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2023 Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $48-$75k

420 Ranked Colleges
29,810 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $48-$75k

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

For this year’s “Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 420 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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 Education Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most 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 Those Making $48-$75k

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

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

1
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Harvard University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $48-$75k. Harvard is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 591 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Harvard also made our “Best General Education Schools” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend Harvard is $2,669 for education students whose families make $48-$75k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on General Education at Harvard

2
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $48-$75k. Stanford University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 68 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.

Stanford also took the #4 spot in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $7,081 for education students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on General Education at Stanford

3
Johns Hopkins crest
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Johns Hopkins University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $48-$75k. Johns Hopkins is a large school located in Baltimore, Maryland that handed out 643 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our education students whose families make $48-$75k list, Johns Hopkins has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,457 for Education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Johns Hopkins.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national 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 full report on General Education at Johns Hopkins

4

Out of the 420 schools in the Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. UW Seattle is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 150 ’s education degrees to qualified students.

UW Seattle also took the #3 spot in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $8,393 for education students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Education at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

5
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

Out of the 420 schools in the Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. West Lafayette, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s education degrees to 258 students in 2020-2021.

Purdue also took the #8 spot in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,450 for Education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Purdue.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Purdue University - Main Campus General Education Report

6
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island

With a ranking of #6, Brown University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Brown University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Providence, Rhode Island. It awarded 30 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our education students whose families make $48-$75k list, Brown has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. It costs about $10,219 for Education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Brown.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on General Education at Brown

7
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #7. UPenn is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 134 ’s education degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UPenn, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pennsylvania is $12,020 for Education students whose families make $48-$75k.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, 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 95%.

Read full report on General Education at University of Pennsylvania

8
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee

Vanderbilt University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Vanderbilt University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 11 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.

Vanderbilt did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best General Education Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Vanderbilt University is $7,694 for Education students whose families make $48-$75k.

The undergraduate 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. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Vanderbilt General Education Report

9
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

University of Florida ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Florida is a large school located in Gainesville, Florida that handed out 38 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.

On top of its placing in this ranking, UF also did well on our “Best General Education Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best General Education Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UF is $8,394 for education students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, 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 97%.

Read full report on General Education at University of Florida

10

California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #10. Cal State LA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 129 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $5,700 for Education students whose families make $48-$75k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Education at Cal State LA

11

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 124 ’s education degrees to qualified students.

U-M also made our “Best General Education Schools” list, coming in at #19. It costs about $10,481 for Education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor General Education Report

12

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #12. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 233 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best General Education Schools” list. It costs about $11,505 for Education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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

Read full report on General Education at UIUC

13

California State University - Fresno landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Fresno State is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 121 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.

Fresno State also claimed a top spot on our “Best General Education Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $8,030 for 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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Fresno State General Education Report

14

With a ranking of #14, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 222 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $12,644 for education students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of California - Los Angeles General Education Report

15
Berea crest
Berea College
Berea, Kentucky

Berea College landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Berea, Kentucky, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 6 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $6,551 for education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Berea College.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Berea General Education Report

16

University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school handed out 45 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our education students whose families make $48-$75k list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. It costs about $13,423 for education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, 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 96%.

Full University of California - Berkeley General Education Report

17

California State University - San Bernardino came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. California State University - San Bernardino is a fairly large public school situated in San Bernardino, California. It awarded 46 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $9,854 for education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - San Bernardino.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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%.

Read full report on General Education at CSUSB

18
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #18. University of Virginia is a public institution located in Charlottesville, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 159 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Virginia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best General Education Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Virginia is $16,019 for education students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Virginia - Main Campus General Education Report

19

California State University - Fullerton ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 255 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $9,017 for education students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Education at California State University - Fullerton

20

California State University - Bakersfield ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Bakersfield, California, this fairly large public school handed out 136 degrees to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUB is $9,102 for Education students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full California State University - Bakersfield General Education Report

21

University of California - Irvine came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UC Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 368 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best General Education Schools” list. It costs about $13,275 for Education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - Irvine.

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

Read full report on General Education at University of California - Irvine

22

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and it awarded 22 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, UNC Chapel Hill is in the top on our “Best General Education Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is $11,619 for education students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on General Education at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

23

With a ranking of #23, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - Sacramento is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 145 ’s education degrees to qualified students.

On top of its placing in this ranking, Sac State also did well on our “Best General Education Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $12,602 for education students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 full report on General Education at Sac State

24

With a ranking of #24, University of Central Florida did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. UCF is a large school located in Orlando, Florida that handed out 82 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.

UCF excels when it comes to education quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best General Education Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Central Florida is $9,426 for Education students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. 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 more about General Education at UCF

25
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #25, Tufts University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Tufts is a private not-for-profit institution located in Medford, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 19 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our education students whose families make $48-$75k list, Tufts has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best General Education Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Tufts is $19,827 for Education students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

Read full report on General Education at Tufts

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $48-$75k

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
27
28
29
UW crest
University of Wyoming
Laramie, Wyoming
30
31
32
33
34
35
UGA crest
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia
36
37
UD crest
University of Delaware
Newark, Delaware
38
Marshall University crest
Marshall University
Huntington, West Virginia
39
NC State crest
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina
40
Beloit crest
Beloit College
Beloit, Wisconsin
41
42
FAU crest
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, Florida
43
44
45
Heritage University crest
Heritage University
Toppenish, Washington
46
47
48
Pima County Community College District crest
Pima Community College
Tucson, Arizona
49
Bob Jones University crest
Bob Jones University
Greenville, South Carolina
50

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Education Schools For Those Making $48-$75k

While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

RankCollegeLocation
51Iowa State UniversityAmes, IA
52University of Michigan - DearbornDearborn, MI
53San Diego State UniversitySan Diego, CA
54Ivy Tech Community CollegeIndianapolis, IN
55Indiana University - BloomingtonBloomington, IN
56University of Minnesota - DuluthDuluth, MN
57Texas A&M University - College StationCollege Station, TX
58California State University - NorthridgeNorthridge, CA
59Gustavus Adolphus CollegeSaint Peter, MN
60University of South Florida - Main CampusTampa, FL
61Minot State UniversityMinot, ND
62Central Washington UniversityEllensburg, WA
63Oklahoma State University - Main CampusStillwater, OK
64Winona State UniversityWinona, MN

Notes and References

References

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