not-for-profit institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UPenn not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $25,046 for Pennsylvania Social Sciences students with aid per year to attend UPenn.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, 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 95%.
Full University of Pennsylvania General Social Sciences Report
Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Harrisburg Area Community College landed the #2 spot on the list. Harrisburg Area Community College is located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 59 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
HACC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $11,608 for pennsylvania social sciences students with aid per year to attend HACC.
Read full report on General Social Sciences at HACC
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid list. Edinboro University of Pennsylvania is a small public school situated in Edinboro, Pennsylvania. It awarded 6 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Edinboro did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Edinboro University of Pennsylvania is $16,363 for pennsylvania social sciences students with aid.
Read more about General Social Sciences at Edinboro
Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this large public school handed out 11 degrees to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.
Pitt also took the #2 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Pitt is $27,058 for pennsylvania social sciences students with aid.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about General Social Sciences at Pitt
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in California, Pennsylvania, and 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. It costs about $19,117 for Pennsylvania Social Sciences students with aid per year to attend California University of Pennsylvania.
Read more about General Social Sciences at Cal U
University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. Pitt Johnstown is a small school located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania that handed out 2 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Pitt Johnstown also took the #5 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown is $17,457 for Pennsylvania Social Sciences students with aid.
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%.
Full Pitt Johnstown General Social Sciences Report
University of Pittsburgh - Greensburg did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. This small school is located in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 1 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Pitt Greensburg also took the #8 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Pittsburgh - Greensburg is $16,369 for pennsylvania social sciences students with aid.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 General Social Sciences at Pitt Greensburg
University of Pittsburgh - Bradford came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in Bradford, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 1 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Pitt Bradford also took the #7 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Pitt Bradford is $16,003 for pennsylvania social sciences students with aid.
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 Bradford
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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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