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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Early Childhood Education (With Aid)

402 Ranked Colleges
13,068 Degrees Awarded
$8,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Early Childhood Education is the 34th most popular major in the country with 31,017 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 13,068 early childhood education graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 402 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in early childhood education. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great early childhood education programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the early childhood 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.

More Ways to Rank Early Childhood Education Schools

The child development 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 Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid”.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Early Childhood Education (With Aid)

#3 in overall quality

Out of the 402 schools in the Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 158 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree child development students with aid list, UW Seattle has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $13,297 for bachelor’s degree child development students with aid per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

#2

Brooklyn College

Brooklyn, New York
Top 20% in overall quality

Out of the 402 schools in the Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Brooklyn College landed the #2 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Brooklyn, New York, and it awarded 89 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Brooklyn College is also in the top of our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Brooklyn College is $2,683 for Bachelor’s Degree Child development students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%.

Full Brooklyn College Early Childhood Education Report

#3

Hunter College

New York, New York

Out of the 402 schools in the Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Hunter College landed the #3 spot on the list. Hunter College is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Hunter is $2,490 for Bachelor’s Degree Child development students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Hunter Early Childhood Education Report

#16 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fullerton. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Cal State Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 518 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State Fullerton, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $7,991 for Bachelor’s Degree Child development students with aid per year to attend Cal State Fullerton.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, 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 89%.

Full California State University - Fullerton Early Childhood Education Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. Cal State LA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 385 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $2,768 for bachelor’s degree child development students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal State LA Early Childhood Education Report

#6

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina
#8 in overall quality

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, this large public school handed out 98 degrees to qualified bachelors’s child development students in 2019-2020.

UNC Chapel Hill did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UNC Chapel Hill is $12,352 for bachelor’s degree child development students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, 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 95%.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

#7

The City College of New York

New York, New York

With a ranking of #7, The City College of New York did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. New York, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 15 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CCNY is $2,385 for bachelor’s degree child development students with aid.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at CCNY

Top 10% in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. CSUN is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 352 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, CSUN is also in the top of our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $8,414 for bachelor’s degree child development students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at CSUN

Top 10% in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Florida International University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Florida International University is a large public school situated in Miami, Florida. It awarded 208 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

FIU excels when it comes to child development quality. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for FIU is $7,296 for Bachelor’s Degree Child development students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at Florida International University

Top 20% in overall quality

California State University - Bakersfield ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Bakersfield is a public institution located in Bakersfield, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 114 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, CSUB is also in the top of our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $5,318 for Bachelor’s Degree Child development students with aid per year to attend CSUB.

Full CSUB Early Childhood Education Report

#11

University of Central Florida

Orlando, Florida
#18 in overall quality

University of Central Florida landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UCF is a large school located in Orlando, Florida that handed out 71 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

UCF not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UCF is $10,274 for bachelor’s degree child development students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at UCF

#12

Heritage University

Toppenish, Washington
Top 25% in overall quality

Heritage University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. Heritage University is located in Toppenish, Washington and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Heritage University is $10,056 for Bachelor’s Degree Child development students with aid.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at Heritage University

California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Dominguez Hills is located in Carson, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 194 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUDH is $4,215 for Bachelor’s Degree Child development students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at CSUDH

Top 15% in overall quality

University of South Florida - Main Campus landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of South Florida - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Tampa, Florida. It awarded 15 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

USF Tampa excels when it comes to child development quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of South Florida - Main Campus is $8,355 for bachelor’s degree child development students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 Early Childhood Education at University of South Florida - Main Campus

#7 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $15,880 for Bachelor’s Degree Child development students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at UIUC

#16

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
#23 in overall quality

Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Purdue University - Main Campus is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 17 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree child development students with aid list, Purdue has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $13,986 for Bachelor’s Degree Child development students with aid per year to attend Purdue University - Main Campus.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Purdue University - Main Campus

Top 10% in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. California State University - Sacramento is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 479 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Sac State excels when it comes to child development quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $9,979 for Bachelor’s Degree Child development students with aid per year to attend California State University - Sacramento.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 California State University - Sacramento Early Childhood Education Report

#18

Miami Dade College

Miami, Florida

With a ranking of #18, Miami Dade College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. MDC is a large public school situated in Miami, Florida. It awarded 43 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $4,842 for bachelor’s degree child development students with aid per year to attend Miami Dade College.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Miami Dade College

#19

Florida State College at Jacksonville

Jacksonville, Florida

Florida State College at Jacksonville did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #19. FSCJ is a large school located in Jacksonville, Florida that handed out 19 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Florida State College at Jacksonville is $3,916 for Bachelor’s Degree Child development students with aid.

Full Florida State College at Jacksonville Early Childhood Education Report

#20

Florida Gulf Coast University

Fort Myers, Florida
Top 20% in overall quality

Florida Gulf Coast University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. Florida Gulf Coast University is a fairly large public school situated in Fort Myers, Florida. It awarded 7 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, FGCU is in the top on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend Florida Gulf Coast University is $11,606 for Bachelor’s Degree Child development students with aid.

Full FGCU Early Childhood Education Report

Brigham Young University - Idaho ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Rexburg, Idaho, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend BYU - I is $7,167 for Bachelor’s Degree Child development students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full BYU - I Early Childhood Education Report

#22

Western Governors University

Salt Lake City, Utah

Western Governors University landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Salt Lake City, Utah is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend WGU is $9,805 for bachelor’s degree child development students with aid.

The low 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%.

Full Western Governors University Early Childhood Education Report

California State University - Fresno did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #23. Fresno State is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 96 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,464 for bachelor’s degree child development students with aid per year to attend Fresno State.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at California State University - Fresno

#24

University of North Florida

Jacksonville, Florida
Top 20% in overall quality

With a ranking of #24, University of North Florida did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Jacksonville, Florida is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 28 students in 2019-2020.

UNF excels when it comes to child development quality. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for University of North Florida is $9,606 for bachelor’s degree child development students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UNF Early Childhood Education Report

Top 10% in overall quality

University of Nevada - Las Vegas landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UNLV is a large school located in Las Vegas, Nevada that handed out 35 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

UNLV excels when it comes to child development quality. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend UNLV is $11,424 for bachelor’s degree child development students with aid.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at UNLV

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

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

#26

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#27

Purdue University Northwest

Hammond, Indiana
#27

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Greensboro, North Carolina
#30

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

Whitewater, Wisconsin
#32

Towson University

Towson, Maryland
#33

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin
#35

McNeese State University

Lake Charles, Louisiana
#37

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa
#39

Minot State University

Minot, North Dakota
#41

University of Georgia

Athens, Georgia
#42

Northeastern State University

Tahlequah, Oklahoma
#43

Rhode Island College

Providence, Rhode Island
#44

Pierce College-Fort Steilacoom

Lakewood, Washington
#45

Fayetteville State University

Fayetteville, North Carolina
#46

Yakima Valley College

Yakima, Washington
#48

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana
#49

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin
#50

Louisiana Tech University

Ruston, Louisiana

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

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

Rank College Location
51 University of Missouri - St Louis Saint Louis, MO
52 California State University - Stanislaus Turlock, CA
53 Augusta University Augusta, GA
53 San Jose State University San Jose, CA
55 University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI
56 University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lafayette, LA
57 Eastern Washington University Cheney, WA
58 University of Alaska Anchorage Anchorage, AK
59 Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN
60 The University of Montana - Western Dillon, MT
61 Saint Johns River State College Palatka, FL

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 Vgrigas.

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