2023 Best Value General Education Schools For Those Making $0-$30k
424
Ranked Colleges
29,810
Degrees Awarded
$5,000
Avg Net Price*
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 General Education Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
General Education is the 31st most popular major in the country with 29,810 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
For this year’s “Best Value General Education Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 424 colleges that offer a degree in general education. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general education 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 education 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.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value General Education Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value General Education Schools For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value General Education Schools For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for General Education (Income $0-$30k)
Out of the 424 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 68 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. It costs about $1,233 for general education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Stanford University.
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.
Read more about General Education at Stanford
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Johns Hopkins University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value General Education Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Baltimore, Maryland, and it awarded 643 ’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our general education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Johns Hopkins has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. It costs about $2,084 for General Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Johns Hopkins.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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 1.3% 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 General Education at Johns Hopkins University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Harvard University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value General Education Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Harvard is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 591 ’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
Harvard did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best General Education Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Harvard University is $2,564 for general education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The impressive undergraduate 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. 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 more about General Education at Harvard University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brown University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value General Education Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Brown University is located in Providence, Rhode Island and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 30 ’s general education degrees to qualified students.
Brown also made our “Best General Education Schools” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for Brown is $1,468 for general education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, 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. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about General Education at Brown University
Out of the 424 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pennsylvania landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 134 diplomas to qualified ’s general education students in 2020-2021.
UPenn also made our “Best General Education Schools” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $580 for general education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UPenn.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 General Education at University of Pennsylvania
University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Education Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 150 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UW Seattle also took the #3 spot in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $5,194 for general education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UW Seattle General Education Report
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 233 ’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
UIUC also made our “Best General Education Schools” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $4,858 for General Education 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%. 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 more about General Education at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
With a ranking of #8, University of Florida did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Education Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. UF is a large school located in Gainesville, Florida that handed out 38 ’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UF is also in the top of our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for UF is $65 for General Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on General Education at University of Florida
With a ranking of #9, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Education Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s general education degrees to 124 students in 2020-2021.
U-M also took the #19 spot in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. It costs about $2,670 for General Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend U-M.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on General Education at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
With a ranking of #10, Vanderbilt University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Education Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Vanderbilt University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Nashville, Tennessee. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 11 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Vanderbilt, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Vanderbilt is $3,176 for general education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Vanderbilt General Education Report
Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Purdue University - Main Campus is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 258 ’s general education degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our general education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Purdue has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. It costs about $5,995 for general education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Purdue.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Read full report on General Education at Purdue
California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Best Value General Education Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s general education degrees to 129 students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Cal State LA is $1,887 for General Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 full report on General Education at California State University - Los Angeles
Tufts University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Medford, Massachusetts, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 19 diplomas to qualified ’s general education students in 2020-2021.
Tufts not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best General Education Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Tufts is $8,122 for General Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 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 more about General Education at Tufts
California State University - Fresno ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school handed out 121 degrees to qualified ’s general education students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, Fresno State is in the top on our “Best General Education Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $3,859 for general education students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Education at California State University - Fresno
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well in the 2023 Best Value General Education Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, this large public school handed out 22 degrees to qualified ’s general education students in 2020-2021.
UNC Chapel Hill excels when it comes to general education quality. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $3,753 for General Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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 95%.
Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill General Education Report
Michigan State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Michigan State is a large school located in East Lansing, Michigan that handed out 186 ’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
Michigan State also took the #18 spot in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Michigan State is $6,927 for General Education 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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at Michigan State
University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value General Education Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #17. Charlottesville, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s general education degrees to 159 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Virginia, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. It costs about $12,476 for general education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Virginia.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 General Education at University of Virginia
University of California - Los Angeles landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Education Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 222 ’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our general education students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCLA has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $9,037 for general education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, 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 96%.
Full UCLA General Education Report
University of California - Berkeley ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 45 ’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley also took the #13 spot in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $8,450 for general education students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read more about General Education at University of California - Berkeley
North Carolina State University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. NC State is located in Raleigh, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 21 ’s general education degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at NC State, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend North Carolina State University is $7,283 for General Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%. 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 more about General Education at NC State
California State University - Fullerton landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Education Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cal State Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 255 ’s general education degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $4,590 for general education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Cal State Fullerton General Education Report
University of Georgia came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Georgia is a public institution located in Athens, Georgia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 39 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, UGA is in the top on our “Best General Education Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best General Education Schools” list. It costs about $8,303 for General Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UGA.
The low undergrad 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read full report on General Education at University of Georgia
University of Central Florida ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Orlando, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s general education degrees to 82 students in 2020-2021.
UCF excels when it comes to general education quality. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for UCF is $4,468 for general education 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 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 more about General Education at UCF
University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2023 Best Value General Education Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #24. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s general education degrees to 127 students in 2020-2021.
UCSD also made our “Best General Education Schools” list, coming in at #16. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $9,823 for general education students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read more about General Education at University of California - San Diego
With a ranking of #25, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Education Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. UC Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 368 ’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our general education students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Irvine has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $6,540 for General Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read more about General Education at University of California - Irvine
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