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2022 Best Value General Business Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

295 Ranked Colleges
24,866 Degrees Awarded
$7,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value General Business Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 General Business Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 55,749 people earned their degree in general business/commerce, making the major the 13th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, general business/commerce graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $40,821 and had an average of $25,596 in loans still to pay off.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 24,866 general business/commerce graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value General Business Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 295 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general business/commerce. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great general business/commerce programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the general business/commerce program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value General Business Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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 General Business Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree general business students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Business/Commerce (Income $0-$30k)

#1

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value General Business Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general business degrees to 38 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree general business students whose families make $0-$30k list, UPenn has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best General Business/Commerce Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UPenn is $3,181 for Bachelor’s Degree General Business students whose families make $0-$30k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The 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 General Business/Commerce at UPenn

#2

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana

Out of the 295 schools in the Best Value General Business Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #2 spot on the list. Bloomington, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general business degrees to 2,002 students in 2019-2020.

IU Bloomington also took the #7 spot in our “Best General Business/Commerce Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend IU Bloomington is $4,969 for bachelor’s degree general business students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, 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 91%.

Full Indiana University - Bloomington General Business/Commerce Report

#3

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, Indiana

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Notre Dame. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value General Business Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Notre Dame is located in Notre Dame, Indiana and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 36 bachelors’s general business degrees to qualified students.

Notre Dame did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best General Business/Commerce Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Notre Dame is $12,498 for bachelor’s degree general business students whose families make $0-$30k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Notre Dame General Business/Commerce Report

#4

Northeastern University

Boston, Massachusetts

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northeastern University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value General Business Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Northeastern University is a large school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 939 bachelors’s general business degrees in 2019-2020.

Northeastern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best General Business/Commerce Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $10,239 for Bachelor’s Degree General Business students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northeastern.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read more about General Business/Commerce at Northeastern

#5

Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Wake Forest University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value General Business Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Wake Forest University is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 112 bachelors’s general business degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Wake Forest University, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best General Business/Commerce Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Wake Forest University is $5,250 for Bachelor’s Degree General Business students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Business/Commerce at Wake Forest University

University of Central Florida came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Business Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UCF is located in Orlando, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 527 bachelors’s general business degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on this list, UCF is in the top on our “Best General Business/Commerce Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for UCF is $6,211 for bachelor’s degree general business 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 low student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%.

Full University of Central Florida General Business/Commerce Report

University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Business Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. University of South Florida - Main Campus is a large school located in Tampa, Florida that handed out 271 bachelors’s general business degrees in 2019-2020.

USF Tampa also claimed a top spot on our “Best General Business/Commerce Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend USF Tampa is $3,950 for Bachelor’s Degree General Business students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on General Business/Commerce at University of South Florida - Main Campus

#8

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida

Florida State University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Business Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Florida State is a large public school situated in Tallahassee, Florida. It awarded 25 bachelors’s general business degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, Florida State is in the top on our “Best General Business/Commerce Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend Florida State is $5,360 for bachelor’s degree general business students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 95%.

Read full report on General Business/Commerce at Florida State

#9

Citadel Military College of South Carolina

Charleston, South Carolina
#20 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Citadel Military College of South Carolina did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Business Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Charleston, South Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general business degrees to 153 students in 2019-2020.

The Citadel not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best General Business/Commerce Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $7,296 for bachelor’s degree general business students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend The Citadel.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Citadel Military College of South Carolina General Business/Commerce Report

With a ranking of #10, The University of Texas at Austin did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Business Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. The University of Texas at Austin is located in Austin, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 131 bachelors’s general business degrees to qualified students.

UT Austin not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best General Business/Commerce Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UT Austin is $12,203 for Bachelor’s Degree General Business students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 students.

Full UT Austin General Business/Commerce Report

Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Business Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it awarded 522 bachelors’s general business degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, IUPUI is also in the top of our “Best General Business/Commerce Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend IUPUI is $5,052 for Bachelor’s Degree General Business students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on General Business/Commerce at Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis

#12

College of Staten Island CUNY

Staten Island, New York

College of Staten Island CUNY did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Business Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. CSI is a fairly large school located in Staten Island, New York that handed out 189 bachelors’s general business degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSI is $3,109 for Bachelor’s Degree General Business students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on General Business/Commerce at CSI

Indiana University - Northwest landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Business Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Indiana University - Northwest is a small school located in Gary, Indiana that handed out 55 bachelors’s general business degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for IU Northwest is $3,287 for Bachelor’s Degree General Business students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about General Business/Commerce at IU Northwest

#14

University of North Texas

Denton, Texas

With a ranking of #14, University of North Texas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Business Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Denton, Texas, and it awarded 95 bachelors’s general business degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of North Texas is $8,521 for bachelor’s degree general business students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on General Business/Commerce at University of North Texas

#18 in overall quality

Brigham Young University - Provo came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Business Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Provo, Utah is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general business degrees to 38 students in 2019-2020.

BYU also took the #18 spot in our “Best General Business/Commerce Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,834 for Bachelor’s Degree General Business students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend BYU.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.

Read full report on General Business/Commerce at BYU

University of Missouri - Columbia ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value General Business Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Columbia, Missouri, and it awarded 707 bachelors’s general business degrees in 2019-2020.

Mizzou did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best General Business/Commerce Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $10,940 for Bachelor’s Degree General Business students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Mizzou.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low 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%.

Full Mizzou General Business/Commerce Report

#17

University of Georgia

Athens, Georgia

University of Georgia came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Business Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UGA is a large public school situated in Athens, Georgia. It awarded 55 bachelors’s general business degrees in 2019-2020.

On top of its placing in this ranking, UGA also did well on our “Best General Business/Commerce Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. It costs about $7,541 for bachelor’s degree general business students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Georgia.

The low student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 General Business/Commerce at UGA

#18

The University of West Florida

Pensacola, Florida

The University of West Florida did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Business Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. The University of West Florida is a fairly large school located in Pensacola, Florida that handed out 39 bachelors’s general business degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UWF is $4,140 for Bachelor’s Degree General Business students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full The University of West Florida General Business/Commerce Report

#19

Skidmore College

Saratoga Springs, New York

Skidmore College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value General Business Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Saratoga Springs, New York, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 103 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general business students in 2019-2020.

Skidmore also took the #13 spot in our “Best General Business/Commerce Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Skidmore College is $9,372 for Bachelor’s Degree General Business students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about General Business/Commerce at Skidmore College

#20

Indiana University - South Bend

South Bend, Indiana

Indiana University - South Bend landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Business Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Indiana University - South Bend is located in South Bend, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 180 bachelors’s general business degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - South Bend is $4,641 for bachelor’s degree general business students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Indiana University - South Bend General Business/Commerce Report

#21

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, Kentucky

Northern Kentucky University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value General Business Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Highland Heights, Kentucky, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s general business degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for NKU is $4,156 for Bachelor’s Degree General Business students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about General Business/Commerce at NKU

#22

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

Whitewater, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Business Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. UW - Whitewater is a fairly large school located in Whitewater, Wisconsin that handed out 95 bachelors’s general business degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - Whitewater is also in the top of our “Best General Business/Commerce Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Whitewater is $11,868 for bachelor’s degree general business students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on General Business/Commerce at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

#23

St Lawrence University

Canton, New York

St Lawrence University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Business Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. St. Lawrence is a private not-for-profit institution located in Canton, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 90 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, St. Lawrence is in the top on our “Best General Business/Commerce Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $11,916 for Bachelor’s Degree General Business students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend St. Lawrence.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Business/Commerce at St. Lawrence

#24

Brandeis University

Waltham, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #24, Brandeis University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Business Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Brandeis University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Waltham, Massachusetts. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 122 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Brandeis, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best General Business/Commerce Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Brandeis is $13,567 for Bachelor’s Degree General Business students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about General Business/Commerce at Brandeis

#25

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

Texas Tech University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value General Business Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Lubbock, Texas, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s general business degrees in 2019-2020.

On top of its placing in this ranking, Texas Tech also did well on our “Best General Business/Commerce Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best General Business/Commerce Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $12,317 for bachelor’s degree general business students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas Tech University.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Full Texas Tech General Business/Commerce Report

Rest of the Best 45 in Best Value General Business Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

Not only did these schools make the top 45 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

#27

Indiana University - Southeast

New Albany, Indiana
#28

University of Mississippi

University, Mississippi
#29

Indiana University - Kokomo

Kokomo, Indiana
#30

SUNY Empire State College

Saratoga Springs, New York
#31

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana
#32

Purdue University Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, Indiana
#33

Texas Woman's University

Denton, Texas
#35

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona
#37

University of Missouri - St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri
#39

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan
#43

Indiana University - East

Richmond, Indiana
#44

University of Kentucky

Lexington, Kentucky

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Notes and References

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%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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