2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Urban Studies (Income $0-$30k)
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2019-2020, 1,475 people earned their degree in urban studies, making the major the 210th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, urban studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $37,971 and had an average of $24,376 in loans still to pay off.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,041 urban studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 73 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in urban studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent urban studies 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 urban studies program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.
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Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Urban Studies (Income $0-$30k)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 10 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Stanford also made our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $-1,387 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Stanford. The negative number means the student will receive more financial aid on average than it costs to attend the school.
The student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, 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 86%. 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.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. UPenn is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 35 bachelors’s urban studies degrees to qualified students.
UPenn also took the #3 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pennsylvania is $3,181 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The 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.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Washington University in St Louis. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Saint Louis, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s urban studies degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.
WUSTL also made our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for WUSTL is $5,273 for bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brown University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Brown is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Providence, Rhode Island. It awarded 25 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Brown, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Brown University is $201 for bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, 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 92%. 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.
Out of the 73 schools in the Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 34 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $8,392 for bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low 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 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Urban Studies at University of California - Berkeley
Swarthmore College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Swarthmore is a private not-for-profit institution located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Swarthmore did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $5,860 for bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Swarthmore College.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, 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 86%.
Queens College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Queens College is a fairly large school located in Queens, New York that handed out 37 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Queens College is $1,255 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
Hunter College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Hunter College is a large public school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 11 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $320 for bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Hunter College.
The low student loan default rate of 4.0% 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%.
Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in New York, New York, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 17 degrees to qualified bachelors’s urban studies students in 2019-2020.
Columbia also took the #4 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Columbia University in the City of New York is $8,916 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Urban Studies at Columbia University in the City of New York
Trinity College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Trinity Bantams is a private not-for-profit institution located in Hartford, Connecticut. The school has a small population, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Trinity Bantams not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $6,256 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Trinity College.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.
University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 57 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Irvine has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $9,558 for bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
With a ranking of #12, Vassar College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Poughkeepsie, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s urban studies degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.
Vassar also made our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $8,186 for bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Vassar College.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.
UMN Twin Cities not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $7,266 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Urban Studies at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
University of California - San Diego ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 45 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSD, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $9,280 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, 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 full report on Urban Studies at University of California - San Diego
California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. CSUN is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $5,945 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Minnesota - Duluth came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Duluth, Minnesota, this fairly large public school awarded 1 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s urban studies students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Duluth is $7,443 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 3.1% 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%.
Towson University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Towson, Maryland, this large public school handed out 6 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s urban studies students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Towson is $9,206 for bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
San Diego State University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Diego State University is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $8,870 for bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #19, The University of Texas at Austin did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s urban studies degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Austin, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Austin is $12,203 for bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Nevada - Las Vegas ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. UNLV is a public institution located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The school has a large population, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $9,378 for bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Nevada - Las Vegas.
Read full report on Urban Studies at University of Nevada - Las Vegas
Arizona State University - Tempe came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Tempe, Arizona, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Arizona State University - Tempe is $7,044 for bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Trinity University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. Trinity U is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Antonio, Texas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Trinity U, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Trinity University is $12,373 for bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 30 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UIC is $10,648 for bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.
Read more about Urban Studies at University of Illinois at Chicago
Rhodes College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #24. Rhodes College is located in Memphis, Tennessee and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s urban studies degrees to qualified students.
Rhodes College also took the #10 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Rhodes College is $16,870 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, 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%.
With a ranking of #25, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is a medium-sized public school situated in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It awarded 1 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is $11,337 for bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
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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 Andrew Bossi.
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