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2023 Best Value Urban Planning Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

65 Ranked Colleges
2,419 Degrees Awarded
$7,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Urban Planning Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Urban Planning Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2020-2021, 2,419 people earned their degree in urban and regional planning, making the major the 183rd most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, urban and regional planning graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $51,745 and had an average of $23,296 in loans still to pay off.

For this year’s “Best Value Urban Planning Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 65 colleges that offer a degree in urban and regional planning. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality urban and regional planning programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the urban and regional planning program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Urban & Regional Planning Schools

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

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Urban Planning Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for urban planning students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Urban & Regional Planning (Income $0-$30k)

1
MIT crest
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Urban Planning Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 59 ’s urban planning degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at MIT, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Urban & Regional Planning Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology is $5,193 for Urban Planning students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full MIT Urban & Regional Planning Report

2
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Yale University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Urban Planning Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in New Haven, Connecticut, and it awarded 5 ’s urban planning degrees in 2020-2021.

Yale did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Urban & Regional Planning Schools” list. It costs about $961 for Urban Planning students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Yale University.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Yale Urban & Regional Planning Report

3
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Out of the 65 schools in the Best Value Urban Planning Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #3 spot on the list. Harvard University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 26 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Harvard, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Urban & Regional Planning Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Harvard is $2,564 for Urban Planning students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Harvard Urban & Regional Planning Report

4

Out of the 65 schools in the Best Value Urban Planning Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #4 spot on the list. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s urban planning degrees to 55 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our urban planning students whose families make $0-$30k list, Columbia has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Urban & Regional Planning Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Columbia University in the City of New York is $9,873 for urban planning students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, 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 95%.

Read full report on Urban & Regional Planning at Columbia University in the City of New York

5
Cornell crest
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cornell University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Urban Planning Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Ithaca, New York, and it awarded 59 ’s urban planning degrees in 2020-2021.

Cornell did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Urban & Regional Planning Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Cornell University is $5,244 for Urban Planning students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Cornell University Urban & Regional Planning Report

6
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

With a ranking of #6, University of Florida did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Urban Planning Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. UF is a large school located in Gainesville, Florida that handed out 33 ’s urban planning degrees in 2020-2021.

UF also took the #25 spot in our “Best Urban & Regional Planning Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Florida is $65 for urban planning students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Urban & Regional Planning at UF

7

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Urban Planning Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. UNC Chapel Hill is a public institution located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 45 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UNC Chapel Hill did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Urban & Regional Planning Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UNC Chapel Hill is $3,753 for urban planning students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Urban & Regional Planning at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

8

University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Urban Planning Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 7 ’s urban planning degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Berkeley also made our “Best Urban & Regional Planning Schools” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $8,450 for Urban Planning students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Urban & Regional Planning at University of California - Berkeley

9
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, District of Columbia

Georgetown University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Urban Planning Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Georgetown University is a large school located in Washington, District of Columbia that handed out 19 ’s urban planning degrees in 2020-2021.

Georgetown also took the #14 spot in our “Best Urban & Regional Planning Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Georgetown is $3,077 for urban planning students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Urban & Regional Planning at Georgetown University

10

University of California - Los Angeles ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Urban Planning Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 62 ’s urban planning degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Urban & Regional Planning Schools” ranking. It costs about $9,037 for urban planning students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCLA.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Urban & Regional Planning at University of California - Los Angeles

11

With a ranking of #11, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Urban Planning Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 100 ’s urban planning degrees in 2020-2021.

UW Seattle also made our “Best Urban & Regional Planning Schools” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend UW Seattle is $5,194 for urban planning students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UW Seattle Urban & Regional Planning Report

12

Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Urban Planning Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. Georgia Tech is a public institution located in Atlanta, Georgia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 41 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Georgia Tech also made our “Best Urban & Regional Planning Schools” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend Georgia Tech is $8,818 for urban planning students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Georgia Tech Urban & Regional Planning Report

13

University of Maryland - College Park came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Urban Planning Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in College Park, Maryland, and it awarded 5 ’s urban planning degrees in 2020-2021.

UMCP not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Urban & Regional Planning Schools” list. It costs about $6,067 for Urban Planning students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Maryland - College Park.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Urban & Regional Planning at UMCP

14
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Urban Planning Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Virginia is located in Charlottesville, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 50 ’s urban planning degrees to qualified students.

University of Virginia also took the #13 spot in our “Best Urban & Regional Planning Schools” ranking. It costs about $12,476 for urban planning students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Urban & Regional Planning at University of Virginia - Main Campus

15
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Urban Planning Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. USC is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 61 ’s urban planning degrees in 2020-2021.

USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Urban & Regional Planning Schools” list. It costs about $17,287 for urban planning students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Southern California.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Urban & Regional Planning at USC

16

Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value Urban Planning Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Ohio State is located in Columbus, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 75 ’s urban planning degrees to qualified students.

Ohio State also took the #22 spot in our “Best Urban & Regional Planning Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State University - Main Campus is $7,068 for urban planning students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about Urban & Regional Planning at Ohio State

17

Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Urban Planning Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #17. Arizona State University - Tempe is a large public school situated in Tempe, Arizona. It awarded 95 ’s urban planning degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Arizona State University - Tempe is $8,969 for Urban Planning students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full ASU - Tempe Urban & Regional Planning Report

18

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value Urban Planning Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Pomona, California, this large public school awarded 61 degrees to qualified ’s urban planning students in 2020-2021.

Cal Poly Pomona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Urban & Regional Planning Schools” list. It costs about $10,349 for Urban Planning students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cal Poly Pomona.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal Poly Pomona Urban & Regional Planning Report

19

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Urban Planning Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in San Luis Obispo, California, and it awarded 46 ’s urban planning degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Urban & Regional Planning Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $12,173 for urban planning students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Urban & Regional Planning at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

20
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida

Florida State University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Urban Planning Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Florida State is a large school located in Tallahassee, Florida that handed out 33 ’s urban planning degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $4,950 for Urban Planning students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Florida State University.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, 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 95%.

Read full report on Urban & Regional Planning at Florida State University

21

University of California - Davis came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Urban Planning Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Davis, California, this large public school handed out 60 degrees to qualified ’s urban planning students in 2020-2021.

UC Davis also made our “Best Urban & Regional Planning Schools” list, coming in at #17. It costs about $10,006 for Urban Planning students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Davis.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - Davis Urban & Regional Planning Report

22

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Urban Planning Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 40 ’s urban planning degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $7,698 for urban planning students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UMN Twin Cities.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Urban & Regional Planning Report

23

University of California - Irvine landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Best Value Urban Planning Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 36 ’s urban planning degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Urban & Regional Planning Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $6,540 for Urban Planning students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Urban & Regional Planning at UC Irvine

24

University of South Florida - Main Campus landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Value Urban Planning Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. USF Tampa is a large school located in Tampa, Florida that handed out 12 ’s urban planning degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for University of South Florida - Main Campus is $4,176 for Urban Planning students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Urban & Regional Planning at USF Tampa

25
Ball State crest
Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Urban Planning Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Muncie, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s urban planning degrees to 24 students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Ball State is $8,273 for urban planning students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Ball State University Urban & Regional Planning Report

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