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2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k

180 Ranked Colleges
4,798 Degrees Awarded
$8,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $30-$48k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 $30-$48k” 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 $30-$48k” ranking looked at 180 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general education. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general education programs that also have a lower cost than 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.

More Ways to Rank General Education Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Education (Income $30-$48k)

#1

Brown University

Providence, Rhode Island
#5 in overall quality

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 Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k. Providence, Rhode Island is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 24 students in 2019-2020.

Brown not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Brown University is $6,684 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Brown General Education Report

#2

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 180 schools in the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Vanderbilt University landed the #2 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Nashville, Tennessee, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Vanderbilt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Vanderbilt is $6,017 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 96%. 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%.

Read more about General Education at Vanderbilt University

#3

Colgate University

Hamilton, New York

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Colgate University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k. This small school is located in Hamilton, New York, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Colgate, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Colgate is $8,958 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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.

Full Colgate General Education Report

#4

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida
#11 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Florida. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k. University of Florida is a public institution located in Gainesville, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UF did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Florida is $4,069 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. 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 University of Florida General Education Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. UW Seattle is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 106 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k list, UW Seattle has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW Seattle is $7,467 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about General Education at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

#6

Swarthmore College

Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
#10 in overall quality

Swarthmore College landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Swarthmore is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. It awarded 1 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Swarthmore also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #10. It costs about $8,701 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Swarthmore.

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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.

Full Swarthmore General Education Report

#7

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #7. Purdue is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Purdue 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 yearly cost to attend Purdue University - Main Campus is $5,879 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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%.

Read more about General Education at Purdue

#8

Tufts University

Medford, Massachusetts
#12 in overall quality

Tufts University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Tufts University is a fairly large school located in Medford, Massachusetts that handed out 5 bachelors’s education 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 $6,516 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k.

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. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on General Education at Tufts

#15 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 13 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $8,464 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign General Education Report

#10

Berea College

Berea, Kentucky

Berea College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Berea, Kentucky, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 15 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Berea is $5,296 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Read full report on General Education at Berea College

#11

Colorado College

Colorado Springs, Colorado
#18 in overall quality

Colorado College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 10 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

Colorado College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Colorado College is $8,812 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Education at Colorado College

University of California - Irvine ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. UC Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 367 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.

UC Irvine also took the #21 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $10,373 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on General Education at UC Irvine

#13

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, North Carolina
#20 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, North Carolina State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, this large public school handed out 19 degrees to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

NC State also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #20. The estimated yearly cost for NC State is $9,887 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. 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 North Carolina State University

#14

Heritage University

Toppenish, Washington

Heritage University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Toppenish, Washington, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 14 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Heritage University is $10,065 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k.

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.

Read more about General Education at Heritage University

#15

Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, Florida

Florida Atlantic University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. FAU is a large public school situated in Boca Raton, Florida. It awarded 65 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Florida Atlantic University is $7,331 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on General Education at FAU

#16

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

Green Bay, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is a medium-sized school located in Green Bay, Wisconsin that handed out 74 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Green Bay excels when it comes to education quality. 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 UW - Green Bay is $11,641 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about General Education at UW - Green Bay

#17

Beloit College

Beloit, Wisconsin

Beloit College landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Beloit, Wisconsin, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 16 degrees to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,628 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Beloit.

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%. 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 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 Beloit

#18

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, Michigan

With a ranking of #18, Grand Valley State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Grand Valley State University is a large public school situated in Allendale, Michigan. It awarded 221 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

GVSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for GVSU is $12,459 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%.

Full GVSU General Education Report

#19

Florida Gulf Coast University

Fort Myers, Florida

Florida Gulf Coast University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #19. 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 estimated yearly cost for Florida Gulf Coast University is $8,748 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on General Education at Florida Gulf Coast University

#20

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas
Top 20% in overall quality

Texas Tech University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k 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 $13,326 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Texas Tech.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about General Education at Texas Tech University

Top 20% in overall quality

University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #21. UCSD is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD excels when it comes to education quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $9,974 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - San Diego.

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 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Education at UCSD

The University of Texas at San Antonio landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in San Antonio, Texas, this large public school awarded 82 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at San Antonio is $11,109 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on General Education at The University of Texas at San Antonio

#23

Smith College

Northampton, Massachusetts

Smith College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #23. Smith is located in Northampton, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Smith College is $10,169 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k.

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. The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 more about General Education at Smith

#24

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington

With a ranking of #24, Eastern Washington University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Cheney, Washington is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Eastern Washington University is $8,821 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on General Education at Eastern Washington University

University of Missouri - Columbia did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #25. University of Missouri - Columbia is a public institution located in Columbia, Missouri. The school has a large population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,595 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Mizzou.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on General Education at University of Missouri - Columbia

Rest of the Best 28 in Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k

Not only did these schools make the top 28 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

#26

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#27

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Amherst, Massachusetts
#28

University of Missouri - St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri

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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to KOKUYO.

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