2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
With 559,661 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, liberal arts general studies is the 1st most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, liberal arts general studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $26,786 and had an average of $16,538 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Far Western US region, there were 141,804 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $25,459 and $16,691 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 7,284 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 64 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great liberal arts general studies 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 general studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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The liberal arts school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k”.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. 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 Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Cal State LA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 180 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $1,379 for far western us region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cal State LA.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at California State University - Los Angeles
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 15 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
UW Seattle also took the #12 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $7,850 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Stanislaus. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Turlock, California, this fairly large public school awarded 235 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
Stan State also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #22. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Stanislaus is $3,410 for far western us region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. 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 Liberal Arts General Studies at California State University - Stanislaus
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 485 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $3,264 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
Full California State University - Fresno Liberal Arts General Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. CSUN is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 320 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
CSUN also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $5,945 for far western us region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSUN.
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 - Dominguez Hills did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a fairly large school located in Carson, California that handed out 150 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $2,455 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSUDH.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #7, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Diego State University is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 214 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, SDSU has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $8,870 for far western us region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, 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.
California State University - Long Beach landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 240 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
CSULB also took the #17 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $6,364 for far western us region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Long Beach.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 Liberal Arts General Studies at California State University - Long Beach
California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. California State University - Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 125 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $4,291 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Fullerton Liberal Arts General Studies Report
Washington State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Washington State University is located in Pullman, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 115 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Wazzu, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Wazzu is $9,334 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
With a ranking of #11, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Luis Obispo, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 108 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $12,475 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.
California State University - San Bernardino came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - San Bernardino is located in San Bernardino, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 315 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for CSUSB is $5,077 for far western us region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #13, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school awarded 142 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend UCR is $8,366 for far western us region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at University of California - Riverside
California State University - Bakersfield did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. Bakersfield, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 265 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $3,423 for far western us region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Bakersfield.
With a ranking of #15, Eastern Washington University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Eastern Washington University is a fairly large public school situated in Cheney, Washington. It awarded 5 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $8,473 for far western us region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Eastern Washington University.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Eastern Washington University
California State University - Sacramento ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Sacramento is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 189 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $6,819 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.
California State University - Monterey Bay did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #17. CSUMB is a medium-sized public school situated in Seaside, California. It awarded 282 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
CSUMB also took the #20 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Monterey Bay is $7,688 for far western us region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
With a ranking of #18, California State University - San Marcos did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. CSUSM is located in San Marcos, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 185 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
CSUSM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $9,517 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSUSM.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at California State University - San Marcos
California State University - East Bay ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Hayward, California, this fairly large public school handed out 95 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Cal State East Bay is $8,036 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cal Poly Pomona is located in Pomona, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 130 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $8,596 for far western us region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cal Poly Pomona.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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%.
Full California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Liberal Arts General Studies Report
With a ranking of #21, The Evergreen State College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Olympia, Washington is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 628 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend The Evergreen State College is $9,881 for far western us region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full The Evergreen State College Liberal Arts General Studies Report
With a ranking of #22, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 125 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFSU, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $11,123 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SFSU.
University of Nevada - Reno did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. Reno, Nevada is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 47 students in 2019-2020.
UNR also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #18. It costs about $11,587 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UNR.
University of Hawaii at Manoa landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Honolulu, Hawaii, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $10,986 for far western us region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UH Manoa.
The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%.
University of Hawaii - West Oahu ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Kapolei, Hawaii, and it awarded 30 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Hawaii - West Oahu is $10,476 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at UH West Oahu
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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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