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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Education (Income $48-$75k)

179 Ranked Colleges
4,798 Degrees Awarded
Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $48-$75k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

General Education is the 28th most popular major in the country with 29,936 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,798 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 179 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The general education 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 General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k”.

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. 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 General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Education (Income $48-$75k)

#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k. UW Seattle is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 106 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Seattle, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW Seattle is $9,694 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus General Education Report

#2

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Vanderbilt University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k. Nashville, Tennessee is the setting for this fairly large 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 bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $48-$75k list, Vanderbilt has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Vanderbilt is $8,086 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on General Education at Vanderbilt University

#3

Brown University

Providence, Rhode Island
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brown University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k. Located in Providence, Rhode Island, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 24 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general education students in 2019-2020.

Brown not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $11,689 for bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Brown University.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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.

Full Brown University General Education Report

#4

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida
#11 in overall quality

Out of the 179 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Florida landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Florida is a large public school situated in Gainesville, Florida. It awarded 21 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

UF not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Florida is $8,528 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about General Education at UF

#5

Berea College

Berea, Kentucky

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Berea College. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k. This small school is located in Berea, Kentucky, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $4,259 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Berea.

The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Berea General Education Report

#6

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
Top 20% in overall quality

Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #6. Purdue University - Main Campus is a large public school situated in West Lafayette, Indiana. It awarded 12 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

Purdue excels when it comes to general education quality. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. It costs about $9,654 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Purdue University - Main Campus.

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 General Education at Purdue

#7

Heritage University

Toppenish, Washington

Heritage University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This small school is located in Toppenish, Washington, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Heritage University is $9,318 for bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $48-$75k.

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.

Full Heritage University General Education Report

#8

Swarthmore College

Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
#10 in overall quality

Swarthmore College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. This small school is located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Swarthmore, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $13,744 for bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Swarthmore.

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 low 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%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on General Education at Swarthmore

#15 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 13 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general education students in 2019-2020.

UIUC also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $13,351 for bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full UIUC General Education Report

#10

Colgate University

Hamilton, New York
#1 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, Colgate University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Colgate University is located in Hamilton, New York and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 23 bachelors’s general education degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $48-$75k list, Colgate has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $16,525 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Colgate University.

The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%. 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 excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Colgate University General Education Report

#11

Beloit College

Beloit, Wisconsin
Top 25% in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, Beloit College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Beloit, Wisconsin, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 16 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general education students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,769 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Beloit College.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about General Education at Beloit

#21 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #12. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 367 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $48-$75k list, UC Irvine has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $13,648 for bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, 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 General Education at University of California - Irvine

#13

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, North Carolina
#20 in overall quality

North Carolina State University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, this large public school awarded 19 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general education students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NC State, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend North Carolina State University is $15,084 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 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 General Education at North Carolina State University

#14

Colorado College

Colorado Springs, Colorado
#18 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, Colorado College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Colorado College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It awarded 10 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

Colorado College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Colorado College is $15,884 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $48-$75k.

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. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on General Education at Colorado College

#15

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

Green Bay, Wisconsin
Top 20% in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Green Bay, Wisconsin is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general education degrees to 74 students in 2019-2020.

UW - Green Bay excels when it comes to general education quality. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is $14,584 for bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full University of Wisconsin - Green Bay General Education Report

#16

Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, Florida
Top 25% in overall quality

Florida Atlantic University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. FAU is a public institution located in Boca Raton, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 65 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend FAU is $11,786 for bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about General Education at Florida Atlantic University

#17

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, Michigan
#19 in overall quality

Grand Valley State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #17. Grand Valley State University is a large public school situated in Allendale, Michigan. It awarded 221 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

GVSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $15,775 for bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Grand Valley State University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Education at Grand Valley State University

#18

Florida Gulf Coast University

Fort Myers, Florida

Florida Gulf Coast University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. FGCU is located in Fort Myers, Florida and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 38 bachelors’s general education degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for FGCU is $12,344 for bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on General Education at Florida Gulf Coast University

Top 25% in overall quality

University of Hawaii - West Oahu ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Kapolei, Hawaii, this small public school awarded 37 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general education students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,741 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Hawaii - West Oahu.

Read more about General Education at University of Hawaii - West Oahu

Top 20% in overall quality

University of California - San Diego ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of California - San Diego is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 11 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UCSD is also in the top of our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend University of California - San Diego is $14,071 for bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. 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 California - San Diego

The University of Texas at San Antonio ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in San Antonio, Texas, and it awarded 82 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,827 for bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend The University of Texas at San Antonio.

Read more about General Education at UTSA

University of Missouri - Columbia came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Columbia, Missouri is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general education degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,145 for bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Mizzou.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Mizzou General Education Report

#23

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas
Top 20% in overall quality

Texas Tech University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in Lubbock, Texas, and it awarded 133 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

On top of its placing in this ranking, Texas Tech also did well on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend Texas Tech University is $17,421 for bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Texas Tech General Education Report

#24

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington

Eastern Washington University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. EWU is a fairly large public school situated in Cheney, Washington. It awarded 14 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,856 for bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend EWU.

Read full report on General Education at Eastern Washington University

#25

SUNY Empire State College

Saratoga Springs, New York

SUNY Empire State College ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Saratoga Springs, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general education degrees to 102 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,334 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend SUNY Empire State College.

Read more about General Education at SUNY Empire State College

Rest of the Best 27 in Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k

Not only did these schools make the top 27 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

#26

Bellevue University

Bellevue, Nebraska
#27

Bethany Lutheran College

Mankato, Minnesota

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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