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2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k

13 Ranked Colleges
264 Degrees Awarded
$17,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor's in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 29,936 people earned their degree in general education, making the major the 28th most popular in the United States.

Across Massachusetts, there were 1,701 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 264 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $42,887 and $24,387 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 13 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the general education program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank General Education Schools

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 General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 13 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Education (Income $0-$30k) in Massachusetts

#1

Tufts University

Medford, Massachusetts
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Tufts University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. Tufts is located in Medford, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s general education degrees to qualified students.

Tufts did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. It costs about $5,267 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Tufts University.

With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The impressive 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.

Full Tufts General Education Report

#2

Smith College

Northampton, Massachusetts
#7 in overall quality

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Smith College landed the #2 spot on the list. Northampton, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general education degrees to 21 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Smith, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $6,075 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Smith.

The low 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%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Smith General Education Report

#3

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Amherst, Massachusetts
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Massachusetts Amherst landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public institution located in Amherst, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 24 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our massachusetts bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k list, UMass Amherst has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Massachusetts Amherst is $13,137 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, 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 89%.

Read full report on General Education at University of Massachusetts Amherst

#4

Brandeis University

Waltham, Massachusetts
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Brandeis University landed the #4 spot on the list. Brandeis is a private not-for-profit institution located in Waltham, Massachusetts. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Brandeis also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $13,567 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Brandeis.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on General Education at Brandeis University

#5

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

North Adams, Massachusetts
#10 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k. Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts is located in North Adams, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s general education degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at MCLA, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts is $12,587 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts General Education Report

#6

Salem State University

Salem, Massachusetts
#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, Salem State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Salem, Massachusetts, this medium-sized public school awarded 16 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general education students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Salem State, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Salem State is $14,593 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Salem State University General Education Report

#7

Springfield College

Springfield, Massachusetts
#8 in overall quality

Springfield College landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Springfield, Massachusetts, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our massachusetts bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Springfield College has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Springfield College is $19,586 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Springfield College General Education Report

#8

Bay Path University

Longmeadow, Massachusetts
#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Bay Path University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. Longmeadow, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general education degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our massachusetts bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Bay Path has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Bay Path University is $19,522 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on General Education at Bay Path University

#9

Stonehill College

Easton, Massachusetts
#3 in overall quality

Stonehill College landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Stonehill is a private not-for-profit institution located in Easton, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Stonehill did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend Stonehill College is $22,284 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, 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 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Education at Stonehill College

#10

Elms College

Chicopee, Massachusetts
#12 in overall quality

Elms College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Chicopee, Massachusetts, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our massachusetts bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Elms College has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Elms College is $18,504 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Elms College General Education Report

#11

Merrimack College

North Andover, Massachusetts
#2 in overall quality

Merrimack College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. Merrimack is located in North Andover, Massachusetts and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 70 bachelors’s general education degrees to qualified students.

Merrimack also took the #2 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Merrimack is $27,589 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Education at Merrimack

#12

Endicott College

Beverly, Massachusetts
#6 in overall quality

Endicott College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Beverly, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 18 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general education students in 2019-2020.

Endicott did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The estimated yearly cost for Endicott College is $27,432 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Endicott General Education Report

#13

Lesley University

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#11 in overall quality

Lesley University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. Lesley University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 7 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

Lesley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The estimated yearly cost for Lesley is $29,108 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Lesley General Education Report

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Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to KOKUYO.

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