Find Affordable College Courses

What Do You Want to Study?

Best Value General Education Schools in Pennsylvania

2023 Best Value General Education Schools in Pennsylvania

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

28 Colleges
$34,067 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$51,017 Avg Salary

Finding the Best General Education School for You

With 1,014 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, general education is the #46 most popular major in Pennsylvania.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value General Education Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Our analysis looked at 28 schools in Pennsylvania to see which programs offered the best value experiences for education students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

Top 10 Best General Education Schools

#1

La Salle University

Philadelphia, PA
$33,150 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named La Salle University the best value school in Pennsylvania for general education students. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, La Salle is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at La Salle are $33,150 per year.

Read full report on General Education at La Salle University

Request Information
#2

Cabrini University

Radnor, PA
$33,845 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Cabrini University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best general education schools in Pennsylvania. Cabrini University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Radnor.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cabrini University are $33,845 per year. While working on their degree, education majors at Cabrini University accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.

Read More…

Request Information
#3

Lehigh Carbon Community College

Schnecksville, PA
$8,430 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Lehigh Carbon Community College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the large suburb of Schnecksville, LCCC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

LCCC undergraduate students pay an average of $8,430 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, education graduates from LCCC take out $11,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

Request Information

Out of the 28 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, York College of Pennsylvania landed the # 4 spot on the list. YCP is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize suburb of York.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at YCP are $22,350 a year.

Full General Education at York College of Pennsylvania Report

Request Information
#5

Wilson College

Chambersburg, PA
$26,200 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Wilson College is a great value for general education students. Located in the small city of Chambersburg, Wilson is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Wilson are $26,200 a year.

Full General Education at Wilson College Report

Request Information
#6

Westminster College Pennsylvania

New Wilmington, PA
$38,230 Average Tuition & Fees

Westminster College Pennsylvania did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general education students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the town of New Wilmington, Westminster New Wilmington is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Westminster New Wilmington are $38,230 per year.

Read More…

Request Information
$12,256 Average Tuition & Fees

Millersville University of Pennsylvania landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value general education programs. Millersville is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Millersville.

Millersville undergraduate students pay an average of $12,256 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full General Education at Millersville University of Pennsylvania Report

Request Information
#8

Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA
$31,640 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #8, Holy Family University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general education students. Located in the city of Philadelphia, Holy Family is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Holy Family undergraduate students pay an average of $31,640 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full General Education at Holy Family University Report

Request Information
#9

Messiah University

Mechanicsburg, PA
$38,370 Average Tuition & Fees

Messiah University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Messiah is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Mechanicsburg.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Messiah are $38,370 a year.

Read full report on General Education at Messiah University

Request Information
$11,108 Average Tuition & Fees

California University of Pennsylvania landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value general education programs. Cal U is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of California.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal U are $11,108 a year.

Read full report on General Education at California University of Pennsylvania

Request Information

Best Value General Education Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Value General Education Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
New York 604
Maryland 1,286
New Jersey 702
District of Columbia 79
Delaware 134

One of 14 majors within the area of study, general education has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific 110,226
Educational Administration 46,469
Teacher Education Subject Specific 43,297
Special Education 36,792
Curriculum & Instruction 19,832

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • 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 the rest 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to KOKUYO.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.