2023 Best Value Colleges for Philosophy (Income $0-$30k)
76
Ranked Colleges
10,054
Degrees Awarded
$6,300
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
Philosophy is the 83rd most popular major in the country with 10,054 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, philosophy graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $30,510 and had an average of $21,514 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 76 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in philosophy. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great philosophy programs and cost less that 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 philosophy program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Philosophy (Income $0-$30k)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Duke University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Duke is a private not-for-profit institution located in Durham, North Carolina. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 27 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Duke also took the #2 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Duke is $371 for Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, 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 97%.
Full Duke University Philosophy Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. UPenn is a private not-for-profit institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 206 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UPenn, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UPenn is $580 for Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate 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 undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Pennsylvania Philosophy Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 71 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UChicago, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Chicago is $2,500 for Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, 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 100%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Philosophy at UChicago
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Vanderbilt University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit institution located in Nashville, Tennessee. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 35 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Vanderbilt also made our “Best Philosophy Schools” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for Vanderbilt is $3,176 for Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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 Philosophy at Vanderbilt
Out of the 76 schools in the Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Boston College landed the #5 spot on the list. Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s philosophy degrees to 95 students in 2020-2021.
Boston College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Philosophy Schools” list. It costs about $10,212 for Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Boston College.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Boston College Philosophy Report
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a large public school situated in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It awarded 72 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k list, UNC Chapel Hill has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Philosophy Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is $3,753 for Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 1.4% 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 Philosophy at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
With a ranking of #7, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. UW - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 73 ’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
UW - Madison not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Philosophy Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison is $3,981 for philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. 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%.
Read full report on Philosophy at University of Wisconsin - Madison
With a ranking of #8, University of Florida did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Gainesville, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s philosophy degrees to 50 students in 2020-2021.
UF also took the #22 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Florida is $65 for philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Philosophy at UF
With a ranking of #9, Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Columbia is a large school located in New York, New York that handed out 82 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
Columbia also took the #6 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia University in the City of New York is $9,873 for Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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 low undergrad 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%.
Read more about Philosophy at Columbia
With a ranking of #10, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 64 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
UW Seattle also took the #12 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $5,194 for Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Read full report on Philosophy at UW Seattle
Florida State University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Florida State is located in Tallahassee, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 55 ’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Florida State is $4,950 for philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Philosophy at Florida State University
Emory University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Emory University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Atlanta, Georgia. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 65 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Emory also took the #5 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,538 for philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Emory.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Emory University Philosophy Report
With a ranking of #13, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 106 diplomas to qualified ’s philosophy students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,450 for Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Berkeley.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read full report on Philosophy at UC Berkeley
University of Virginia - Main Campus came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Virginia - Main Campus is a public institution located in Charlottesville, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 39 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Virginia also took the #16 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Virginia - Main Campus is $12,476 for philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read more about Philosophy at University of Virginia
University of California - Davis came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of California - Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 58 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Davis also made our “Best Philosophy Schools” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $10,006 for philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Davis.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Philosophy at University of California - Davis
With a ranking of #16, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 27 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $4,858 for Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Philosophy at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Tempe, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s philosophy degrees to 62 students in 2020-2021.
ASU - Tempe did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Philosophy Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend ASU - Tempe is $8,969 for philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Philosophy at ASU - Tempe
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a large public school situated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It awarded 44 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $7,698 for Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UMN Twin Cities.
The low undergrad 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Philosophy Report
With a ranking of #19, University of Notre Dame did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Notre Dame, Indiana is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s philosophy degrees to 48 students in 2020-2021.
Notre Dame not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Philosophy Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Notre Dame is $9,872 for Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Notre Dame Philosophy Report
University of California - Riverside landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s philosophy degrees to 67 students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $6,810 for Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Riverside.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Riverside Philosophy Report
Lehman College landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Lehman is a fairly large public school situated in Bronx, New York. It awarded 28 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $881 for philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lehman College.
Read full report on Philosophy at Lehman
Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. Located in Columbus, Ohio, this large public school handed out 31 degrees to qualified ’s philosophy students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State is $7,068 for philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Philosophy at Ohio State University - Main Campus
University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 144 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Philosophy Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Barbara is $10,568 for philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read full report on Philosophy at University of California - Santa Barbara
With a ranking of #24, Boston University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Boston U is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Boston, Massachusetts. It awarded 50 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k list, Boston U has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Philosophy Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Boston U is $12,982 for philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad 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 92%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Philosophy at Boston University
With a ranking of #25, Florida International University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Florida International University is a large school located in Miami, Florida that handed out 53 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Florida International University is $3,196 for philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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%.
Read full report on Philosophy at FIU
