Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Cost is resident tuition plus required fees, 2023-24.
Bachelor's Degrees in Pennsylvania
11
Meet the Ranking Threshold
1
Median Resident Tuition and Fees
$41,414
With a Fully Online Option
3
General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in Pennsylvania
General studies bachelor's degrees in Pennsylvania are 11 programs, 10 of them at private colleges, and only one meets the ranking threshold. Carlow University in Pittsburgh is that one, scoring 39.1 and 126th in the national bachelor's ranking on 12 degrees a year, a 60% graduation rate and $34,502 in tuition and required fees for 2023-24. The other ten awarded between 1 and 9 degrees each in the latest year, so this is a level where the degree exists at many colleges and is chosen by few students at any of them.
Among those ten, Villanova University awarded 9 at $64,701 with a 92% graduation rate, Seton Hill University in Greensburg 8 at $41,414 with 67%, and Carnegie Mellon University 7 at $63,274 with 94%. King's College in Wilkes-Barre awarded 6, Lancaster Bible College and Misericordia University 5 each, Saint Vincent College 3, Juniata College 2, and DeSales University and Temple University 1 apiece. Temple is the one public program, at $21,991 for Pennsylvania residents and $37,248 for everyone else. Three programs can be finished online, all private: Seton Hill, Lancaster Bible at $29,990 and Misericordia at $38,370.
The Best General Studies Bachelor's Degree in Pennsylvania
The best general studies bachelor's degrees in Pennsylvania are ranked below by their national score, from the national bachelor's degree ranking. The number on each card is the program's place in Pennsylvania. Each needed at least 10 graduates in the latest year to be ranked.
1
Carlow University
Pennsylvania
39.1- Private nonprofit
- College graduation rate
- 60%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $34,502 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 12
About the Program
Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Carlow University is a private nonprofit university with 2,416 students on its rolls. Some 12 bachelor's degrees were conferred in the last year on record, a bigger output than 6% of the programs ranked alongside it. Of the students who start at Carlow University, 60% graduate, and that beats 78 in every 100 institutions on this measure. Every student pays $34,502 a year in tuition and fees, since the institution sets one rate. Admission is selective enough to plan for, with 87% of applicants accepted. Its strongest mark is the graduation rate of its college, at the 78th percentile.
Other General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in Pennsylvania
The other general studies bachelor's degrees in Pennsylvania awarded fewer than 10 degrees in the latest year or did not report a figure the ranking uses, so they are listed here without a score. That says something about size and nothing on its own about quality.
| College | Degrees Awarded | Graduation Rate | Tuition and Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Villanova University, Villanova | 9 | 92% | $64,701 |
| Seton Hill University, Greensburg | 8 | 67% | $41,414 |
| Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh | 7 | 94% | $63,274 |
| King's College, Wilkes-Barre | 6 | 60% | $42,600 |
| Lancaster Bible College, Lancaster | 5 | 67% | $29,990 |
| Misericordia University, Dallas | 5 | 72% | $38,370 |
| Saint Vincent College, Latrobe | 3 | 69% | $41,100 |
| Juniata College, Huntingdon | 2 | 74% | $56,402 |
| DeSales University, Center Valley | 1 | 72% | $44,800 |
| Temple University, Philadelphia | 1 | 75% | $21,991 |
Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Graduation rate is the college's, for first-time, full-time students.
How Much Does a General Studies Bachelor's Degree Cost in Pennsylvania?
A general studies bachelor's degree in Pennsylvania costs $41,414 a year in tuition and required fees at the median of the 11 programs for 2023-24, which is Seton Hill's price, and the spread runs from $21,991 for a Pennsylvania resident at Temple to $64,701 at Villanova. Carlow, the ranked program, is $34,502. Lancaster Bible is $29,990, Misericordia $38,370, Saint Vincent $41,100, King's $42,600, DeSales $44,800, Juniata $56,402 and Carnegie Mellon $63,274. Because ten of the eleven are private, residency changes the price only at Temple, where nonresidents pay $37,248.
If you're finishing a bachelor's part-time at one of these colleges, the PA State Grant still applies. PHEAA's 2025-26 manual bases eligibility primarily on financial need and requires enrollment at least half-time, defined as at least 6 semester credits, in an approved program of study of at least 2 academic years in length, which every bachelor's program here is. The catch is the amount: half-time enrollees are eligible for up to one-half of their full-time award. At $34,502 or $41,414 a year, that grant covers a slice rather than the bill, so ask each college's aid office what its own grants add on top.
How Does Credit Transfer Into a General Studies Bachelor's Degree in Pennsylvania?
Credit transfers into a general studies bachelor's degree in Pennsylvania on the receiving college's own terms at ten of the eleven programs, because they're private colleges outside PA TRAC's legal membership, which by state law covers Pennsylvania's 15 community colleges and 10 State System universities. Temple is the exception. As a state-related university it meets PA TRAC's minimum requirements by accepting at least 30 credits from the 30-Credit Transfer Framework, the menu of foundation courses from which students may select up to 30 credits to transfer toward a degree at any PA TRAC college.
For everyone else, the framework is a bargaining position rather than a right. Carlow, Seton Hill, Misericordia and the rest can accept your framework courses in full, in part or not at all, so ask for a written credit evaluation before you deposit, and ask specifically how many credits apply to the general studies major rather than to electives. Statewide Program-to-Program articulation, which allows students who graduate with specific associate degrees to transfer as juniors into bachelor's degrees in similar fields of study at PA TRAC colleges, is written around named degree pairs at member colleges, so don't count on junior standing at a private general studies program unless the college puts it in writing.
What Do Jobs With a General Studies Bachelor's Degree Pay in Pennsylvania?
Jobs open to a general studies bachelor's degree in Pennsylvania pay the state medians below, from the May 2025 federal wage survey, with the national median beside each for comparison. Each row links to the salary guide for that job.
How to Choose a General Studies Bachelor's Degree Program in Pennsylvania
How to choose a general studies bachelor's degree program in Pennsylvania starts by accepting that you're choosing among small programs at private colleges, and that the one ranked program, Carlow University, got there by awarding 12 degrees rather than by outscoring a field. The trade-off the data shows is price against completion: Carlow graduates 60% at $34,502, Misericordia 72% at $38,370, Seton Hill 67% at $41,414, and Carnegie Mellon and Villanova 94% and 92% at $63,274 and $64,701. Temple is the cheapest for a resident at $21,991 and graduates 75%, but it awarded one general studies bachelor's in the latest year.
If you need to study online, Seton Hill, Lancaster Bible and Misericordia are the three with a fully online option, and Misericordia pairs that with the highest graduation rate of the three. Ask each college how many students are in the general studies major right now, since a program that awards 1 to 9 degrees a year can be a completion route for returning adults or a catch-all for students who changed majors late, and those are different experiences. Then ask for the written credit evaluation, with the major count separated from the electives.
If you're starting with an associate degree, the general studies associate degrees in Pennsylvania have their own page.