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2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Public Administration & Social Service (Income $0-$30k) in Pennsylvania

6 Ranked Colleges
346 Degrees Awarded
$13,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for an Associate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for an Associate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 97,666 people earned their degree in public administration and social service, making the major the 14th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, public administration and social service graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $39,142 and had an average of $32,304 in loans still to pay off.

Across Pennsylvania, there were 3,788 public administration and social service graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,131 and $32,926 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 346 public administration and social service graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for an Associate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 6 colleges that offer a degree in public administration and social service. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent public administration and social service programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the public administration and social service program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Public Administration & Social Service Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for an Associate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for an Associate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for an Associate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 6 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Public Administration & Social Service (Income $0-$30k) in Pennsylvania

#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northampton County Area Community College. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for an Associate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northampton County Area Community College is a public institution located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 23 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northampton Community College, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northampton Community College is $7,556 for pennsylvania associate degree public administration & social service students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Northampton County Area Community College

#2

Harrisburg Area Community College

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for an Associate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Harrisburg Area Community College landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, this fairly large public school handed out 54 diplomas to qualified associates’s public administration and social service students in 2019-2020.

HACC also took the #4 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $9,933 for Pennsylvania Associate Degree Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Harrisburg Area Community College.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at HACC

#3

Community College of Philadelphia

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Community College of Philadelphia. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for an Associate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Community College of Philadelphia is a public institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 70 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Community College of Philadelphia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for Community College of Philadelphia is $6,090 for pennsylvania associate degree public administration & social service students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Community College of Philadelphia Public Administration & Social Service Report

#4

Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

Edinboro, Pennsylvania
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for an Associate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k. Edinboro is a public institution located in Edinboro, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 13 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania associate degree public administration & social service students whose families make $0-$30k list, Edinboro has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Edinboro is $13,169 for pennsylvania associate degree public administration & social service students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

#5

Elizabethtown College

Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Elizabethtown College. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for an Associate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k. Etown is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Etown also took the #2 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $19,191 for pennsylvania associate degree public administration & social service students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Elizabethtown College.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, 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 89%.

Full Etown Public Administration & Social Service Report

#6

Harcum College

Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
#3 in overall quality

Harcum College landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for an Associate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Harcum College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 70 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Harcum College also made our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Harcum College is $22,065 for pennsylvania associate degree public administration & social service students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Harcum College

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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

Footnotes

  • *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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