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

399 Ranked Colleges
13,068 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $48-$75k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Early Childhood Education is the 34th most popular major in the country with 31,017 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 13,068 early childhood education graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 399 colleges that offer a degree in early childhood education. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great early childhood 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 early childhood education program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Early Childhood 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 Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college 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. 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 Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k

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

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

#1

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Vanderbilt University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Vanderbilt University is located in Nashville, Tennessee and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Vanderbilt, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,086 for Bachelor’s Degree Child development students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Vanderbilt.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Vanderbilt University

#3 in overall quality

Out of the 399 schools in the Best Value Child development 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 #2 spot on the list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 158 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Seattle, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $9,694 for Bachelor’s Degree Child development students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at UW Seattle

Top 10% in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Florida International University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k. Miami, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 208 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, FIU is also in the top of our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for FIU is $10,298 for bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at Florida International University

#4

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
#23 in overall quality

Out of the 399 schools in the Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, this large public school awarded 17 degrees to qualified bachelors’s child development students in 2019-2020.

Purdue also took the #23 spot in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $9,654 for Bachelor’s Degree Child development 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 full report on Early Childhood Education at Purdue University - Main Campus

#16 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fullerton. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 518 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton also took the #16 spot in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $9,427 for bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at California State University - Fullerton

#18 in overall quality

University of Central Florida landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Orlando, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 71 students in 2019-2020.

UCF did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $11,161 for Bachelor’s Degree Child development students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Central Florida.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at UCF

#7 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also made our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $13,351 for Bachelor’s Degree Child development students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at UIUC

California State University - Los Angeles landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. California State University - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 385 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,644 for bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Cal State LA.

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%.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Cal State LA

#9

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Chapel Hill, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 98 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $48-$75k list, UNC Chapel Hill has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $11,060 for Bachelor’s Degree Child development students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, 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 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UNC Chapel Hill Early Childhood Education Report

#10

Heritage University

Toppenish, Washington
Top 25% in overall quality

Heritage University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Heritage University is located in Toppenish, Washington and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Heritage University is $9,318 for bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 full report on Early Childhood Education at Heritage University

#11

Brooklyn College

Brooklyn, New York
Top 20% in overall quality

Brooklyn College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Brooklyn College is located in Brooklyn, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 89 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.

Brooklyn College also claimed a top spot on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $7,317 for Bachelor’s Degree Child development students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Brooklyn College.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Brooklyn College

#12

Hunter College

New York, New York

Hunter College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #12. Hunter College is a large school located in New York, New York that handed out 20 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $6,894 for Bachelor’s Degree Child development students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Hunter.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Hunter

Brigham Young University - Idaho ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Rexburg, Idaho is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 38 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend BYU - I is $6,287 for Bachelor’s Degree Child development students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.2% 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 Early Childhood Education at Brigham Young University - Idaho

Top 15% in overall quality

University of South Florida - Main Campus came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in Tampa, Florida, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

USF Tampa also claimed a top spot on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of South Florida - Main Campus is $9,809 for Bachelor’s Degree Child development students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at University of South Florida - Main Campus

Top 10% in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. CSUN is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 352 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, CSUN is also in the top of our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend CSUN is $10,783 for bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at California State University - Northridge

Top 20% in overall quality

California State University - Bakersfield landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. CSUB is located in Bakersfield, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 114 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.

CSUB excels when it comes to child development quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Bakersfield is $7,564 for bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at CSUB

#17

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#22 in overall quality

Indiana University - Bloomington came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Indiana University - Bloomington is a public institution located in Bloomington, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

IU Bloomington also took the #22 spot in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Bloomington is $12,060 for Bachelor’s Degree Child development students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, 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 91%.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at IU Bloomington

#18

The City College of New York

New York, New York

The City College of New York did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #18. CCNY is a fairly large school located in New York, New York that handed out 15 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for The City College of New York is $7,358 for bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at The City College of New York

With a ranking of #19, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Carson, California, this fairly large public school handed out 194 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s child development students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUDH is $6,907 for Bachelor’s Degree Child development students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at California State University - Dominguez Hills

Top 10% in overall quality

Brigham Young University - Provo did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Provo, Utah, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 26 degrees to qualified bachelors’s child development students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, BYU is also in the top of our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. It costs about $12,466 for Bachelor’s Degree Child development students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Brigham Young University - Provo.

With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%.

Full Brigham Young University - Provo Early Childhood Education Report

Top 10% in overall quality

With a ranking of #21, University of Nevada - Las Vegas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Nevada - Las Vegas is a public institution located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The school has a large population, and it awarded 35 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UNLV also claimed a top spot on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Nevada - Las Vegas is $12,470 for Bachelor’s Degree Child development students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at UNLV

#22

University of North Florida

Jacksonville, Florida
Top 20% in overall quality

University of North Florida landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of North Florida is located in Jacksonville, Florida and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 28 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.

UNF excels when it comes to child development quality. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. It costs about $10,006 for Bachelor’s Degree Child development students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UNF.

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%.

Full University of North Florida Early Childhood Education Report

Top 10% in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #23. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 479 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

Sac State excels when it comes to child development quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Sac State is $11,413 for bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Sac State

#24

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota
Top 10% in overall quality

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UMN Twin Cities is a large public school situated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It awarded 22 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UMN Twin Cities is also in the top of our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $12,556 for bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.

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

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

#25

Florida Gulf Coast University

Fort Myers, Florida
Top 20% in overall quality

With a ranking of #25, Florida Gulf Coast University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Florida Gulf Coast University is a public institution located in Fort Myers, Florida. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

FGCU excels when it comes to child development quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $12,344 for Bachelor’s Degree Child development students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend FGCU.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at FGCU

Rest of the Best 51 in Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k

Not only did these schools make the top 51 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

#27

Miami Dade College

Miami, Florida
#28

University of Georgia

Athens, Georgia
#29

Florida State College at Jacksonville

Jacksonville, Florida
#31

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa
#32

University of Delaware

Newark, Delaware
#33

College of Saint Mary

Omaha, Nebraska
#35

Minot State University

Minot, North Dakota
#36

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

Whitewater, Wisconsin
#37

Purdue University Northwest

Hammond, Indiana
#38

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin
#39

Louisiana Tech University

Ruston, Louisiana
#42

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington
#43

Towson University

Towson, Maryland
#44

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin
#47

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, Minnesota
#48

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Greensboro, North Carolina
#50

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington
#50

University of Hawaii at Manoa

Honolulu, Hawaii

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k

While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

Rank College Location
52 University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND
53 Louisiana State University - Shreveport Shreveport, LA
54 Southeastern Louisiana University Hammond, LA
55 McNeese State University Lake Charles, LA
56 Western Governors University Salt Lake City, UT
57 University of Missouri - St Louis Saint Louis, MO
58 Northeastern State University Tahlequah, OK
59 Pierce College-Fort Steilacoom Lakewood, WA
60 Murray State University Murray, KY

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 Vgrigas.

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