2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Education (Income $0-$30k)
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.
General Education is the 35th most popular major in the country with 29,936 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, general education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $47,138 and had an average of $29,674 in loans still to pay off.
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 Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 181 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general education. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great general education 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 education program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value 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 be in good company if you decide to attend Brown University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Brown is a medium-sized school located in Providence, Rhode Island that handed out 24 bachelors’s 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 Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Out of the 181 schools in the Best Value 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. University of Florida is located in Gainesville, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UF, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Florida is $1,994 for bachelor’s degree 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 Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. This fairly large school is located in Nashville, Tennessee, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Vanderbilt has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $3,156 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Vanderbilt University.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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 student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 106 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
UW Seattle did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UW Seattle is $7,850 for Bachelor’s Degree Education 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 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%.
Read full report on General Education at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Swarthmore College. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. This small school is located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Swarthmore has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $5,860 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Swarthmore College.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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%. 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 Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $5,477 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.
Michigan State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. East Lansing, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 157 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Michigan State has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Michigan State University is $6,686 for bachelor’s degree 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 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%.
Colgate University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. Hamilton, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 23 students 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. It costs about $9,752 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Colgate.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, 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 94%. 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.
University of California - Irvine landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of California - Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 367 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $9,558 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, 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 94%.
Read full report on General Education at University of California - Irvine
With a ranking of #10, Berea College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Berea is a small school located in Berea, Kentucky that handed out 15 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Berea is $5,296 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%. 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. West Lafayette, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Purdue also did well on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $5,483 for Bachelor’s Degree 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 landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. NC State is a large school located in Raleigh, North Carolina that handed out 19 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree 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. The estimated yearly cost for NC State is $7,285 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
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.
Read more about General Education at North Carolina State University
With a ranking of #13, Tufts University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Tufts is a private not-for-profit institution located in Medford, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Tufts also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend Tufts University is $5,267 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.
With a ranking of #14, Florida Atlantic University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Boca Raton, Florida, this large public school awarded 65 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $6,085 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend FAU.
Colorado College landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Colorado College is a small school located in Colorado Springs, Colorado that handed out 10 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
Colorado College also took the #18 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Colorado College is $11,568 for Bachelor’s Degree Education 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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, 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 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Wisconsin - Green Bay came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UW - Green Bay is a medium-sized public school situated in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It awarded 74 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - Green Bay is also in the top of our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. 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 Wisconsin - Green Bay is $11,337 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on General Education at University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
Heritage University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Heritage University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Toppenish, Washington. It awarded 14 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Heritage University is $9,633 for Bachelor’s Degree 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.
Read full report on General Education at Heritage University
With a ranking of #18, Beloit College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Beloit College is a small school located in Beloit, Wisconsin that handed out 16 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Beloit is $8,574 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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 Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. GVSU is a public institution located in Allendale, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 221 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at GVSU, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Grand Valley State University is $11,578 for Bachelor’s Degree 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%.
Florida Gulf Coast University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Florida Gulf Coast University is a fairly large school located in Fort Myers, Florida that handed out 38 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend FGCU is $7,824 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Texas Tech University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Texas Tech University is a large public school situated in Lubbock, Texas. It awarded 133 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Texas Tech is also in the top of our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $12,317 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas Tech University.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
With a ranking of #22, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 11 students 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 Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Hawaii - West Oahu landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UH West Oahu is a small school located in Kapolei, Hawaii that handed out 37 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UH West Oahu is $10,476 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The University of Texas at San Antonio came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. The University of Texas at San Antonio is located in San Antonio, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 82 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend UTSA is $10,516 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about General Education at The University of Texas at San Antonio
Eastern Washington University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. Eastern Washington University is located in Cheney, Washington and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for EWU is $8,473 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Rest of the Best 28 in Best Value 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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Best General Education Bachelor's Degree Schools
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Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Online General Education Schools
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Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for General Education (Income $0-$30k)
General Education students with family income less than $30k
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for General Education (Income $48-$75k)
General Education students with family income $48-$75k
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for General Education (Income Over $110k)
General Education students with family income exceeding $110k
Highest Paid Bachelor's Degree General Education Graduates
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Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for General Education (Income $30-$48k)
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Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for General Education (Income $75-$110k)
General Education students with family income $75-$110k
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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