2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Education
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 a Bachelor’s” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2019-2020, 29,936 people earned their degree in general education, making the major the 28th most popular in the United States.
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.
This year’s “Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s” ranking analyzed 184 colleges that offered 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.
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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree general education students.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Education
Out of the 184 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Bellevue University landed the #1 spot on the list. Bellevue University is located in Bellevue, Nebraska and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s general education degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Bellevue University is $15,616 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students.
Read full report on General Education at Bellevue University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wilmington University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Wilmington University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in New Castle, Delaware. It awarded 48 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $14,683 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students per year to attend Wilmington University.
Out of the 184 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay landed the #3 spot on the list. UW - Green Bay is located in Green Bay, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 74 bachelors’s general education degrees to qualified students.
On top of its placing in this ranking, UW - Green Bay 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 UW - Green Bay is $14,395 for bachelor’s degree general education students.
Read full report on General Education at University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Grand Valley State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s. GVSU is a large school located in Allendale, Michigan that handed out 221 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at GVSU, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Grand Valley State University is $17,646 for bachelor’s degree general education students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Education at Grand Valley State University
Florida Atlantic University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Florida Atlantic University 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.
It costs about $10,186 for bachelor’s degree general education students per year to attend Florida Atlantic University.
Southwest Minnesota State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Southwest Minnesota State University is located in Marshall, Minnesota and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s general education degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $14,397 for bachelor’s degree general education students per year to attend Southwest Minnesota State University.
Read more about General Education at Southwest Minnesota State University
SUNY Empire State College landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. SUNY Empire State College is located in Saratoga Springs, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 102 bachelors’s general education degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for SUNY Empire is $12,142 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students.
Goddard College landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Plainfield, Vermont is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general education degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Goddard College is $23,873 for bachelor’s degree general education students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Harding University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #10. Harding is a small school located in Searcy, Arkansas that handed out 13 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $19,375 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students per year to attend Harding University.
The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Heritage University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Heritage University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Toppenish, Washington. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Heritage University is $10,056 for bachelor’s degree general education 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.
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Milwaukee, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general education degrees to 153 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend UWM is $17,876 for bachelor’s degree general education students.
Texas Tech University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Texas Tech University is a large school located in Lubbock, Texas that handed out 133 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Texas Tech is also in the top of our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Texas Tech is $17,571 for bachelor’s degree general education students.
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 ranking of #14, University of Arkansas at Monticello did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Monticello, Arkansas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general education degrees to 39 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Arkansas at Monticello is $12,136 for bachelor’s degree general education students.
Full University of Arkansas at Monticello General Education Report
Northcentral University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. San Diego, California 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 11 students in 2019-2020.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Southern New Hampshire University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #16. Southern New Hampshire University is located in Manchester, New Hampshire and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 bachelors’s general education degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $41,095 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students per year to attend Southern New Hampshire University.
West Liberty University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s list. West Liberty University is a public institution located in West Liberty, West Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $13,793 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students per year to attend West Liberty University.
The University of Texas at San Antonio landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. This large school is located in San Antonio, Texas, and it awarded 82 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $13,853 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students per year to attend The University of Texas at San Antonio.
Read full report on General Education at The University of Texas at San Antonio
University of Florida landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. This large school is located in Gainesville, Florida, and 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 UF is $6,302 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.
Flagler College - St Augustine did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #20. Flagler St. Augustine is a small school located in Saint Augustine, Florida that handed out 31 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $23,237 for bachelor’s degree general education students per year to attend Flagler College - St Augustine.
Read full report on General Education at Flagler College - St Augustine
City University of Seattle ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s list. CityU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 7 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about General Education at City University of Seattle
University of Hawaii - West Oahu landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Kapolei, Hawaii, this small public school awarded 37 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general education students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $13,331 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students per year to attend UH West Oahu.
Read full report on General Education at University of Hawaii - West Oahu
Lindenwood University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Lindenwood University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Charles, Missouri. It awarded 13 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Lindenwood University is $17,491 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Kansas State University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. K -State is a public institution located in Manhattan, Kansas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for K -State is $18,285 for Bachelor’s Degree General Education students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Kent State University at Kent did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #25. Kent State is located in Kent, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 95 bachelors’s general education degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Kent State University at Kent is $18,885 for bachelor’s degree general education students.
Read more about General Education at Kent State University at Kent
Rest of the Best 28 in Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s
Not only did these schools make the top 28 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
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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.
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