2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Social Sciences (With Aid)
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 Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.
General Social Sciences is the 51st most popular major in the country with 19,742 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, general social sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $31,665 and had an average of $22,423 in loans still to pay off.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 6,589 general social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 155 colleges that offer a degree in general social sciences. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general social sciences programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the general social sciences 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.
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One Size Does Not Fit All
The social sciences school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid”.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. 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 Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Social Sciences (With Aid)
Out of the 155 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #1 spot on the list. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 72 students in 2019-2020.
UW Seattle also took the #8 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $13,297 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Out of the 155 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #2 spot on the list. Harvard is a large school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that handed out 157 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Harvard also took the #2 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Harvard is $15,386 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive 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.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is located in Edinburg, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is $4,514 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Social Sciences at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Florida State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in Tallahassee, Florida, and it awarded 292 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Florida State also took the #13 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Florida State is $9,789 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.
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 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Social Sciences at Florida State University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of South Florida - Main Campus. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in Tampa, Florida, and it awarded 153 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $8,355 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid per year to attend USF Tampa.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Stanislaus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. California State University - Stanislaus is a fairly large school located in Turlock, California that handed out 63 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Stanislaus is $6,019 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, 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 87%.
The University of West Florida ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UWF is a public institution located in Pensacola, Florida. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 42 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $7,406 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid per year to attend The University of West Florida.
University of California - Irvine came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of California - Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 29 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid list, UC Irvine has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $14,783 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid per year to attend University of California - Irvine.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Vanderbilt University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Vanderbilt University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 227 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Vanderbilt did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Vanderbilt is $19,432 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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 more about General Social Sciences at Vanderbilt University
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. U-M is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at U-M, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for U-M is $15,336 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on General Social Sciences at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
With a ranking of #11, University of Wisconsin - River Falls did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in River Falls, Wisconsin, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - River Falls is also in the top of our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls is $13,748 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Social Sciences at UW - River Falls
University of Utah did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. University of Utah is a large school located in Salt Lake City, Utah that handed out 88 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend University of Utah is $14,773 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
University of Minnesota - Morris came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UMN Morris is a small school located in Morris, Minnesota that handed out 7 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $11,412 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid per year to attend University of Minnesota - Morris.
The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%.
Full University of Minnesota - Morris General Social Sciences Report
Colorado State University - Global Campus landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Greenwood Village, Colorado is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 38 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on this list, Colorado State University - Global Campus is in the top on our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Colorado State University - Global Campus General Social Sciences Report
University of Wisconsin - Whitewater ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is located in Whitewater, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $15,249 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater.
Full University of Wisconsin - Whitewater General Social Sciences Report
University of Wyoming came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Wyoming is located in Laramie, Wyoming and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Wyoming is $12,159 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.
The low 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%.
Michigan State University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Michigan State University is a large school located in East Lansing, Michigan that handed out 129 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Michigan State also took the #16 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $19,173 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid per year to attend Michigan State University.
The low 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full Michigan State University General Social Sciences Report
California State University - San Bernardino ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - San Bernardino is a fairly large public school situated in San Bernardino, California. It awarded 11 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $7,342 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid per year to attend California State University - San Bernardino.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
San Diego State University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. SDSU is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 55 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $14,788 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid per year to attend SDSU.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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 ranking of #20, University of Nevada - Las Vegas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UNLV is a large school located in Las Vegas, Nevada that handed out 11 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend UNLV is $11,424 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.
University of Wisconsin - Stout landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Menomonie, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school awarded 15 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,839 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid per year to attend UW - Stout.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Pennsylvania came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UPenn is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It awarded 1 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
UPenn did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UPenn is $25,802 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. 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. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Social Sciences at University of Pennsylvania
Southern Oregon University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Southern Oregon University is a medium-sized public school situated in Ashland, Oregon. It awarded 14 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Southern Oregon University is $10,386 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.
Read more about General Social Sciences at Southern Oregon University
With a ranking of #24, University of Central Florida did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UCF is a large public school situated in Orlando, Florida. It awarded 33 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UCF is $10,274 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.
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 low student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%.
University of Wisconsin - Platteville came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UW - Platteville is located in Platteville, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $15,718 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid per year to attend UW - Platteville.
Full University of Wisconsin - Platteville General Social Sciences Report
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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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Manfred Werner (Tsui).
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