2023 Best Value Colleges for American U.S. Studies (Income $30-$48k)
51
Ranked Colleges
1,419
Degrees Awarded
$7,500
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value United States Studies Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.
American U.S. Studies is the 350th most popular major in the country with 1,419 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
This year’s “Best Value United States Studies Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 51 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in American U.S. studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent American U.S. studies 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 American U.S. studies 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 United States Studies Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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 United States Studies Schools For Those Making $30-$48k
The colleges and universities below are the best for united states studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for American U.S. Studies (Income $30-$48k)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value United States Studies Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Stanford is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Stanford also took the #4 spot in our “Best American U.S. Studies Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $1,581 for united states studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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%.
Read full report on American U.S. Studies at Stanford University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Yale University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value United States Studies Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Yale is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in New Haven, Connecticut. It awarded 29 ’s United States studies degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our united states studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, Yale has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best American U.S. Studies Schools” ranking. It costs about $3,083 for united states studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Yale University.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about American U.S. Studies at Yale
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Columbia University in the City of New York. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value United States Studies Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Columbia is a large school located in New York, New York that handed out 32 ’s United States studies degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best American U.S. Studies Schools” ranking. It costs about $4,699 for United States Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Columbia University in the City of New York.
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 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive undergraduate 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 American U.S. Studies at Columbia
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Williams College. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value United States Studies Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Williams College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 13 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Williams also took the #12 spot in our “Best American U.S. Studies Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Williams is $5,480 for united states studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.
Full Williams College American U.S. Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brown University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value United States Studies Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Brown University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Providence, Rhode Island. It awarded 24 ’s United States studies degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our united states studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, Brown has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best American U.S. Studies Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Brown is $2,842 for United States Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 0.8%, 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.
Full Brown American U.S. Studies Report
Wellesley College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value United States Studies Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Wellesley, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 7 degrees to qualified ’s United States studies students in 2020-2021.
Wellesley also took the #8 spot in our “Best American U.S. Studies Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Wellesley College is $8,021 for united states studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on American U.S. Studies at Wellesley
Amherst College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value United States Studies Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Amherst College is a small school located in Amherst, Massachusetts that handed out 3 ’s United States studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Amherst also took the #21 spot in our “Best American U.S. Studies Schools” ranking. It costs about $4,459 for United States Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Amherst.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on American U.S. Studies at Amherst
With a ranking of #8, Cornell University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value United States Studies Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Ithaca, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s United States studies degrees to 17 students in 2020-2021.
Cornell also took the #10 spot in our “Best American U.S. Studies Schools” ranking. It costs about $5,133 for united states studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Cornell.
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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Cornell American U.S. Studies Report
Georgetown University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value United States Studies Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Washington, District of Columbia, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 25 diplomas to qualified ’s United States studies students in 2020-2021.
Georgetown also took the #3 spot in our “Best American U.S. Studies Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Georgetown University is $9,871 for united states studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, 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 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Georgetown American U.S. Studies Report
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value United States Studies Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 25 ’s United States studies degrees in 2020-2021.
U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best American U.S. Studies Schools” list. It costs about $5,670 for United States Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor American U.S. Studies Report
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value United States Studies Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a large public school situated in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It awarded 13 ’s United States studies degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNC Chapel Hill, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best American U.S. Studies Schools” ranking. It costs about $5,729 for united states studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UNC Chapel Hill.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill American U.S. Studies Report
Tufts University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value United States Studies Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Medford, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s United States studies degrees to 16 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Tufts, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best American U.S. Studies Schools” ranking. It costs about $7,987 for United States Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Tufts.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. 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%.
Read full report on American U.S. Studies at Tufts
With a ranking of #13, William & Mary did quite well on the 2023 Best Value United States Studies Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. William & Mary is a medium-sized public school situated in Williamsburg, Virginia. It awarded 23 ’s United States studies degrees in 2020-2021.
William & Mary also took the #24 spot in our “Best American U.S. Studies Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for William & Mary is $7,507 for United States Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about American U.S. Studies at William & Mary
University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2023 Best Value United States Studies Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #14. UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 80 ’s United States studies degrees to qualified students.
UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best American U.S. Studies Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $9,999 for United States Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read more about American U.S. Studies at University of California - Berkeley
Barnard College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value United States Studies Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in New York, New York, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 24 degrees to qualified ’s United States studies students in 2020-2021.
Barnard also made our “Best American U.S. Studies Schools” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend Barnard College is $15,090 for United States Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
The impressive undergraduate 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 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 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on American U.S. Studies at Barnard
Emory University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value United States Studies Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Emory is a fairly large school located in Atlanta, Georgia that handed out 5 ’s United States studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Emory did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best American U.S. Studies Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Emory is $8,976 for United States Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Read more about American U.S. Studies at Emory University
Middlebury College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value United States Studies Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Middlebury College is located in Middlebury, Vermont and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 ’s United States studies degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our united states studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, Middlebury has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best American U.S. Studies Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Middlebury is $7,221 for United States Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
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. 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 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on American U.S. Studies at Middlebury
Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value United States Studies Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. IU Bloomington is a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana. It awarded 3 ’s United States studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Bloomington is $7,061 for United States Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on American U.S. Studies at IU Bloomington
Smith College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value United States Studies Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Smith is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Northampton, Massachusetts. It awarded 9 ’s United States studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Smith did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best American U.S. Studies Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Smith is $9,672 for United States Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 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 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Smith American U.S. Studies Report
Carleton College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value United States Studies Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #20. Carleton is a private not-for-profit institution located in Northfield, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Carleton is $13,410 for United States Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about American U.S. Studies at Carleton College
Trinity College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value United States Studies Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Trinity Bantams is a small school located in Hartford, Connecticut that handed out 14 ’s United States studies degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $8,608 for united states studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Trinity College.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about American U.S. Studies at Trinity Bantams
California State University - Long Beach came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value United States Studies Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Long Beach is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 21 ’s United States studies degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $7,573 for United States Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Full California State University - Long Beach American U.S. Studies Report
Brigham Young University - Provo came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value United States Studies Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Brigham Young University - Provo is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Provo, Utah. It awarded 18 ’s United States studies degrees in 2020-2021.
BYU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best American U.S. Studies Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for BYU is $10,333 for united states studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full BYU American U.S. Studies Report
University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2023 Best Value United States Studies Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #24. University of California - Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 17 ’s United States studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $11,598 for united states studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about American U.S. Studies at UC Davis
California State University - Fullerton ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value United States Studies Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school handed out 59 degrees to qualified ’s United States studies students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $5,821 for United States Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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%.
Full Cal State Fullerton American U.S. Studies Report
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