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by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Library Science Schools” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
Library Science is the 35th most popular major in the country with 6,538 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, library science graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $43,990 and had an average of $24,604 in loans still to pay off.
For this year’s “Best Value Library Science Schools” ranking, we looked at 47 colleges that offer a degree in library science. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great library science 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 library science program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Library Science Schools” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most 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.
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Library Science Schools.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas Woman’s University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Library Science Schools. Located in Denton, Texas, this fairly large public school handed out 347 degrees to qualified ’s library science students in 2020-2021.
TWU also took the #18 spot in our “Best Library Science Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend TWU is $9,684 for Library Science students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Emporia State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Library Science Schools list. Located in Emporia, Kansas, this medium-sized public school handed out 168 diplomas to qualified ’s library science students in 2020-2021.
ESU also took the #17 spot in our “Best Library Science Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Emporia State University is $14,794 for library science students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 47 schools in the Best Value Library Science Schools that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Texas landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Denton, Texas, this large public school handed out 314 diplomas to qualified ’s library science students in 2020-2021.
UNT did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Library Science Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UNT is $14,122 for library science students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Jose State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Library Science Schools. San Jose State University is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 648 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
San Jose State also made our “Best Library Science Schools” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $16,542 for library science students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Library Science at San Jose State University
Clarion University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Library Science Schools ranking, coming in at #6. This small school is located in Clarion, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 163 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Clarion University is $19,452 for Library Science students.
Simmons University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Library Science Schools list. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s library science degrees to 273 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Simmons, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Library Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Simmons is $27,920 for library science students.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Queens College landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Library Science Schools ranking. Queens College is a fairly large school located in Queens, New York that handed out 94 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.
QC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Library Science Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Queens College is $3,469 for library science students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Dominican University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Library Science Schools ranking. Dominican U is a small school located in River Forest, Illinois that handed out 66 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.
Dominican U not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Library Science Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Dominican U is $18,645 for library science students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
LIU Post did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Library Science Schools ranking, coming in at #10. LIU Post is a private not-for-profit institution located in Brookville, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 122 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
LIU Post also made our “Best Library Science Schools” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend LIU Post is $26,069 for Library Science students.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Sam Houston State University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Library Science Schools ranking. Sam Houston State University is a large public school situated in Huntsville, Texas. It awarded 66 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend SHSU is $15,035 for library science students.
With a ranking of #12, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Library Science Schools list. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 47 ’s library science degrees to qualified students.
UCLA also took the #1 spot in our “Best Library Science Schools” ranking. It costs about $15,023 for library science students per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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 University of California - Los Angeles Library Science Report
East Carolina University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Library Science Schools list. ECU is located in Greenville, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 79 ’s library science degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $16,550 for library science students per year to attend ECU.
Read full report on Library Science at East Carolina University
University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Library Science Schools list. UW - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 90 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UW - Madison did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Library Science Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UW - Madison is $17,234 for library science students.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Texas A&M University - Commerce came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Library Science Schools ranking. Located in Commerce, Texas, this fairly large public school awarded 54 diplomas to qualified ’s library science students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M Commerce is $13,515 for library science students.
Read more about Library Science at Texas A&M University - Commerce
University of South Carolina - Columbia did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Library Science Schools ranking, coming in at #16. UofSC is a large public school situated in Columbia, South Carolina. It awarded 121 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UofSC, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Library Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of South Carolina - Columbia is $20,559 for library science students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Library Science Schools ranking. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 54 ’s library science degrees to qualified students.
UNC Chapel Hill also made our “Best Library Science Schools” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend UNC Chapel Hill is $12,469 for Library Science students.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Library Science at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Rutgers University - New Brunswick landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value Library Science Schools ranking. Rutgers University - New Brunswick is a public institution located in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The school has a large population, and it awarded 194 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Rutgers New Brunswick not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Library Science Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Rutgers New Brunswick is $23,035 for library science students.
The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Library Science at Rutgers University - New Brunswick
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Library Science Schools ranking, coming in at #19. University of Oklahoma is a large public school situated in Norman, Oklahoma. It awarded 96 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $21,122 for library science students per year to attend University of Oklahoma.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad 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 Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Library Science Schools ranking. University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus is a large school located in Denver, Colorado that handed out 34 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus is $14,470 for Library Science students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Library Science at University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
Appalachian State University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Library Science Schools ranking. Appalachian State is a public institution located in Boone, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 27 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $13,989 for library science students per year to attend Appalachian State University.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, 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 86%.
University of Maryland - College Park did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Library Science Schools ranking, coming in at #22. Located in College Park, Maryland, this large public school handed out 104 degrees to qualified ’s library science students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMCP, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Library Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Maryland - College Park is $18,048 for Library Science students.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%.
Kent State University at Kent did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Library Science Schools ranking, coming in at #23. Kent State is a large school located in Kent, Ohio that handed out 173 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Kent State University at Kent is $19,117 for library science students.
Read full report on Library Science at Kent State University at Kent
University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Library Science Schools ranking, coming in at #24. Located in Tampa, Florida, this large public school handed out 98 diplomas to qualified ’s library science students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend University of South Florida - Main Campus is $8,346 for Library Science students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Library Science at University of South Florida - Main Campus
St Catherine University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Library Science Schools ranking. St Catherine University is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 33 ’s library science degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend St. Kate’s is $17,814 for Library Science students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
