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2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

168 Ranked Colleges
8,207 Degrees Awarded
$4,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $0-$30k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 10,015 people earned their degree in philosophy, making the major the 81st most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, philosophy graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $29,067 and had an average of $22,199 in loans still to pay off.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 8,207 philosophy graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 168 colleges that offer a degree in philosophy. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great philosophy 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 philosophy 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” 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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Philosophy (Income $0-$30k)

#1

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Out of the 168 schools in the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pennsylvania landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Pennsylvania is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 158 bachelors’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.

UPenn did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UPenn is $3,181 for Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Read more about Philosophy at UPenn

#2

Duke University

Durham, North Carolina
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Duke University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. This fairly large school is located in Durham, North Carolina, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Duke, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Duke is $-7,808 for Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k. When an average net price is negative, it usually means that the student will receive more financial aid than it costs to attend the school.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Duke Philosophy Report

#3

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

Out of the 168 schools in the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #3 spot on the list. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 21 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern is $1,866 for bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Philosophy at Northwestern

#4

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 70 bachelors’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.

UChicago also made our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $2,712 for Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Chicago.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Philosophy at UChicago

#5

Dartmouth College

Hanover, New Hampshire

Out of the 168 schools in the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Dartmouth College landed the #5 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Hanover, New Hampshire, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

Dartmouth also made our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $12,052 for bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Dartmouth College.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Dartmouth College Philosophy Report

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 36 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $3,166 for bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Philosophy at U-M

#7

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida

University of Florida landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UF is located in Gainesville, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 50 bachelors’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend UF is $1,994 for bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Philosophy at University of Florida

#8

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee
#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Vanderbilt University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Nashville, Tennessee is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s philosophy degrees to 23 students in 2019-2020.

Vanderbilt also took the #12 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Vanderbilt is $3,156 for bachelor’s degree 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. 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. 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%.

Read more about Philosophy at Vanderbilt University

#9

Cornell University

Ithaca, New York

Cornell University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Ithaca, New York, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

Cornell did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $7,484 for bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cornell.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The 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 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%.

Read full report on Philosophy at Cornell

#10

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UNC Chapel Hill is a public institution located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 68 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UNC Chapel Hill also made our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #18. The estimated yearly cost for UNC Chapel Hill is $4,026 for bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%. 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 Philosophy Report

University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UW - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 54 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Madison excels when it comes to philosophy quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $4,367 for Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW - Madison.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national 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.

Read more about Philosophy at University of Wisconsin - Madison

#12

William & Mary

Williamsburg, Virginia

With a ranking of #12, William & Mary did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Williamsburg, Virginia, this medium-sized public school handed out 34 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s philosophy students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k list, William & Mary has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for William & Mary is $4,711 for Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Philosophy at William & Mary

#13

Lehman College

Bronx, New York

With a ranking of #13, Lehman College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lehman College is a fairly large public school situated in Bronx, New York. It awarded 30 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Lehman is $234 for bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Philosophy at Lehman College

#14

Hunter College

New York, New York

Hunter College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s philosophy degrees to 27 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Hunter College is $320 for bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Hunter Philosophy Report

With a ranking of #15, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 60 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $7,850 for bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 more about Philosophy at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

John Jay College of Criminal Justice came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. John Jay College of Criminal Justice is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for John Jay is $771 for bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Philosophy at John Jay

#17

Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem, North Carolina
#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #17, Wake Forest University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Wake Forest University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It awarded 35 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k list, Wake Forest University has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Wake Forest University is $5,250 for bachelor’s degree 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 student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Philosophy at Wake Forest University

#18

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida

Florida State University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Florida State University is located in Tallahassee, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 46 bachelors’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Florida State University is $5,360 for Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Philosophy at Florida State University

Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #19. Columbia is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 62 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia also took the #8 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,916 for bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Columbia.

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. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, 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 more about Philosophy at Columbia University in the City of New York

#20

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Boston College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 78 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s philosophy students in 2019-2020.

Boston College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Boston College is $6,353 for bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Philosophy at Boston College

#21

Emory University

Atlanta, Georgia

Emory University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 44 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s philosophy students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k list, Emory has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Emory is $11,468 for bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The impressive 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 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 Emory Philosophy Report

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 29 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,477 for Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UIUC.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, 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 94%.

Read full report on Philosophy at UIUC

#23

Tufts University

Medford, Massachusetts

Tufts University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Tufts University is located in Medford, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 17 bachelors’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.

On top of its placing in this ranking, Tufts also did well on our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Tufts is $5,267 for Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Tufts Philosophy Report

#24

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, Indiana

With a ranking of #24, University of Notre Dame did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Notre Dame, Indiana, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 30 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s philosophy students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Notre Dame, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $12,498 for bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Notre Dame.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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 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%.

Full University of Notre Dame Philosophy Report

#25

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

University of California - Los Angeles ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 127 degrees to qualified bachelors’s philosophy students in 2019-2020.

UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $8,553 for bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCLA.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, 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 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Philosophy at UCLA

Rest of the Best 26 in Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

Not only did these schools make the top 26 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

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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