2026 Best Value General Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in general social sciences, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value General Social Sciences Schools
For return on investment in general social sciences, no school beat Harrisburg Area Community College Harrisburg this year. Located in the city of Harrisburg, Harrisburg Area Community College Harrisburg is a large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $6,975, compared with $12,472 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for general social sciences graduates is $23,500. Early-career general social sciences graduates make about $27,600. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
A rank of #2 makes Pennsylvania State University World Campus one of the best values for general social sciences. Pennsylvania State University World Campus is a large public school located in the city of University Park. In-state tuition and fees average $15,356. Ten years after enrolling, students earn a median of $63,435. The acceptance rate is 91%.
University Of Pennsylvania is a great value for students pursuing a degree in general social sciences, landing the #3 spot this year. Located in the city of Philadelphia, University Of Pennsylvania is a very large private not-for-profit university. Students from in state pay about $68,686 in tuition and fees. General Social Sciences graduates carry a median of $16,155 in student loans. Early-career general social sciences graduates make about $99,682. Set against $16,155 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 5% of applicants are accepted.
Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 24 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked 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 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.
[General Social Sciences](/majors/social-sciences/general-social-sciences/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
