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Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Pennsylvania

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2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Pennsylvania

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

20 Colleges
$29,935 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$41,444 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, public administration and social service was ranked 6th in Pennsylvania. In fact, 2,116 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Grad Degree Search has developed this Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Our analysis looked at 20 schools in Pennsylvania to see which programs offered the best value experiences for public administration and social service students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Pennsylvania

Check out the public administration and social service programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools

$10,423 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found West Chester University of Pennsylvania to be the best value school for public administration and social service students who want to pursue a degree in Pennsylvania. WCUPA is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of West Chester.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WCUPA are $10,423 per year.

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

#2

Marywood University

Scranton, PA
$37,284 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Marywood University is a great value for public administration and social service students. Located in the small city of Scranton, Marywood is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Marywood are $37,284 a year.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Marywood University

$13,394 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 20 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania landed the # 3 spot on the list. Ship is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Shippensburg.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Ship are $13,394 per year.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Report

$10,543 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Pennsylvania list. 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.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania Report

$11,062 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration and social service schools in Pennsylvania. Located in the fringe town of Kutztown, Kutztown University is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Kutztown University undergraduate students pay an average of $11,062 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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

$11,108 Average Tuition & Fees

California University of Pennsylvania came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Located in the suburb of California, Cal U is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Cal U undergraduate students pay an average of $11,108 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at California University of Pennsylvania Report

$12,256 Average Tuition & Fees

Millersville University of Pennsylvania did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for public administration and social service students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Millersville, Millersville is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Millersville are $12,256 a year.

Read More…

#8

Alvernia University

Reading, PA
$39,280 Average Tuition & Fees

Alvernia University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Pennsylvania list. Alvernia is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Reading.

Alvernia undergraduate students pay an average of $39,280 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Alvernia University

#9

Villanova University

Villanova, PA
$59,020 Average Tuition & Fees

Villanova University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for public administration and social service students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Villanova are $59,020 per year.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Villanova is ranked #5 for overall quality for public administration and social service in Pennsylvania.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Villanova University Report

#10

Lincoln University

Lincoln University, PA
$11,556 Average Tuition & Fees

Lincoln University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the suburb of Lincoln University, Lincoln is a public school with a small student population.

Lincoln undergraduate students pay an average of $11,556 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Lincoln University

Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
New York 6,455
Maryland 1,050
New Jersey 1,665
District of Columbia 820
Delaware 160

Public Administration & Social Service Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Social Work 33,631
Public Administration 13,571
Public Policy 3,737
Human Services 1,277
Community Organization & Advocacy 741
Other Public Administration 295

Majors Similar to Public Administration & Social Service

Related Major Annual Graduates
Legal Professions 45,189
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting 13,045
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies 10,452
Military Technologies & Applied Sciences 1,613

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 20 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 University of the Fraser Valley.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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