2023 Best Value Colleges for Family & Community Services (Income $30-$48k) in the Middle Atlantic Region

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 Family and Community Services Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2020-2021, 1,401 people earned their degree in family and community services, making the major the 377th most popular in the United States.

Across the Middle Atlantic region, there were 210 family and community services graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Family and Community Services Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 3 colleges that offer a degree in family and community services. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality family and community services programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the family and community services 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

The family and community services 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 Family and Community Services Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $30-$48k”.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Family and Community Services Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Family and Community Services Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 3 Best Value Colleges for Family & Community Services (Income $30-$48k) in the Middle Atlantic Region

1

University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, Maryland

#1 in overall quality

$11,567 Average Net Price

$52,217 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Family and Community Services Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Maryland - College Park landed the #1 spot on the list. UMCP is located in College Park, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 108 ’s family and community services degrees to qualified students.

UMCP not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Family & Community Services Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. It costs about $11,567 for Middle Atlantic Region Family and Community Services students whose families make $30-$48k 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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Family & Community Services at University of Maryland - College Park

2

Messiah University
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

#2 in overall quality

$19,670 Average Net Price

$38,727 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Messiah University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Family and Community Services Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Messiah University is located in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 34 ’s family and community services degrees to qualified students.

Messiah did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Family & Community Services Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Messiah University is $19,670 for Middle Atlantic Region Family and Community Services students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Family & Community Services at Messiah

3

Stevenson University
Stevenson, Maryland

#3 in overall quality

$14,896 Average Net Price

$46,605 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stevenson University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Family and Community Services Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Stevenson is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Stevenson, Maryland. It awarded 24 ’s family and community services degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stevenson, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Family & Community Services Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stevenson is $14,896 for middle atlantic region family and community services students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 Stevenson Family & Community Services Report

• Best Value Colleges for Family & Community Services (Income $30-$48k)

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 Jsonin.