2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Sciences (With Aid)
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2019-2020, 205,726 social sciences students received their degree, making the major the 5th most popular in the country. In 2017-2018, social sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $34,801 and had an average of $23,466 in loans still to pay off.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 155,417 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 821 colleges that offer a degree in social sciences. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent social sciences programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the social sciences program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Sciences (With Aid)
Out of the 821 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Yale University landed the #1 spot on the list. Yale is a private not-for-profit institution located in New Haven, Connecticut. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 440 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid list, Yale has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $17,549 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid per year to attend Yale.
The impressive 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 student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 821 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 North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #2 spot on the list. UNC Chapel Hill is a public institution located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 938 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UNC Chapel Hill is also in the top of our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for UNC Chapel Hill is $12,352 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.
Read more about Social Sciences at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Out of the 821 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Hunter College landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in New York, New York, this large public school awarded 565 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Hunter is $2,490 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend John Jay College of Criminal Justice. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. John Jay is a fairly large school located in New York, New York that handed out 462 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $2,532 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid per year to attend John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Read more about Social Sciences at John Jay College of Criminal Justice
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Cal State LA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 628 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $2,768 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.
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%.
University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school handed out 1,092 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, UW Seattle also did well on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend UW Seattle is $13,297 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.
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%.
Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Social Sciences Report
With a ranking of #7, Baruch College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Baruch is a fairly large school located in New York, New York that handed out 166 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $3,562 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid per year to attend Baruch.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Lehman College 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. Lehman College is a fairly large school located in Bronx, New York that handed out 372 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $1,814 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid per year to attend Lehman.
University of Florida ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Gainesville, Florida, and it awarded 1,154 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UF is also in the top of our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $6,302 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid per year to attend University of Florida.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at University of Florida
Harvard University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. Harvard is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 558 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid list, Harvard has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Harvard University 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%. 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.
Queens College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Queens College is a fairly large school located in Queens, New York that handed out 782 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $3,067 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid per year to attend Queens College.
The low 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 ranking of #12, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a fairly large school located in Carson, California that handed out 296 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $4,215 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid per year to attend CSUDH.
The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 City College of New York 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. The City College of New York is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 325 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend The City College of New York is $2,385 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.
Princeton University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Princeton, New Jersey, and it awarded 253 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Princeton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Princeton University is $11,317 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.
The low 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%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UT Rio Grande Valley is a public institution located in Edinburg, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 153 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
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 low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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%.
Full The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Social Sciences Report
York College landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. York is located in Jamaica, New York and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 92 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend York is $3,433 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.
Stanford University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 236 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $11,496 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Fresno did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #18. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 700 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $5,464 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
With a ranking of #19, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 867 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.
UIUC excels when it comes to social sciences quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $15,880 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid per year to attend UIUC.
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 student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Claremont McKenna College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. Claremont McKenna College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Claremont, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 177 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Claremont McKenna not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Claremont McKenna is $22,161 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 87%. 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.
University of California - Los Angeles landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2,699 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
UCLA also claimed a top spot on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $14,279 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Texas A&M International University landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Laredo, Texas, and it awarded 45 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $3,074 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid per year to attend Texas A&M International University.
Read more about Social Sciences at Texas A&M International University
University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UW - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 1,093 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - Madison also claimed a top spot on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison is $17,708 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 student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Fullerton landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Cal State Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 633 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fullerton is $7,991 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 2.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Social Sciences at California State University - Fullerton
With a ranking of #25, College of Staten Island CUNY did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. College of Staten Island CUNY is a fairly large school located in Staten Island, New York that handed out 170 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for College of Staten Island CUNY is $5,118 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.
Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid
While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Dartmouth College | Hanover, NH |
| 52 | University of Central Florida | Orlando, FL |
| 53 | University of California - Riverside | Riverside, CA |
| 54 | University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA |
| 55 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC |
| 56 | University of California - San Diego | La Jolla, CA |
| 57 | University of California - Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CA |
| 58 | Purdue University Northwest | Hammond, IN |
| 59 | Indiana University - Bloomington | Bloomington, IN |
| 60 | The University of West Florida | Pensacola, FL |
| 61 | University of Maryland - College Park | College Park, MD |
| 62 | California State University - Bakersfield | Bakersfield, CA |
| 63 | Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus | Atlanta, GA |
| 64 | Columbia University in the City of New York | New York, NY |
| 65 | Swarthmore College | Swarthmore, PA |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 116 | Park University | Parkville, MO |
| 117 | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities | Minneapolis, MN |
| 118 | University of North Georgia | Dahlonega, GA |
| 119 | University of Illinois at Springfield | Springfield, IL |
| 120 | University of North Carolina at Pembroke | Pembroke, NC |
| 121 | The University of Texas at El Paso | El Paso, TX |
| 122 | Louisiana Tech University | Ruston, LA |
| 123 | Towson University | Towson, MD |
| 124 | Eastern Washington University | Cheney, WA |
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Social Sciences students with family income $75-$110k
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 AndrГ© KГјnzelmann.
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