by our College Data Analytics TeamWith all of the options you have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take when you want to pursue a degree. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Best Pennsylvania Schools For The Money For Those Making $30-$48k ranking - to help you make that decision. This list is proof that you shouldn't avoid normally high-priced schools, since the actual price may be very affordable if you qualify for financial aid.
In This Year's Value Report:
Our analysis looked at 116 schools in Pennsylvania to determine which ones have the best value programs. Our ranking methodology focuses on different objective factors to make this determination of the best value schools. In the next few paragraphs, we'll talk a little about what we use in our analysis and why.
To calculate the value of a school in our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania ranking, we first consider its average net price of students from families making $30-$48k a year. The net price is the sum of room and board, tuition, and fees minus any financial aid that that the student receives. In addition, the overall quality of a school is important to ensure a good education, not just how much it costs.
To make it into this list a school must offer a quality education like the schools in our Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considers factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Find out more about our best value ranking methodology.
You can scroll down to see the top schools for this ranking, but you may also want to view some of the other ranking methods listed below.
Know what field you want to major in? Make sure you check out our best value schools by major. In addition, you can select one of the links below to see the best value colleges for other degree levels.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2024 rankings named University of Pennsylvania the best value (income $30-$48k) school in Pennsylvania. UPenn is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Pennsylvania is ranked #1 for quality in the state of Pennsylvania.
A rank of #2 on our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania list means Dickinson College is a great place for students working on their degree. Dickinson College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
Dickinson College has the honor of being ranked #17 in Pennsylvania for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $1,451.
The quality degree programs at Swarthmore College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania. Located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, the school is a small private not-for-profit institution.
Swarthmore College has the honor of being ranked #3 in Pennsylvania for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $11,885.
A rank of #4 on our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania list means Haverford College is a great place for students working on their degree. Located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, the school is a small private not-for-profit institution.
Haverford College has the honor of being ranked #13 in Pennsylvania for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $8,200.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology. It ranked #5 on our 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania list. Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology is a small public school located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology has the honor of being ranked #24 in Pennsylvania for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $6,435.
Read full value report on Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology
With a ranking of #6, Carnegie Mellon University did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania list. Carnegie Mellon is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and has a fairly large student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Carnegie Mellon University has the honor of being ranked #2 in Pennsylvania for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $18,424.
West Chester University of Pennsylvania came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania ranking. WCUPA is a public institution located in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, West Chester University of Pennsylvania is ranked #14 for quality in the state of Pennsylvania. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $8,733.
Learn More About Value at West Chester University of Pennsylvania
Villanova University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania list. Located in Villanova, Pennsylvania, the school is a fairly large private not-for-profit institution.
Not only is Villanova University a great value, but it is also ranked #6 in Pennsylvania for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $14,241.
Bryn Mawr College landed the #9 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
Not only is Bryn Mawr College a great value, but it is also ranked #21 in Pennsylvania for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $10,317.
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania ranking, coming in at #10. SRU is a medium-sized public school situated in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania.
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania has the honor of being ranked #34 in Pennsylvania for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $9,533.
Learn More About Value at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Holy Family University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania list. Holy Family is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and has a small student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Holy Family University is ranked #51 for quality in the state of Pennsylvania. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $8,449.
Drexel University landed the #12 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania ranking. Drexel University is a large private not-for-profit school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Drexel University has the honor of being ranked #11 in Pennsylvania for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $14,724.
Bucknell University did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania ranking, coming in at #13. Lewisburg, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Not only is Bucknell University a great value, but it is also ranked #4 in Pennsylvania for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $17,072.
Lehigh University did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania ranking, coming in at #14. Lehigh University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Lehigh University has the honor of being ranked #5 in Pennsylvania for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $17,416.
Community College of Allegheny County landed the #15 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania ranking. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the school is a fairly large public institution.
Community College of Allegheny County has the honor of being ranked #59 in Pennsylvania for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $8,737.
Learn More About Value at Community College of Allegheny County
Montgomery County Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania ranking, coming in at #16. Montco is a medium-sized public school situated in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania.
Not only is Montgomery County Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #90 in Pennsylvania for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,685.
Learn More About Value at Montgomery County Community College
With a ranking of #17, Bucks County Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania list. Bucks County Community College is a public institution located in Newtown, Pennsylvania.
Bucks County Community College has the honor of being ranked #95 in Pennsylvania for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,159.
Thomas Jefferson University landed the #18 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania ranking. Thomas Jefferson University is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and has a medium-sized student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Thomas Jefferson University is ranked #9 for quality in the state of Pennsylvania. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $17,294.
With a ranking of #18, Clarion University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania list. Clarion University of Pennsylvania is a small public school located in Clarion, Pennsylvania.
Clarion University of Pennsylvania has the honor of being ranked #67 in Pennsylvania for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $10,157.
Learn More About Value at Clarion University of Pennsylvania
Community College of Beaver County ranked #20 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania list. This small public school is located in Monaca, Pennsylvania.
Community College of Beaver County has the honor of being ranked #105 in Pennsylvania for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $5,134.
University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus landed the #21 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania ranking. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus has the honor of being ranked #7 in Pennsylvania for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $18,940.
Full University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Value Report
Northampton County Area Community College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania ranking. This medium-sized public school is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Not only is Northampton County Area Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #101 in Pennsylvania for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $6,814.
Read full value report on Northampton County Area Community College
Temple University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania list. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the school is a large public institution.
Temple University has the honor of being ranked #10 in Pennsylvania for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $17,613.
Gettysburg College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania ranking. Gettysburg is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Gettysburg College has the honor of being ranked #18 in Pennsylvania for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $15,338.
Muhlenberg College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania ranking, coming in at #25. Located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, the school is a small private not-for-profit institution.
Muhlenberg College has the honor of being ranked #23 in Pennsylvania for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $14,819.
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.