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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Education (Income $48-$75k)

179 Ranked Colleges
4,798 Degrees Awarded
$31,873 Avg Salary
Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $48-$75k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 $48-$75k” ranking looked at 179 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

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 a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our 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 $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Education (Income $48-$75k)

Out of the 179 schools in the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 106 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

UW Seattle not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $9,694 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 University of Washington - Seattle Campus

#2

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 179 schools in the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Vanderbilt University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 9 degrees to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

Vanderbilt did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Vanderbilt University is $8,086 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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. 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 full report on General Education at Vanderbilt University

#3

Brown University

Providence, Rhode Island
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 179 schools in the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Brown University landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Providence, Rhode Island, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 24 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

Brown also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend Brown is $11,689 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.

Full Brown University General Education Report

#4

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida
#11 in overall quality

Out of the 179 schools in the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Florida landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Florida is a large public school situated in Gainesville, Florida. It awarded 21 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $48-$75k list, UF has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,528 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Florida.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Full UF General Education Report

#5

Berea College

Berea, Kentucky

Out of the 179 schools in the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Berea College landed the #5 spot on the 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 College is $4,259 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about General Education at Berea College

#6

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Purdue is a large public school situated in West Lafayette, Indiana. It awarded 12 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Purdue also claimed a top spot on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue is $9,654 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%.

Read more about General Education at Purdue University - Main Campus

#7

Heritage University

Toppenish, Washington

Heritage University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This small school is located in Toppenish, Washington, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Heritage University is $9,318 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $48-$75k.

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.

Read full report on General Education at Heritage University

#8

Swarthmore College

Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Swarthmore College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 1 degrees to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

Swarthmore also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for Swarthmore College is $13,744 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 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.

Full Swarthmore General Education Report

#15 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $48-$75k list, UIUC has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $13,351 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign General Education Report

#10

Colgate University

Hamilton, New York

Colgate University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Colgate University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Hamilton, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $48-$75k list, Colgate has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Colgate University is $16,525 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

#11

Beloit College

Beloit, Wisconsin

With a ranking of #11, Beloit College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. This small school is located in Beloit, Wisconsin, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Beloit College is $10,769 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $48-$75k.

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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. 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%.

Read full report on General Education at Beloit

University of California - Irvine came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UC Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 367 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $13,648 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - Irvine.

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

Read full report on General Education at University of California - Irvine

#13

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, North Carolina
#20 in overall quality

North Carolina State University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Raleigh, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 19 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $48-$75k list, NC State has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $15,084 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend North Carolina State University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, 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 more about General Education at North Carolina State University

#14

Colorado College

Colorado Springs, Colorado
#18 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, Colorado College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Colorado College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It awarded 10 bachelors’s education degrees 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. It costs about $15,884 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Colorado College.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 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%.

Read full report on General Education at Colorado College

#15

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

Green Bay, Wisconsin

With a ranking of #15, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. UW - Green Bay is a medium-sized public school situated in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It awarded 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 University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is $14,584 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about General Education at University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

#16

Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, Florida

Florida Atlantic University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Florida Atlantic University is a large school located in Boca Raton, Florida that handed out 65 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Florida Atlantic University is $11,786 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about General Education at FAU

#17

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, Michigan

With a ranking of #17, Grand Valley State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k 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 $15,775 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%.

Read full report on General Education at Grand Valley State University

#18

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 $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #18. This fairly large school is located in Fort Myers, Florida, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,344 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Florida Gulf Coast University.

Read full report on General Education at FGCU

University of Hawaii - West Oahu did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #19. UH West Oahu is a public institution located in Kapolei, Hawaii. The school has a small population, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Hawaii - West Oahu is $14,741 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about General Education at UH West Oahu

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 $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #20. UCSD is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 11 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD also claimed a top spot 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 $14,071 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UCSD General Education Report

The University of Texas at San Antonio landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in San Antonio, Texas, this large public school handed out 82 degrees to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UTSA is $13,827 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full UTSA General Education Report

University of Missouri - Columbia landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Mizzou is a large school located in Columbia, Missouri that handed out 17 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,145 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Missouri - Columbia.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read more about General Education at Mizzou

#23

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas
Top 20% in overall quality

Texas Tech University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #23. This large school is located in Lubbock, Texas, and it awarded 133 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas Tech 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 $17,421 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Texas Tech.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on General Education at Texas Tech University

#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 $48-$75k 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.

It costs about $12,856 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Eastern Washington University.

Read full report on General Education at EWU

#25

SUNY Empire State College

Saratoga Springs, New York

SUNY Empire State College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. SUNY Empire State College is a fairly large public school situated in Saratoga Springs, New York. It awarded 102 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,334 for bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend SUNY Empire.

Full SUNY Empire State College General Education Report

Rest of the Best 27 in Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k

Not only did these schools make the top 27 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

#26

Bellevue University

Bellevue, Nebraska
#27

Bethany Lutheran College

Mankato, Minnesota

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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