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Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Pennsylvania

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2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Pennsylvania

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

33 Colleges
$14,091 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$32,278 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Liberal Arts General Studies School for You

In 2020-2021, liberal arts general studies students earned 3,589 degrees and certificates from a Pennsylvania school, making the subject the 9th in the state.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Pennsylvania to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 33 schools in Pennsylvania to see which programs offered the best value experiences for liberal arts 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.

2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Pennsylvania

Check out the liberal arts programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools

$8,295 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Harrisburg Area Community College the best value school in Pennsylvania for liberal arts general studies students. HACC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Harrisburg.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at HACC are $8,295 a year. After completing their degree, liberal arts graduates from HACC carry an average student debtload of $18,156.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Harrisburg Area Community College Report

$10,423 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at West Chester University of Pennsylvania helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best liberal arts general studies schools in Pennsylvania. Located in the large suburb of West Chester, WCUPA is a public school with a fairly large student population.

WCUPA undergraduate students pay an average of $10,423 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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$9,098 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Bucks County Community College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Pennsylvania list. Bucks County Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the rural area of Newtown.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bucks County Community College are $9,098 per year. While working on their degree, liberal arts majors at Bucks County Community College accumulate an average of around $10,500 in student debt.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Bucks County Community College Report

#4

Lehigh Carbon Community College

Schnecksville, PA
$8,430 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Lehigh Carbon Community College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best liberal arts general studies schools in Pennsylvania. Located in the suburb of Schnecksville, LCCC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LCCC are $8,430 per year. Liberal Arts majors at LCCC take out an average of $12,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

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$8,323 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 33 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Community College of Allegheny County landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, CCAC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

CCAC undergraduate students pay an average of $8,323 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, liberal arts graduates from CCAC take out $14,802 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Community College of Allegheny County Report

$10,350 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #6, Montgomery County Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts general studies students. Located in the suburb of Blue Bell, Montco is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Montco are $10,350 a year. Liberal Arts majors at Montco take out an average of $12,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Montgomery County Community College Report

$11,173 Average Tuition & Fees

Clarion University of Pennsylvania ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Pennsylvania list. Clarion University is a small public school located in the town of Clarion.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Clarion University are $11,173 per year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Clarion University take out is $31,000. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $220, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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$12,810 Average Tuition & Fees

Community College of Beaver County landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value liberal arts general studies programs. Located in the large suburb of Monaca, CCBC is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CCBC are $12,810 a year. After completing their degree, liberal arts graduates from CCBC carry an average student debtload of $15,209.

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$9,900 Average Tuition & Fees

Delaware County Community College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Located in the suburb of Media, Delaware County Community College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Delaware County Community College are $9,900 a year. While working on their degree, liberal arts majors at Delaware County Community College accumulate an average of around $15,175 in student debt.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Delaware County Community College

$10,682 Average Tuition & Fees

Mansfield University of Pennsylvania ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Pennsylvania list. Mansfield University is a small public school located in the distant town of Mansfield.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Mansfield University are $10,682 per year. After completing their degree, liberal arts graduates from Mansfield University carry an average student debtload of $31,750.

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Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
New York 19,150
Maryland 9,515
New Jersey 9,619
District of Columbia 145
Delaware 649

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 26 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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