2023 Best Value Colleges for Philosophy (Income $30-$48k)
76
Ranked Colleges
10,054
Degrees Awarded
$6,500
Avg Net Price*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 10,054 people earned their degree in philosophy, making the major the 83rd most popular in the United States. 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 $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 76 colleges that offered 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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 $30-$48k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $30-$48k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Philosophy (Income $30-$48k)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Duke University 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.
In addition to being on our philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k list, Duke has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Philosophy Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Duke University is $-927 for Philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k. The negative number means the student will receive more financial aid on average than it costs to attend the school.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Philosophy at Duke University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. 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 University of Pennsylvania is $1,938 for philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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 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 UPenn
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 $30-$48k. University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 71 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UChicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Philosophy Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UChicago is $4,777 for philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.
Read full report on Philosophy at UChicago
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Columbia University in the City of New York. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Columbia University in the City of New York is a large school located in New York, New York that handed out 82 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools” ranking. It costs about $4,699 for Philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Columbia.
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 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Philosophy at Columbia
Out of the 76 schools in the Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Vanderbilt University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 35 degrees to qualified ’s philosophy students in 2020-2021.
Vanderbilt also made our “Best Philosophy Schools” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $4,652 for philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Vanderbilt University.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate 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.
Full Vanderbilt Philosophy Report
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, this large public school handed out 72 diplomas to qualified ’s philosophy students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k list, UNC Chapel Hill has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Philosophy Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UNC Chapel Hill is $5,729 for Philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 95%.
Read more about Philosophy at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
With a ranking of #7, University of Florida did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Gainesville, Florida, this large public school handed out 50 degrees to qualified ’s philosophy students in 2020-2021.
UF also took the #22 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UF is $2,857 for philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Philosophy at UF
Boston College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Boston College is located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 95 ’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
Boston College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Philosophy Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Boston College is $7,075 for philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Boston College Philosophy Report
University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UW - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 73 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
UW - Madison did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Philosophy Schools” list. It costs about $4,788 for philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UW - Madison.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Philosophy Report
University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school handed out 64 diplomas to qualified ’s philosophy students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k list, UW Seattle has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Philosophy Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $6,399 for philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Philosophy at UW Seattle
Emory University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #11. Emory University is a fairly large school located in Atlanta, Georgia that handed out 65 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k list, Emory has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Philosophy Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Emory is $8,976 for philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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%. 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.
Read full report on Philosophy at Emory
University of California - Berkeley ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 106 ’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
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. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $9,999 for philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UC Berkeley Philosophy Report
Florida State University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Tallahassee, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s philosophy degrees to 55 students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Florida State University is $7,349 for philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. 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
University of California - Davis landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s philosophy degrees to 58 students in 2020-2021.
UC Davis also made our “Best Philosophy Schools” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $11,598 for philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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.
Full UC Davis Philosophy Report
With a ranking of #15, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 44 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $8,609 for philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, 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 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Philosophy Report
Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #16. 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Philosophy Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend ASU - Tempe is $10,628 for philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 Arizona State University - Tempe Philosophy Report
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #17. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s philosophy degrees to 27 students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $8,036 for philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. 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 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Virginia 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. It costs about $10,063 for Philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Philosophy at University of Virginia
University of California - Riverside came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school awarded 67 degrees to qualified ’s philosophy students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for UCR is $8,193 for Philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read more about Philosophy at University of California - Riverside
With a ranking of #20, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s philosophy degrees to 17 students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $2,701 for Philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.
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%.
Read full report on Philosophy at California State University - Los Angeles
California State University - Fresno landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s philosophy degrees to 15 students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $4,655 for Philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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 87%.
Full Fresno State Philosophy Report
Boston University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Boston University is located in Boston, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 50 ’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
Boston U not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Philosophy Schools” list. It costs about $11,782 for philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Boston U.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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.
Full Boston University Philosophy Report
Lehman College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #23. Lehman College is a fairly large public school situated in Bronx, New York. It awarded 28 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Lehman is $3,381 for Philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k.
Full Lehman College Philosophy Report
Florida International University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Florida International University is located in Miami, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 53 ’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $4,882 for Philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend FIU.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Philosophy at Florida International University
With a ranking of #25, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 31 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State is $8,581 for Philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Ohio State Philosophy Report
