2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
General Education is the 28th most popular major in the country with 29,936 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,798 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 181 colleges that offered a degree in general education. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general education programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the general education program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Education (Income $0-$30k)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brown University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Brown University is a medium-sized school located in Providence, Rhode Island that handed out 24 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
Brown did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Brown University is $201 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive 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.
Out of the 181 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Florida landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Gainesville, Florida, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
UF also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for UF is $1,994 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 97%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Vanderbilt University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 9 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
Vanderbilt also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for Vanderbilt University is $3,156 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education 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 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. The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. UW Seattle is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 106 bachelors’s general education degrees to qualified students.
UW Seattle not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $7,850 for bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW Seattle.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, 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 93%.
Read more about General Education at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Out of the 181 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Swarthmore College landed the #5 spot on the list. Swarthmore, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general education degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.
Swarthmore did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Swarthmore is $5,860 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
With a ranking of #6, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 13 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
UIUC also took the #15 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $5,477 for bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Michigan State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Michigan State University is located in East Lansing, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 157 bachelors’s general education degrees to qualified students.
Michigan State also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State is $6,686 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Colgate University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Colgate is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Hamilton, New York. It awarded 23 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
Colgate not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Colgate is $9,752 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
With a ranking of #9, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school awarded 367 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general education students in 2019-2020.
UC Irvine also took the #21 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $9,558 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at University of California - Irvine
Berea College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Berea is located in Berea, Kentucky and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s general education degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Berea College is $5,296 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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%.
With a ranking of #11, Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Purdue is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s general education degrees to qualified students.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Purdue also did well on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Purdue University - Main Campus is $5,483 for bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%.
North Carolina State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, this large public school awarded 19 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general education students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k list, NC State has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $7,285 for bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend North Carolina State University.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
With a ranking of #13, Tufts University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Medford, Massachusetts, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general education students in 2019-2020.
Tufts also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #12. It costs about $5,267 for bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Tufts University.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, 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 92%. 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.
Florida Atlantic University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Boca Raton, Florida, this large public school handed out 65 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general education students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $6,085 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Florida Atlantic University.
Colorado College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. Colorado College is a small school located in Colorado Springs, Colorado that handed out 10 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
Colorado College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Colorado College is $11,568 for bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, 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.
University of Wisconsin - Green Bay did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is located in Green Bay, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 74 bachelors’s general education degrees to qualified students.
On top of its placing in this ranking, UW - Green Bay also did well on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend UW - Green Bay is $11,337 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a ranking of #17, Heritage University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Heritage University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Toppenish, Washington. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Heritage University is $9,633 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Beloit College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Beloit is located in Beloit, Wisconsin and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s general education degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Beloit is $8,574 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education 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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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.
With a ranking of #19, Grand Valley State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Allendale, Michigan, this large public school awarded 221 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general education students in 2019-2020.
GVSU also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #19. The yearly cost to attend GVSU is $11,578 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #20, Florida Gulf Coast University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Fort Myers, Florida, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $7,824 for bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Florida Gulf Coast University.
Texas Tech University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Texas Tech is a large school located in Lubbock, Texas that handed out 133 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
Texas Tech excels when it comes to general education quality. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $12,317 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education 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%.
Read full report on General Education at Texas Tech University
University of California - San Diego came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UCSD is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 11 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, UCSD also did well on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $9,280 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education 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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - San Diego General Education Report
With a ranking of #23, University of Hawaii - West Oahu did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. UH West Oahu is a small school located in Kapolei, Hawaii that handed out 37 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UH West Oahu is $10,476 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The University of Texas at San Antonio ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. UTSA is a large public school situated in San Antonio, Texas. It awarded 82 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $10,516 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UTSA.
Read more about General Education at The University of Texas at San Antonio
Eastern Washington University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. EWU is a fairly large public school situated in Cheney, Washington. It awarded 14 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $8,473 for bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Eastern Washington University.
Rest of the Best 28 in Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k
Not only did these schools make the top 28 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
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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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