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2023 Best Value Colleges for Urban Studies/Affairs (With Aid)

78 Ranked Colleges
1,507 Degrees Awarded
$15,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Urban Affairs Schools For Those Getting Aid

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Urban Affairs Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

Urban Studies/Affairs is the 346th most popular major in the country with 1,507 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

For this year’s “Best Value Urban Affairs Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 78 colleges that offer a degree in urban studies/affairs. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great urban studies/affairs programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the urban studies/affairs program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Urban Studies/Affairs Schools

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The urban affairs 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 Urban Affairs Schools 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Urban Affairs Schools For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Urban Affairs Schools For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Urban Studies/Affairs (With Aid)

1
Hunter crest
Hunter College
New York, New York

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Hunter College. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Urban Affairs Schools For Those Getting Aid. Hunter is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 90 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Hunter College is $2,158 for Urban Affairs students with aid.

The low undergrad 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%.

Full Hunter College Urban Studies/Affairs Report

2
QC crest
Queens College
Queens, New York

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Queens College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Urban Affairs Schools For Those Getting Aid. Queens, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s urban affairs degrees to 63 students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Queens College is $3,469 for urban affairs students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Queens College Urban Studies/Affairs Report

3
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Urban Affairs Schools For Those Getting Aid. Stanford University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 12 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.

Stanford also took the #2 spot in our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $12,894 for Urban Affairs students with aid.

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 0.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Urban Studies/Affairs at Stanford

4

Out of the 78 schools in the Best Value Urban Affairs Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #4 spot on the list. University of California - San Diego is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 38 ’s urban affairs degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSD, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools” ranking. It costs about $15,240 for Urban Affairs students with aid per year to attend University of California - San Diego.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of California - San Diego Urban Studies/Affairs Report

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Urban Affairs Schools For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 65 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools” list. It costs about $12,209 for Urban Affairs students with aid per year to attend UC Irvine.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about Urban Studies/Affairs at UC Irvine

6

California State University - Northridge ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Urban Affairs Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school awarded 27 degrees to qualified ’s urban affairs students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Northridge is $8,523 for Urban Affairs students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Urban Studies/Affairs at CSUN

7

With a ranking of #7, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 35 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Berkeley also made our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $16,032 for urban affairs students with aid per year to attend UC Berkeley.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read more about Urban Studies/Affairs at University of California - Berkeley

8
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia

Virginia Tech did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. This large school is located in Blacksburg, Virginia, and it awarded 14 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.

Virginia Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Tech is $21,301 for urban affairs students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Urban Studies/Affairs at Virginia Tech

9

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Urban Affairs Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large public school handed out 37 degrees to qualified ’s urban affairs students in 2020-2021.

UMN Twin Cities not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $17,878 for Urban Affairs students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Urban Studies/Affairs Report

10
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 32 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.

UPenn also made our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pennsylvania is $25,046 for Urban Affairs students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Urban Studies/Affairs at University of Pennsylvania

11
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah

University of Utah did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. University of Utah is a large school located in Salt Lake City, Utah that handed out 17 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend U of U is $13,572 for urban affairs students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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%.

Read full report on Urban Studies/Affairs at University of Utah

12

The University of Texas at Austin landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. UT Austin is a public institution located in Austin, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 30 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Austin, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Austin is $18,350 for Urban Affairs students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UT Austin Urban Studies/Affairs Report

13
Portland State University crest
Portland State University
Portland, Oregon

Portland State University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Urban Affairs Schools For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Portland, Oregon, and it awarded 32 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Portland State University is $12,498 for urban affairs students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.7% 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 Urban Studies/Affairs at Portland State University

14
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Urban Affairs Schools For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 31 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $14,459 for Urban Affairs students with aid per year to attend San Francisco State University.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full San Francisco State University Urban Studies/Affairs Report

15

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Urban Affairs Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is a large school located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that handed out 13 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $17,486 for urban affairs students with aid per year to attend UWM.

Read more about Urban Studies/Affairs at UWM

16
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

With a ranking of #16, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools For Those Getting Aid list. San Diego State University is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 12 ’s urban affairs degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $13,845 for urban affairs students with aid per year to attend SDSU.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Urban Studies/Affairs at SDSU

17

Minnesota State University - Mankato landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Mankato, Minnesota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s urban affairs degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Minnesota State Mankato is $17,159 for urban affairs students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Urban Studies/Affairs at Minnesota State University - Mankato

18

University of Maryland - College Park ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Urban Affairs Schools For Those Getting Aid list. College Park, Maryland is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s urban affairs degrees to 15 students in 2020-2021.

UMCP did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools” list. It costs about $18,048 for Urban Affairs students with aid per year to attend University of Maryland - College Park.

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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%.

Read full report on Urban Studies/Affairs at University of Maryland - College Park

19
Rutgers New Brunswick crest
Rutgers University - New Brunswick
New Brunswick, New Jersey

With a ranking of #19, Rutgers University - New Brunswick did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Rutgers University - New Brunswick is a large public school situated in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It awarded 7 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Rutgers New Brunswick, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Rutgers New Brunswick is $23,035 for Urban Affairs students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Urban Studies/Affairs at Rutgers University - New Brunswick

20

With a ranking of #20, University of Nevada - Las Vegas did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Las Vegas, Nevada, this large public school handed out 35 degrees to qualified ’s urban affairs students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for UNLV is $10,993 for Urban Affairs students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.9% 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 Urban Studies/Affairs at University of Nevada - Las Vegas

21

With a ranking of #21, Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Columbia University in the City of New York is a large school located in New York, New York that handed out 19 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.

Columbia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia is $22,823 for Urban Affairs students with aid.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%. 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/Affairs at Columbia

22

Cleveland State University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Urban Affairs Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Cleveland State University is a public institution located in Cleveland, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 56 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $16,943 for Urban Affairs students with aid per year to attend Cleveland State University.

Full Cleveland State University Urban Studies/Affairs Report

23
St. Cloud State University crest
Saint Cloud State University
Saint Cloud, Minnesota

Saint Cloud State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #23. Located in Saint Cloud, Minnesota, this fairly large public school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified ’s urban affairs students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $14,581 for urban affairs students with aid per year to attend Saint Cloud State University.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Urban Studies/Affairs at Saint Cloud State University

24
Georgia State crest
Georgia State University
Atlanta, Georgia

Georgia State University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Urban Affairs Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Georgia State University is a large public school situated in Atlanta, Georgia. It awarded 24 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Georgia State is $17,242 for urban affairs students with aid.

Full Georgia State Urban Studies/Affairs Report

25

University of Michigan - Dearborn landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. UM Dearborn is a medium-sized school located in Dearborn, Michigan that handed out 4 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $12,855 for urban affairs students with aid per year to attend University of Michigan - Dearborn.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 Urban Studies/Affairs at University of Michigan - Dearborn

Notes and References

References

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