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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for American U.S. Studies (With Aid)

72 Ranked Colleges
1,133 Degrees Awarded
$16,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Getting Aid

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 1,596 people earned their degree in American U.S. studies, making the major the 309th most popular in the United States.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,133 American U.S. studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 72 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in American U.S. studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality American U.S. studies programs that also have a lower cost than 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 American U.S. studies program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank American U.S. Studies Schools

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

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree united states studies students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for American U.S. Studies (With Aid)

#1

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina
#24 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. Chapel Hill, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s United States studies degrees to 18 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree united states studies students with aid list, UNC Chapel Hill has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best American U.S. Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is $12,352 for bachelor’s degree united states studies students with aid.

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 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill American U.S. Studies Report

#2

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 72 schools in the Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 16 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s United States studies students in 2019-2020.

Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best American U.S. Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $11,496 for bachelor’s degree united states studies students with aid per year to attend Stanford.

The low student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Stanford University American U.S. Studies Report

#3

Yale University

New Haven, Connecticut
#9 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Yale University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Yale University is a private not-for-profit institution located in New Haven, Connecticut. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree united states studies students with aid list, Yale has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best American U.S. Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $17,549 for Bachelor’s Degree United States Studies students with aid per year to attend Yale University.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about American U.S. Studies at Yale University

Out of the 72 schools in the Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #4 spot on the list. California State University - Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 67 bachelors’s United States studies degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,991 for bachelor’s degree united states studies students with aid per year to attend California State University - Fullerton.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Full Cal State Fullerton American U.S. Studies Report

#5

Amherst College

Amherst, Massachusetts
#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Amherst College. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. Located in Amherst, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 11 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s United States studies students in 2019-2020.

Amherst not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best American U.S. Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $18,524 for Bachelor’s Degree United States Studies students with aid per year to attend Amherst College.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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.

Read full report on American U.S. Studies at Amherst College

#6

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Purdue is a large public school situated in West Lafayette, Indiana. It awarded 1 bachelors’s United States studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Purdue University - Main Campus is $13,986 for bachelor’s degree united states studies students with aid.

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 American U.S. Studies at Purdue

With a ranking of #7, Brigham Young University - Provo did quite well on the 2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Provo, Utah is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s United States studies degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Brigham Young University - Provo is $13,322 for Bachelor’s Degree United States Studies students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on American U.S. Studies at BYU

California State University - Long Beach landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s United States studies degrees to 36 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,622 for bachelor’s degree united states studies students with aid per year to attend California State University - Long Beach.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about American U.S. Studies at CSULB

#16 in overall quality

University of California - Berkeley landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s United States studies degrees to 79 students in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also took the #16 spot in our “Best American U.S. Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $15,329 for bachelor’s degree united states studies students with aid per year to attend UC Berkeley.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, 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 96%.

Full University of California - Berkeley American U.S. Studies Report

The University of Texas at Austin landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. The University of Texas at Austin is a public institution located in Austin, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Austin is $18,023 for Bachelor’s Degree United States Studies students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, 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 97%.

Full UT Austin American U.S. Studies Report

#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well on the 2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Columbia University in the City of New York is a large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 21 bachelors’s United States studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia also took the #5 spot in our “Best American U.S. Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia is $23,306 for bachelor’s degree united states studies students with aid.

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. 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 freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Columbia American U.S. Studies Report

#12

University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, Maryland

University of Maryland - College Park landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Maryland - College Park is a public institution located in College Park, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Maryland - College Park is $19,045 for Bachelor’s Degree United States Studies students with aid.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.

Full UMCP American U.S. Studies Report

#13

Wellesley College

Wellesley, Massachusetts
#11 in overall quality

Wellesley College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Wellesley is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Wellesley, Massachusetts. It awarded 18 bachelors’s United States studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Wellesley also made our “Best American U.S. Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for Wellesley is $22,087 for bachelor’s degree united states studies students with aid.

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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 full report on American U.S. Studies at Wellesley

#14

William & Mary

Williamsburg, Virginia
#25 in overall quality

William & Mary ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. William & Mary is a medium-sized public school situated in Williamsburg, Virginia. It awarded 7 bachelors’s United States studies degrees in 2019-2020.

William & Mary also made our “Best American U.S. Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #25. The estimated yearly cost for William & Mary is $19,800 for Bachelor’s Degree United States Studies students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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 American U.S. Studies at William & Mary

#15

SUNY Old Westbury

Old Westbury, New York

SUNY Old Westbury did quite well in the 2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #15. SUNY Old Westbury is a medium-sized school located in Old Westbury, New York that handed out 16 bachelors’s United States studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for SUNY Old Westbury is $10,557 for Bachelor’s Degree United States Studies students with aid.

Full SUNY Old Westbury American U.S. Studies Report

#16

Towson University

Towson, Maryland

Towson University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Towson, Maryland, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s United States studies degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $18,233 for bachelor’s degree united states studies students with aid per year to attend Towson.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about American U.S. Studies at Towson University

#17

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana

With a ranking of #17, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on the 2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Bloomington, Indiana, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s United States studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend IU Bloomington is $13,253 for Bachelor’s Degree United States Studies students with aid.

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 American U.S. Studies at IU Bloomington

#18

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan

With a ranking of #18, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well on the 2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. U-M is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend U-M is $15,336 for Bachelor’s Degree United States Studies students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full U-M American U.S. Studies Report

#19

Williams College

Williamstown, Massachusetts
#15 in overall quality

Williams College landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 10 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s United States studies students in 2019-2020.

Williams also made our “Best American U.S. Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend Williams College is $19,480 for Bachelor’s Degree United States Studies students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. 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 2.3% 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%.

Read full report on American U.S. Studies at Williams

#20

Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri
#2 in overall quality

Washington University in St Louis landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. WUSTL is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s United States studies degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WUSTL, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best American U.S. Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for WUSTL is $26,869 for bachelor’s degree united states studies students with aid.

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

Read full report on American U.S. Studies at Washington University in St Louis

#21

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #21. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s United States studies degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,113 for Bachelor’s Degree United States Studies students with aid per year to attend San Francisco State University.

Full SFSU American U.S. Studies Report

#22

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

University of Iowa ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Iowa is a large public school situated in Iowa City, Iowa. It awarded 1 bachelors’s United States studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Iowa is $19,145 for bachelor’s degree united states studies students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%.

Full University of Iowa American U.S. Studies Report

#23

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s United States studies degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $17,740 for bachelor’s degree united states studies students with aid.

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 American U.S. Studies at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

#24

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee
#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #24, Vanderbilt University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 6 bachelors’s United States studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Vanderbilt also took the #12 spot in our “Best American U.S. Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $19,432 for bachelor’s degree united states studies students with aid per year to attend Vanderbilt.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 American U.S. Studies at Vanderbilt

#25

Utah State University

Logan, Utah

Utah State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #25. This large school is located in Logan, Utah, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s United States studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Utah State University is $13,634 for Bachelor’s Degree United States Studies students with aid.

Read full report on American U.S. Studies at Utah State University

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Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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