2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts (With Aid)
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking.
Liberal Arts is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 2nd of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 365,980 degrees were awarded to students with this major.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 25,169 liberal arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 297 colleges that offered a degree in liberal arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great liberal arts 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 liberal arts 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.
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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts (With Aid)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas A & M University - Central Texas. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. Located in Killeen, Texas, this small public school awarded 52 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.
Full Texas A & M University - Central Texas Liberal Arts Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The City College of New York. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. This fairly large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 104 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $2,385 for bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid per year to attend CCNY.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Baruch College. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Baruch College is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Baruch College is $3,562 for bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 297 schools in the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #4 spot on the list. California State University - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 180 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $2,768 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.
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%.
Full California State University - Los Angeles Liberal Arts Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.
MIT did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $16,636 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid per year to attend MIT.
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%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. USF Tampa is a large school located in Tampa, Florida that handed out 242 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, USF Tampa also did well on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for USF Tampa is $8,355 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid.
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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Liberal Arts at University of South Florida - Main Campus
California State University - Stanislaus landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Turlock, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 235 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Stan State is $6,019 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
California State University - Northridge landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. CSUN is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 320 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Northridge is $8,414 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid.
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%.
California State University - Fresno came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Fresno State is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 485 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $5,464 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%.
Read more about Liberal Arts at California State University - Fresno
The University of Texas at Austin came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 143 students in 2019-2020.
UT Austin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $18,023 for bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid per year to attend UT Austin.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.
California State University - Dominguez Hills ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a public institution located in Carson, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 129 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Dominguez Hills is $4,215 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid.
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%.
Full California State University - Dominguez Hills Liberal Arts Report
University of Wisconsin - Green Bay landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and it awarded 97 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on this list, UW - Green Bay is in the top on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is $14,395 for bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid.
Florida International University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. FIU is a public institution located in Miami, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 368 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend FIU is $7,296 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
North Carolina State University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Raleigh, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at NC State, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $16,458 for bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid per year to attend NC State.
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 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Liberal Arts at North Carolina State University
With a ranking of #15, Charter Oak State College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. New Britain, Connecticut is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 188 students in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Charter Oak State College also did well on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Charter Oak State College is $10,724 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 4.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
With a ranking of #16, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - San Bernardino is a fairly large public school situated in San Bernardino, California. It awarded 315 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - San Bernardino is $7,342 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Full California State University - San Bernardino Liberal Arts Report
Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. This large school is located in Bloomington, Indiana, and it awarded 238 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
IU Bloomington excels when it comes to liberal studies quality. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for IU Bloomington is $13,253 for bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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%.
California State University - Long Beach ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 240 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $9,622 for bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, 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 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Liberal Arts at California State University - Long Beach
Northern Kentucky University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. NKU is located in Highland Heights, Kentucky and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 92 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $9,049 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid per year to attend NKU.
Read full report on Liberal Arts at Northern Kentucky University
California State University - Fullerton came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 125 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $7,991 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #21, College of Staten Island CUNY did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. CSI is a public institution located in Staten Island, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 36 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $5,118 for bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid per year to attend College of Staten Island CUNY.
Middle Tennessee State University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Middle Tennessee State University is a public institution located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The school has a large population, and it awarded 121 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $12,464 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid per year to attend Middle Tennessee State University.
Read more about Liberal Arts at Middle Tennessee State University
With a ranking of #23, Harvard University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Harvard University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 4 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Harvard also made our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend Harvard University is $15,386 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.
With a ranking of #24, University of North Carolina at Greensboro did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Greensboro, North Carolina is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 144 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $12,748 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid per year to attend UNC Greensboro.
California State University - Bakersfield did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #25. Located in Bakersfield, California, this fairly large public school handed out 265 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Bakersfield is $5,318 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid.
Rest of the Best 46 in Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid
Not only did these schools make the top 46 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
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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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