2023 Best Value Colleges for General Education (Income $30-$48k)
422
Ranked Colleges
29,810
Degrees Awarded
$5,800
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2020-2021, 29,810 people earned their degree in general education, making the major the 41st most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, general education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $48,719 and had an average of $23,394 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 422 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.
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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $30-$48k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $30-$48k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for General Education (Income $30-$48k)
Out of the 422 schools in the Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #1 spot on the list. Cambridge, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 591 students in 2020-2021.
Harvard also made our “Best General Education Schools” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend Harvard University is $1,396 for education students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Harvard General Education Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 68 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $1,581 for education students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at Stanford
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Pennsylvania is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It awarded 134 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our education students whose families make $30-$48k list, UPenn has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. It costs about $1,938 for Education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UPenn.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 95%.
Read more about General Education at UPenn
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Johns Hopkins University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Johns Hopkins is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Baltimore, Maryland. It awarded 643 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Johns Hopkins, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Johns Hopkins is $4,859 for Education students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read full report on General Education at Johns Hopkins
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. UW Seattle is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 150 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UW Seattle also took the #3 spot in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. It costs about $6,399 for Education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.
The low undergrad 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%. 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 Washington - Seattle Campus General Education Report
Brown University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Providence, Rhode Island, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 30 degrees to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our education students whose families make $30-$48k list, Brown has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Brown University is $2,842 for education students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Brown General Education Report
Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Purdue University - Main Campus is a large school located in West Lafayette, Indiana that handed out 258 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our education students whose families make $30-$48k list, Purdue has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $5,853 for Education students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, 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 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Education at Purdue University - Main Campus
University of Florida ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Gainesville, Florida, and it awarded 38 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, UF is in the top on our “Best General Education Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend UF is $2,857 for Education students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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 UF General Education Report
California State University - Los Angeles landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 129 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Cal State LA is $2,701 for education students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Education at Cal State LA
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 233 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $8,036 for education students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, 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%.
Full UIUC General Education Report
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 124 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best General Education Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $5,670 for education students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor General Education Report
Vanderbilt University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Vanderbilt is a fairly large school located in Nashville, Tennessee that handed out 11 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Vanderbilt did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best General Education Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Vanderbilt University is $4,652 for Education students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%.
Full Vanderbilt General Education Report
California State University - Fresno did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #13. Fresno State is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 121 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Fresno State also did well on our “Best General Education Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $4,655 for Education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Fresno State.
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 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Fresno General Education Report
Tufts University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Tufts is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Medford, Massachusetts. It awarded 19 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Tufts not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best General Education Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Tufts University is $7,987 for Education students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Education at Tufts
With a ranking of #15, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 222 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our education students whose families make $30-$48k list, UCLA has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $9,891 for education students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 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%.
Full University of California - Los Angeles General Education Report
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UNC Chapel Hill is a large public school situated in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It awarded 22 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, UNC Chapel Hill is in the top on our “Best General Education Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend UNC Chapel Hill is $5,729 for Education students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on General Education at UNC Chapel Hill
University of California - Berkeley ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 45 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley also took the #13 spot in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. It costs about $9,999 for Education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%.
Full University of California - Berkeley General Education Report
California State University - Bakersfield ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Bakersfield, California, and it awarded 136 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $6,046 for education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Bakersfield.
Read more about General Education at CSUB
California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #19. CSUSB is a public institution located in San Bernardino, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 46 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $6,613 for Education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - San Bernardino.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on General Education at CSUSB
California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #20. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 255 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $5,821 for education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Cal State Fullerton.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at Cal State Fullerton
With a ranking of #21, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 141 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $3,329 for education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend CSUDH.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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%.
Read full report on General Education at California State University - Dominguez Hills
University of California - San Diego landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of California - San Diego is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 127 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
UCSD also took the #16 spot in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - San Diego is $11,176 for Education students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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.
Full University of California - San Diego General Education Report
California State University - Sacramento came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Sac State is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 145 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
Sac State excels when it comes to education quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best General Education Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $9,055 for education students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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%.
Full Sac State General Education Report
University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #24. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s education degrees to 368 students in 2020-2021.
UC Irvine also took the #14 spot in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $8,449 for education students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 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%.
Full University of California - Irvine General Education Report
University of Central Florida did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #25. This large school is located in Orlando, Florida, and it awarded 82 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, UCF is in the top on our “Best General Education Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend University of Central Florida is $6,256 for Education students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at University of Central Florida
