2023 Best Value Colleges for Child Development & Psychology (Income $0-$30k)
179
Ranked Colleges
17,542
Degrees Awarded
$4,200
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Child Development & Psychology is the 57th most popular major in the country with 17,542 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, child development and psychology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $34,186 and had an average of $22,623 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 179 colleges that offered a degree in child development and psychology. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great child development and psychology 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 child development and psychology 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.
More Ways to Rank Child Development & Psychology Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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.
Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for child development students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Child Development & Psychology (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 Child Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Duke is located in Durham, North Carolina and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 140 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.
Duke also made our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Duke is $371 for child development students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, 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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% 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%.
Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Duke University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 63 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Stanford also took the #2 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $1,233 for child development students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Stanford University Child Development & Psychology Report
Out of the 179 schools in the Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Brown University landed the #3 spot on the list. Providence, Rhode Island is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s child development degrees to 73 students in 2020-2021.
Brown also took the #7 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Brown is $1,468 for child development students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Brown University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Yale University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in New Haven, Connecticut, and it awarded 103 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our child development students whose families make $0-$30k list, Yale has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” ranking. It costs about $961 for child development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Yale University.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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 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%.
Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Yale University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Harvard University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 88 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
Harvard also took the #4 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” ranking. It costs about $2,564 for child development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Harvard.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Harvard University
University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. This large school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 153 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
UPenn not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UPenn is $580 for child development 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 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 more about Child Development & Psychology at University of Pennsylvania
With a ranking of #7, Princeton University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Princeton University is located in Princeton, New Jersey and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 43 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our child development students whose families make $0-$30k list, Princeton has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Princeton University is $2,958 for child development students whose families make $0-$30k.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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 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%.
Read more about Child Development & Psychology at Princeton
University of Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 122 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UChicago is $2,500 for child development 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.
Full UChicago Child Development & Psychology Report
With a ranking of #9, Washington University in St Louis did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 210 degrees to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.
WUSTL did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list. It costs about $1,556 for Child Development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Washington University in St Louis.
The undergraduate 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad 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 Child Development & Psychology at WUSTL
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 749 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at U-M, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $2,670 for Child Development students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, 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 96%.
Read more about Child Development & Psychology at U-M
Northwestern University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s child development degrees to 22 students in 2020-2021.
Northwestern also made our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list, coming in at #21. It costs about $245 for Child Development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northwestern University.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 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 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Child Development & Psychology at Northwestern University
With a ranking of #12, Bates College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Lewiston, Maine, and it awarded 73 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
Bates also made our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list, coming in at #19. The yearly cost to attend Bates is $4,140 for child development students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 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. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Child Development & Psychology at Bates College
Vanderbilt University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Child Development Schools 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 ’s child development degrees to 42 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, Vanderbilt is in the top on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Vanderbilt is $3,176 for Child Development students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.
Read more about Child Development & Psychology at Vanderbilt
Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. Columbia is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 189 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Columbia also made our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $9,873 for Child Development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Columbia.
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 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 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.
Read more about Child Development & Psychology at Columbia University in the City of New York
Cornell University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cornell University is a large school located in Ithaca, New York that handed out 21 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
Cornell did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Cornell University is $5,244 for child development students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 Child Development & Psychology at Cornell University
University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 561 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
UW Seattle not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UW Seattle is $5,194 for Child Development students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. 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 more about Child Development & Psychology at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 622 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, UIUC is in the top on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $4,858 for Child Development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Child Development & Psychology Report
University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 11 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $3,981 for Child Development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW - Madison.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Child Development & Psychology at University of Wisconsin - Madison
Tufts University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Tufts is a fairly large school located in Medford, Massachusetts that handed out 70 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, Tufts is in the top on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend Tufts University is $8,122 for child development students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Tufts University
Boston College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s child development degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.
Boston College excels when it comes to child development quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Boston College is $10,212 for Child Development students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Child Development & Psychology at Boston College
With a ranking of #21, Amherst College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Amherst, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 37 diplomas to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.
Amherst also claimed a top spot on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Amherst is $4,468 for child development students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The undergraduate 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.
Read more about Child Development & Psychology at Amherst College
Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Purdue is a public institution located in West Lafayette, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 272 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $5,995 for child development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Purdue.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Full Purdue University - Main Campus Child Development & Psychology Report
University of California - Berkeley came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 326 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, UC Berkeley also did well on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $8,450 for Child Development students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 University of California - Berkeley Child Development & Psychology Report
University of California - Irvine landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UC Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 800 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.
UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list. It costs about $6,540 for Child Development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Irvine.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, 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 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full UC Irvine Child Development & Psychology Report
With a ranking of #25, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. UMN Twin Cities is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 174 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $7,698 for Child Development students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
