2023 Best Value Colleges for General Education (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region
67
Ranked Colleges
9,248
Degrees Awarded
$6,900
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Education Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
General Education is the 41st most popular major in the country with 29,810 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, general education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $48,719 and had an average of $23,394 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Far Western US region, there were 9,248 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $55,627 and $23,641 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Education Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 67 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general education. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great general education programs and 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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 Education Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Education Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Education Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for General Education (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region
Out of the 67 schools in the Best Value Education Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 68 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our far western us region education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Stanford has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best General Education Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $1,233 for far western us region education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Stanford.
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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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 University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Education Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UW Seattle is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 150 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our far western us region education students whose families make $0-$30k list, UW Seattle has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best General Education Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $5,194 for Far Western US Region 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus General Education Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Education Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 129 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $1,887 for Far Western US Region Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 Cal State LA General Education Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Education Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school awarded 121 degrees to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
Fresno State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best General Education Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $3,859 for far western us region education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on General Education at Fresno State
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Education Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s education degrees to 222 students in 2020-2021.
UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best General Education Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $9,037 for Far Western US Region 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%.
Read full report on General Education at UCLA
University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. UC Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 45 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley also made our “Best General Education Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $8,450 for far western us region education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Berkeley.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on General Education at UC Berkeley
California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s education degrees to 255 students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $4,590 for far western us region education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Fullerton.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%. 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 California State University - Fullerton
University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s education degrees to 127 students in 2020-2021.
UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best General Education Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $9,823 for Far Western US Region Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCSD.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, 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 full report on General Education at University of California - San Diego
University of California - Irvine came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 368 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best General Education Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $6,540 for far western us region education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, 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%.
Full UC Irvine General Education Report
California State University - Sacramento came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - Sacramento is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 145 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Sac State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best General Education Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $8,163 for far western us region education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Sac State.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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 Sac State
California State University - San Bernardino landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in San Bernardino, California, and it awarded 46 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - San Bernardino is $5,985 for far western us region education students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Education at CSUSB
With a ranking of #12, California State University - Bakersfield did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Bakersfield, California, and it awarded 136 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend CSUB is $5,238 for far western us region education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about General Education at California State University - Bakersfield
California State University - Dominguez Hills ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Carson, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s education degrees to 141 students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $2,657 for far western us region education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSUDH.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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 full report on General Education at California State University - Dominguez Hills
California State University - Stanislaus came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - Stanislaus is a fairly large school located in Turlock, California that handed out 105 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Stan State is $4,122 for far western us region education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about General Education at Stan State
University of California - Riverside landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UCR is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 195 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UCR also made our “Best General Education Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #18. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Riverside is $6,810 for Far Western US Region Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read full report on General Education at UCR
California State University - Long Beach landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 91 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $6,663 for far western us region education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at CSULB
University of California - Davis landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UC Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 100 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our far western us region education students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Davis has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best General Education Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $10,006 for far western us region education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about General Education at University of California - Davis
San Diego State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school awarded 145 degrees to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our far western us region education students whose families make $0-$30k list, SDSU has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best General Education Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $7,169 for far western us region education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Diego State University.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, 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 undergraduate students.
Read more about General Education at San Diego State University
Eastern Washington University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. EWU is a fairly large public school situated in Cheney, Washington. It awarded 226 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend EWU is $7,657 for far western us region education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Eastern Washington University General Education Report
Central Washington University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #20. CWU is a public institution located in Ellensburg, Washington. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 17 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
CWU also took the #20 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Central Washington University is $10,796 for Far Western US Region Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full CWU General Education Report
California State University - Northridge landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Northridge, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s education degrees to 33 students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Northridge is $6,266 for Far Western US Region Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 full report on General Education at CSUN
San Jose State University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Jose State is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 233 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $12,158 for Far Western US Region Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Jose State.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at San Jose State University
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. This large school is located in Pomona, California, and it awarded 42 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $10,349 for far western us region 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
San Francisco State University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 128 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $10,705 for far western us region education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SFSU.
The undergrad 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 San Francisco State University General Education Report
With a ranking of #25, University of Alaska Fairbanks did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Fairbanks, Alaska is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s education degrees to 26 students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend UAF is $6,880 for far western us region education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full University of Alaska Fairbanks General Education Report
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