2023 Best Value Colleges for Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Middle Atlantic Region
19
Ranked Colleges
2,670
Degrees Awarded
$12,200
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 16,243 people earned their degree in area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies, making the major the 30th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $31,881 and had an average of $22,102 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Middle Atlantic region, there were 2,670 area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,904 and $23,367 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 19 colleges that offered a degree in area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for middle atlantic region area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 19 Best Value Colleges for Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Middle Atlantic Region
Out of the 19 schools in the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Georgetown University landed the #1 spot on the list. Georgetown University is located in Washington, District of Columbia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 147 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our middle atlantic region area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, Georgetown has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Georgetown University is $3,077 for Middle Atlantic Region Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Full Georgetown University Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Columbia University in the City of New York. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees to 150 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Columbia is $9,873 for Middle Atlantic Region Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 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.
Full Columbia Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report
Out of the 19 schools in the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Cornell University landed the #3 spot on the list. Ithaca, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees to 67 students in 2020-2021.
Cornell not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. It costs about $5,244 for middle atlantic region area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cornell.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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 more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Cornell University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Hunter College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Hunter College is a large public school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 26 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Hunter did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Hunter College is $396 for middle atlantic region area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 Hunter College Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brooklyn College. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Brooklyn, New York, this fairly large public school awarded 71 degrees to qualified ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Brooklyn College, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Brooklyn College is $1,547 for Middle Atlantic Region Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Brooklyn College
University of Maryland - College Park ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Maryland - College Park is a large school located in College Park, Maryland that handed out 94 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.
UMCP also took the #8 spot in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. It costs about $6,067 for Middle Atlantic Region Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Maryland - College Park.
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 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%.
Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at UMCP
Barnard College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Barnard is a small school located in New York, New York that handed out 45 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Barnard also took the #3 spot in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Barnard is $20,177 for Middle Atlantic Region Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. 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 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.
Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Barnard College
Colgate University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Hamilton, New York, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 27 diplomas to qualified ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our middle atlantic region area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, Colgate has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Colgate is $10,762 for middle atlantic region area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 94%. 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 Colgate University Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report
With a ranking of #9, The City College of New York did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. CCNY is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 26 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
CCNY did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. It costs about $1,254 for Middle Atlantic Region Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CCNY.
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 more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at CCNY
University of Delaware ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Delaware is located in Newark, Delaware and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 38 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees to qualified students.
UD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UD is $13,726 for middle atlantic region area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 UD Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report
With a ranking of #11, George Washington University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Washington, District of Columbia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees to 51 students in 2020-2021.
GWU also made our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend George Washington University is $17,673 for middle atlantic region area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.
Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at GWU
University of Maryland - Baltimore County did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. UMBC is located in Baltimore, Maryland and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 29 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees to qualified students.
UMBC also made our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, coming in at #16. The yearly cost to attend University of Maryland - Baltimore County is $8,565 for Middle Atlantic Region Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at University of Maryland - Baltimore County
With a ranking of #13, University at Albany did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Albany, New York, and it awarded 52 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.
UAlbany also made our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend University at Albany is $12,489 for Middle Atlantic Region Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.
Full University at Albany Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report
Rutgers University - New Brunswick landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Rutgers New Brunswick is a large public school situated in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It awarded 37 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Rutgers New Brunswick not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. It costs about $14,935 for middle atlantic region area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Rutgers University - New Brunswick.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Rutgers New Brunswick
Syracuse University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Syracuse is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Syracuse, New York. It awarded 43 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Syracuse did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. It costs about $17,250 for Middle Atlantic Region Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Syracuse.
The school has an impressive undergrad 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 undergraduate students.
Full Syracuse University Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report
Rutgers University - Newark did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. Rutgers Newark is a fairly large school located in Newark, New Jersey that handed out 15 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Rutgers Newark also took the #18 spot in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Rutgers University - Newark is $11,991 for middle atlantic region area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Rutgers University - Newark
New York University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. NYU is a large school located in New York, New York that handed out 127 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.
NYU also took the #5 spot in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. It costs about $23,582 for Middle Atlantic Region Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend NYU.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at New York University
Fordham University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Fordham U is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Bronx, New York. It awarded 68 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Fordham U also took the #9 spot in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. It costs about $26,202 for Middle Atlantic Region Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Fordham U.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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%.
Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Fordham University
With a ranking of #19, Houghton College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Houghton, New York, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 12 diplomas to qualified ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Houghton, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Houghton is $26,519 for middle atlantic region area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Houghton Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report
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Plains States
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Far Western US
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Great Lakes
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Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students in the Middle Atlantic Region
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Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students with family income $75-$110k in the Middle Atlantic Region
Best Value Colleges for Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies in the Middle Atlantic Region
Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students in the Middle Atlantic Region
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
- *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 G. Mützel.
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