2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s
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 a Bachelor’s” ranking.
In 2019-2020, 1,596 people earned their degree in American U.S. studies, making the major the 309th most popular in the United States.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,133 American U.S. studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s” ranking looked at 72 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in American U.S. studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality American U.S. studies 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 American U.S. studies program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree united states studies students.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for American U.S. Studies
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brigham Young University - Provo. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Provo, Utah, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 16 degrees to qualified bachelors’s United States studies students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Brigham Young University - Provo is $13,322 for Bachelor’s Degree United States Studies students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, 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 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 72 schools in the Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #2 spot on the list. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s United States studies degrees to 36 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $9,622 for bachelor’s degree united states studies students per year to attend California State University - Long Beach.
The low 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%. 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 more about American U.S. Studies at California State University - Long Beach
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Towson University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s. Towson, Maryland is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s United States studies degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Towson University is $18,233 for bachelor’s degree united states studies students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, this large public school awarded 1 degrees to qualified bachelors’s United States studies students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $13,986 for bachelor’s degree united states studies students.
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 student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Purdue University - Main Campus American U.S. Studies Report
Out of the 72 schools in the Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, SUNY Old Westbury landed the #5 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Old Westbury, New York, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s United States studies degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $10,557 for bachelor’s degree united states studies students per year to attend SUNY Old Westbury.
Read full report on American U.S. Studies at SUNY Old Westbury
San Francisco State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Located in San Francisco, California, this large public school handed out 4 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s United States studies students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,113 for bachelor’s degree united states studies students per year to attend SFSU.
Read full report on American U.S. Studies at San Francisco State University
With a ranking of #7, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school awarded 67 degrees to qualified bachelors’s United States studies students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $7,991 for bachelor’s degree united states studies students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full California State University - Fullerton American U.S. Studies Report
University of Kansas came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. KU is a public institution located in Lawrence, Kansas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Kansas is $18,918 for bachelor’s degree united states studies students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Utah State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Logan, Utah, this large public school handed out 7 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s United States studies students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Utah State University is $13,634 for bachelor’s degree united states studies students.
Keene State College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Keene State College is a public institution located in Keene, New Hampshire. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Keene State College is $19,394 for bachelor’s degree united states studies students.
Ramapo College of New Jersey did quite well in the 2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #11. Ramapo College is a medium-sized public school situated in Mahwah, New Jersey. It awarded 3 bachelors’s United States studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Ramapo College is $21,729 for Bachelor’s Degree United States Studies students.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Western Washington University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #12. Western Washington University is located in Bellingham, Washington and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s United States studies degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for WWU is $16,529 for Bachelor’s Degree United States Studies students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Western Washington University American U.S. Studies Report
University of Maryland - Baltimore County came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. UMBC is located in Baltimore, Maryland and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s United States studies degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Maryland - Baltimore County is $19,082 for Bachelor’s Degree United States Studies students.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Read full report on American U.S. Studies at University of Maryland - Baltimore County
University of Iowa did quite well in the 2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #14. This large school is located in Iowa City, Iowa, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s United States studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Iowa is $19,145 for Bachelor’s Degree United States Studies students.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Chapel Hill, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s United States studies degrees to 18 students in 2019-2020.
UNC Chapel Hill also made our “Best American U.S. Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #24. It costs about $12,352 for bachelor’s degree united states studies students per year to attend UNC Chapel Hill.
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 full report on American U.S. Studies at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 5 bachelors’s United States studies degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $17,740 for bachelor’s degree united states studies students per year to attend UMN Twin Cities.
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 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%.
Oregon State University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Oregon State is a large public school situated in Corvallis, Oregon. It awarded 8 bachelors’s United States studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Oregon State is $20,016 for Bachelor’s Degree United States Studies students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, 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 85%.
University of New Mexico - Main Campus landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Albuquerque, New Mexico is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s United States studies degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend University of New Mexico - Main Campus is $14,446 for bachelor’s degree united states studies students.
Read more about American U.S. Studies at University of New Mexico - Main Campus
University of Maryland - College Park did quite well in the 2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #19. This large school is located in College Park, Maryland, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s United States studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend UMCP is $19,045 for Bachelor’s Degree United States Studies students.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
The University of Alabama came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. UA is a public institution located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The school has a large population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for The University of Alabama is $22,597 for Bachelor’s Degree United States Studies students.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Rutgers University - New Brunswick ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Located in New Brunswick, New Jersey, this large public school handed out 7 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s United States studies students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $21,654 for bachelor’s degree united states studies students per year to attend Rutgers University - New Brunswick.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The 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 American U.S. Studies at Rutgers New Brunswick
Miami University - Oxford came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Oxford, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s United States studies degrees to 22 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $24,323 for Bachelor’s Degree United States Studies students per year to attend Miami University - Oxford.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in the 2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #23. UT Austin is a large public school situated in Austin, Texas. It awarded 20 bachelors’s United States studies degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $18,023 for Bachelor’s Degree United States Studies students per year to attend UT Austin.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, 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 American U.S. Studies at The University of Texas at Austin
La Salle University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #24. La Salle is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It awarded 6 bachelors’s United States studies degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $24,763 for bachelor’s degree united states studies students per year to attend La Salle University.
Indiana University - Bloomington came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value United States Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. IU Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s United States studies degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Bloomington is $13,253 for bachelor’s degree united states studies students.
The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%. 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 American U.S. Studies at Indiana University - Bloomington
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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 Karl Udo Gerth.
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