2023 Best Value General Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best General Social Sciences School for You
In 2020-2021, 265 degrees and certificates were awarded to general social sciences students who went to a Pennsylvania college or university. This makes it the #114 most popular major in the state.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right 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.
The Best Value General Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 9 schools in Pennsylvania to see which programs offered the best value experiences for social sciences students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Best Pennsylvania Schools for Affordable Quality in General Social Sciences
Our analysis found Harrisburg Area Community College to be the best value school for general social sciences students who want to pursue a degree in Pennsylvania. Located in the small city of Harrisburg, HACC is a public school with a fairly large student population.
HACC undergraduate students pay an average of $8,295 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, social sciences graduates from HACC take out $20,064 in student loans while working on their degree.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means California University of Pennsylvania is a great value for general social sciences students. Located in the suburb of California, Cal U is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal U are $11,108 a year. The average amount in student loans that social sciences majors at Cal U take out is $30,984.
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The excellent programs at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best general social sciences schools in Pennsylvania. Located in the fringe town of Edinboro, Edinboro is a public college with a small student population.
Edinboro undergraduate students pay an average of $10,543 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on General Social Sciences at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown is a great value for general social sciences students. Located in the suburb of Johnstown, Pitt Johnstown is a public college with a small student population.
Pitt Johnstown undergraduate students pay an average of $14,352 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, social sciences graduates from Pitt Johnstown carry an average student debtload of $32,600.
Full General Social Sciences at University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown Report
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The excellent programs at University of Pittsburgh - Bradford helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best general social sciences schools in Pennsylvania. Located in the remote town of Bradford, Pitt Bradford is a public school with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Pitt Bradford are $14,354 per year. Social Sciences majors at Pitt Bradford take out an average of $32,600 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full General Social Sciences at University of Pittsburgh - Bradford Report
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University of Pittsburgh - Greensburg came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Located in the large suburb of Greensburg, Pitt Greensburg is a public college with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Pitt Greensburg are $14,344 per year. The average amount in student loans that social sciences majors at Pitt Greensburg take out is $32,600.
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Temple University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general social sciences students. It came in at #7 on the list. Temple is a fairly large public school located in the city of Philadelphia.
Temple undergraduate students pay an average of $17,378 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value General Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Pitt is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Pitt undergraduate students pay an average of $20,362 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, social sciences graduates from Pitt carry an average student debtload of $32,600.
Pitt excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best General Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania list.
Read full report on General Social Sciences at University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus
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University of Pennsylvania ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value General Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
UPenn undergraduate students pay an average of $61,710 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
UPenn not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best General Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania list.
Full General Social Sciences at University of Pennsylvania Report
Request InformationBest Value General Social Sciences Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region
Explore all the Best Value General Social Sciences Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| New York | 1,113 |
| Maryland | 428 |
| New Jersey | 738 |
| District of Columbia | 1 |
| Delaware | 147 |
More General Social Sciences Rankings in Pennsylvania
Majors Related to Social Sciences
One of 12 majors within the area of study, general social sciences has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Political Science & Government | 49,282 |
| Economics | 49,055 |
| Sociology | 38,475 |
| International Relations & National Security | 14,306 |
| Anthropology | 11,415 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 9 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 Manfred Werner (Tsui).
More about our data sources and methodologies.