2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Education (Income $0-$30k) in Massachusetts
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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.
Across Massachusetts, there were 1,701 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $50,417 and $27,670 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 264 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $42,887 and $24,387 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 13 colleges that offer 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.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the general education program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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More Ways to Rank General Education Schools
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for massachusetts bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 13 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Education (Income $0-$30k) in Massachusetts
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Tufts University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Medford, Massachusetts, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
Tufts not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. It costs about $5,267 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree 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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 92%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Smith College. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Northampton, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 21 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Smith, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Smith is $6,075 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 7 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 13 schools in the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Massachusetts Amherst landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Amherst, Massachusetts, and it awarded 24 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
UMass Amherst also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $13,137 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UMass Amherst.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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 more about General Education at University of Massachusetts Amherst
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brandeis University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k. Brandeis is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Waltham, Massachusetts. It awarded 12 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
Brandeis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The estimated yearly cost for Brandeis is $13,567 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, 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 90%. 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.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k. Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts is a small public school situated in North Adams, Massachusetts. It awarded 16 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
MCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. It costs about $12,587 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Salem State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Salem State University is located in Salem, Massachusetts and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.
Salem State also took the #9 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $14,593 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Salem State University.
With a ranking of #7, Springfield College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. Springfield College is a small school located in Springfield, Massachusetts that handed out 16 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
Springfield College also took the #8 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $19,586 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Springfield College.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Bay Path University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. Bay Path is a small school located in Longmeadow, Massachusetts that handed out 9 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
Bay Path did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend Bay Path University is $19,522 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Stonehill College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Easton, Massachusetts, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our massachusetts bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Stonehill has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $22,284 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Stonehill.
The low 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
With a ranking of #10, Elms College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. Elms College is a small school located in Chicopee, Massachusetts that handed out 14 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Elms College, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $18,504 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Elms College.
Merrimack College landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in North Andover, Massachusetts, and it awarded 70 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
Merrimack also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for Merrimack is $27,589 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Education 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%.
Endicott College landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Endicott is a private not-for-profit institution located in Beverly, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our massachusetts bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Endicott has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Endicott College is $27,432 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Lesley University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lesley is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Lesley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend Lesley University is $29,108 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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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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