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2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k

31 Ranked Colleges
611 Degrees Awarded
$12,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor's in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 29,936 people earned their degree in general education, making the major the 35th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, general education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $47,138 and had an average of $29,674 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Southeast region, there were 4,177 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $42,486 and $33,384 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 611 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,277 and $25,415 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 31 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general education. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general education programs that also have a lower cost than 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

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k

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

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Education (Income $0-$30k) in the Southeast Region

#1

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 31 schools in the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Florida landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Florida is located in Gainesville, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UF, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Florida is $1,994 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read more about General Education at UF

#2

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee
#1 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 Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Vanderbilt University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 9 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Vanderbilt, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Vanderbilt is $3,156 for southeast region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.

The 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 96%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on General Education at Vanderbilt

#3

Berea College

Berea, Kentucky

Out of the 31 schools in the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Berea College landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Berea, Kentucky, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 15 degrees to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Berea has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Berea is $5,296 for southeast region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The 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 Berea General Education Report

#4

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, North Carolina
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend North Carolina State University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. NC State is a public institution located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

NC State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for North Carolina State University is $7,285 for southeast region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Read more about General Education at North Carolina State University

#5

Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, Florida

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Florida Atlantic University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Florida Atlantic University is located in Boca Raton, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 65 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.

FAU also took the #4 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $6,085 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Florida Atlantic University.

Read more about General Education at Florida Atlantic University

#6

Florida Gulf Coast University

Fort Myers, Florida

With a ranking of #6, Florida Gulf Coast University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Fort Myers, Florida, this fairly large public school handed out 38 degrees to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at FGCU, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Florida Gulf Coast University is $7,824 for southeast region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Florida Gulf Coast University General Education Report

#7

Fairmont State University

Fairmont, West Virginia

Fairmont State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. Fairmont State is a small school located in Fairmont, West Virginia that handed out 42 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Fairmont State, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Fairmont State University is $7,595 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about General Education at Fairmont State

#23 in overall quality

University of Arkansas at Monticello landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Monticello, Arkansas, this small public school handed out 39 degrees to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

UAM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UAM is $11,326 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full University of Arkansas at Monticello General Education Report

#9

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, Arkansas

With a ranking of #9, University of Arkansas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UARK is a public institution located in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UARK also took the #9 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $12,094 for southeast region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Arkansas.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full UARK General Education Report

#10

Bob Jones University

Greenville, South Carolina
#19 in overall quality

Bob Jones University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Greenville, South Carolina, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 20 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

Bob Jones University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Bob Jones University is $10,076 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on General Education at Bob Jones University

#11

West Liberty University

West Liberty, West Virginia
#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, West Liberty University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at West Liberty University, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for West Liberty University is $12,018 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on General Education at West Liberty University

#12

Harding University

Searcy, Arkansas
#6 in overall quality

Harding University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Harding is a small school located in Searcy, Arkansas that handed out 13 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Harding, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Harding is $13,930 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Education at Harding University

#13

Maryville College

Maryville, Tennessee

Maryville College landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Maryville, Tennessee, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Maryville College also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #12. The estimated yearly cost for Maryville College is $14,150 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about General Education at Maryville College

#14

Piedmont College

Demorest, Georgia
#16 in overall quality

Piedmont College landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Piedmont College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Demorest, Georgia. It awarded 7 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Piedmont College has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Piedmont College is $15,592 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Piedmont College General Education Report

#15

Ouachita Baptist University

Arkadelphia, Arkansas
#11 in overall quality

Ouachita Baptist University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 2 degrees to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Ouachita Baptist has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $13,042 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Ouachita Baptist University.

Read more about General Education at Ouachita Baptist

#16

Tusculum University

Greeneville, Tennessee

Tusculum University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Greeneville, Tennessee, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 22 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Tusculum is $13,752 for southeast region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Tusculum General Education Report

#17

Salem College

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Salem College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Winston-Salem, North Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Salem has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Salem College is $14,475 for southeast region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about General Education at Salem

#18

Flagler College - St Augustine

Saint Augustine, Florida

Flagler College - St Augustine ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Saint Augustine, Florida, and it awarded 31 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Flagler St. Augustine also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $17,534 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Flagler St. Augustine.

Read full report on General Education at Flagler College - St Augustine

#19

Wingate University

Wingate, North Carolina
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #19, Wingate University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Wingate, North Carolina, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 9 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

Wingate also took the #10 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Wingate is $15,876 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Wingate General Education Report

#20

North Greenville University

Tigerville, South Carolina
#15 in overall quality

North Greenville University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Tigerville, South Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

North Greenville also took the #15 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for North Greenville is $21,771 for southeast region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on General Education at North Greenville

#21

Belmont Abbey College

Belmont, North Carolina

Belmont Abbey College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. BAC is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Belmont, North Carolina. It awarded 28 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

BAC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Belmont Abbey College is $16,687 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about General Education at Belmont Abbey College

#22

Stetson University

DeLand, Florida

Stetson University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. Stetson University is located in DeLand, Florida and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Stetson has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stetson University is $20,515 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Full Stetson General Education Report

#23

Columbia College

Columbia, South Carolina
#25 in overall quality

Columbia College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Columbia College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Columbia, South Carolina. The school has a small population, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia College South Carolina did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia College is $16,819 for southeast region bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Columbia College General Education Report

#24

Guilford College

Greensboro, North Carolina
#18 in overall quality

Guilford College ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Guilford College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Greensboro, North Carolina. It awarded 8 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Guilford, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Guilford is $19,885 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Guilford General Education Report

#25

Barry University

Miami, Florida

Barry University landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Miami, Florida, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,405 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Barry University.

Read more about General Education at Barry University

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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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