2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Education
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 a Bachelor’s” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
General Education is the 35th most popular major in the country with 29,936 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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.
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 Education Schools for a Bachelor’s” ranking looked at 184 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.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the general education program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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One Size Does Not Fit All
The 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 Education Schools for a Bachelor’s”.
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. 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 for a Bachelor’s
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Education
Out of the 184 schools in the Best Value 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 a fairly large school located in Bellevue, Nebraska that handed out 12 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Bellevue University is $15,616 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Wilmington University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s. Wilmington University is a fairly large school located in New Castle, Delaware that handed out 48 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Wilmington University is $14,683 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students.
Out of the 184 schools in the Best Value 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 education degrees to qualified students.
UW - Green Bay also claimed a top spot on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $14,395 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students per year to attend UW - Green Bay.
Full University of Wisconsin - Green Bay General Education Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Grand Valley State University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s list. This large school is located in Allendale, Michigan, and it awarded 221 bachelors’s 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. The estimated yearly cost for GVSU is $17,646 for bachelor’s degree education students.
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 full report on General Education at Grand Valley State University
Florida Atlantic University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. FAU 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.
The yearly cost to attend FAU is $10,186 for bachelor’s degree education students.
Read more about General Education at Florida Atlantic University
Southwest Minnesota State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Marshall, Minnesota, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $14,397 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students per year to attend Southwest Minnesota State University.
Read full report on General Education at Southwest Minnesota State University
SUNY Empire State College landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value 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 education degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend SUNY Empire is $12,142 for bachelor’s degree education students.
Goddard College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Goddard College is a small school located in Plainfield, Vermont that handed out 17 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $23,873 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students per year to attend Goddard College.
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 came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Harding University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Searcy, Arkansas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $19,375 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students per year to attend Harding University.
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%.
Heritage University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. This small school is located in Toppenish, Washington, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Heritage University is $10,056 for bachelor’s degree education students.
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 full report on General Education at Heritage University
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is a public institution located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 153 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $17,876 for bachelor’s degree education students per year to attend UWM.
Texas Tech University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Texas Tech is located in Lubbock, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 133 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.
Texas Tech also claimed a top spot on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Texas Tech is $17,571 for bachelor’s degree education students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
With a ranking of #14, University of Arkansas at Monticello did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s list. This small school is located in Monticello, Arkansas, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $12,136 for bachelor’s degree education students per year to attend UAM.
Full University of Arkansas at Monticello General Education Report
Northcentral University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s list. San Diego, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
With a ranking of #16, Southern New Hampshire University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s list. SNHU is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Manchester, New Hampshire. It awarded 24 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for SNHU is $41,095 for bachelor’s degree education students.
With a ranking of #17, West Liberty University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value 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.
The estimated yearly cost for West Liberty University is $13,793 for bachelor’s degree education students.
Read more about General Education at West Liberty University
The University of Texas at San Antonio came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. The University of Texas at San Antonio is located in San Antonio, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 82 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for UTSA is $13,853 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students.
University of Florida came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. University of Florida is a public institution located in Gainesville, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s 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 $6,302 for Bachelor’s Degree Education 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Flagler College - St Augustine did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #20. Saint Augustine, Florida is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 31 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Flagler St. Augustine is $23,237 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students.
City University of Seattle did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #21. CityU is a small school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 7 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
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.
University of Hawaii - West Oahu landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. This small school is located in Kapolei, Hawaii, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend University of Hawaii - West Oahu is $13,331 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students.
Lindenwood University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Saint Charles, Missouri is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $17,491 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students per year to attend Lindenwood University.
The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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%.
Kansas State University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Kansas State University is a large school located in Manhattan, Kansas that handed out 19 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for K -State is $18,285 for Bachelor’s Degree Education students.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Kent State University at Kent came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Kent State is located in Kent, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 95 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Kent State is $18,885 for bachelor’s degree education students.
Rest of the Best 28 in Best Value 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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Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for General Education (Income $0-$30k)
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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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