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Best Value Computer Science Basic Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania

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2023 Best Value Computer Science Basic Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania

Identifying High-Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

6 Schools Ranked
$27,447 Avg Tuition & Fees*

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for computer science students. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools and bootcamps that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Computer Science Degree Search has created its Best Value Computer Science Basic Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Our analysis looked at 6 schools in Pennsylvania to see which basic certificate programs offered the best value experiences for computer science students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. 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.

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

Top Value Computer Science Basic Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania

Learn more about these excellent schools below:

#1

Community College of Philadelphia

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
50 Total Awards
$12,744 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Community College of Philadelphia to be the best value school for computer science students who want to pursue a basic certificate in Pennsylvania. Community College of Philadelphia is a fairly large public school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It awarded 50 basic certificates in 2020-2021.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Community College of Philadelphia are $12,744 per year.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Community College of Philadelphia does offer online classes for certain majors. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 100% took at least some of their classes online.

Community College of Philadelphia not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #4 on our Best Computer Science Basic Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list.

Read More…

#2

Temple University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
28 Total Awards
$30,602 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 6 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s value ranking, Temple University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Temple is a public institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 28 basic certificates in 2020-2021.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Temple are $30,602 a year.

Temple does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In 2019-2020 about 99% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Temple also made our Best Computer Science Basic Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list, coming in at #3.

Full Temple University Report

#3

Community College of Allegheny County

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
39 Total Awards
$11,863 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent basic certificate programs at Community College of Allegheny County helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value computer science schools in Pennsylvania. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the fairly large public school handed out 39 basic certificate awards in 2020-2021.

CCAC undergraduate students pay an average of $11,863 in tuition and fees each year.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at CCAC. In 2019-2020 about 48% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Read More…

4 Total Awards
$35,394 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent basic certificate programs at University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value computer science schools in Pennsylvania. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the large public school awarded 4 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2020-2021.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Pitt are $35,394 a year.

Online courses are available at Pitt, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 25% took at least some of their classes online.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Pitt is ranked #2 for overall quality in Pennsylvania.

Full University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Report

#5

Peirce College

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1 Total Awards
$15,060 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Peirce College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Computer Science Basic Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the very small private not-for-profit school awarded 1 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2020-2021.

Peirce undergraduate students pay an average of $15,060 in tuition and fees each year.

Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out Peirce. Every undergraduate student at the school took at least one class online.

Peirce did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Computer Science Basic Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list.

Read More…

#6

Villanova University

Villanova, Pennsylvania
5 Total Awards
$59,020 Average Tuition & Fees

Villanova University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for computer science students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #6 on the list. Villanova is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It awarded 5 basic certificates in 2020-2021.

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

Villanova does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In fact, around 98% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Villanova did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our Best Computer Science Basic Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list.

Read full report on Villanova University

Best Value Computer Science Basic Certificate Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*These averages are for the top 6 schools only.

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%.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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