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2023 Best Value Colleges for Human Development & Family Studies (Income $0-$30k)

183 Ranked Colleges
42,112 Degrees Awarded
$7,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Human Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 Human Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2020-2021, 42,112 people earned their degree in human development and family studies, making the major the 44th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, human development and family studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $28,862 and had an average of $22,387 in loans still to pay off.

This year’s “Best Value Human Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 183 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in human development and family studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality human development and family 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 human development and family studies program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Human Development & Family Studies Schools

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Human Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 Human Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for human development students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Human Development & Family Studies (Income $0-$30k)

1
Cornell crest
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cornell University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Human Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Cornell University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Ithaca, New York. It awarded 61 ’s human development degrees in 2020-2021.

Cornell also made our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Cornell is $5,244 for human development students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read full report on Human Development & Family Studies at Cornell University

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Human Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. UW - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 197 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UW - Madison also took the #2 spot in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Madison is $3,981 for Human Development students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. 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 more about Human Development & Family Studies at University of Wisconsin - Madison

3
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

Out of the 183 schools in the Best Value Human Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Florida landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Gainesville, Florida, and it awarded 140 ’s human development degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UF, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UF is $65 for Human Development students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read more about Human Development & Family Studies at UF

4
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, Massachusetts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Tufts University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Human Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Medford, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s human development degrees to 52 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our human development students whose families make $0-$30k list, Tufts has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Tufts is $8,122 for human development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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 undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Human Development & Family Studies at Tufts

5
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

Out of the 183 schools in the Best Value Human Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Michigan State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Michigan State University is a large school located in East Lansing, Michigan that handed out 130 ’s human development degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Michigan State, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Michigan State is $6,927 for Human Development students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Michigan State University Human Development & Family Studies Report

6
UGA crest
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia

University of Georgia ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Human Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. UGA is a large public school situated in Athens, Georgia. It awarded 203 ’s human development degrees in 2020-2021.

UGA also made our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $8,303 for human development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UGA.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about Human Development & Family Studies at University of Georgia

7

With a ranking of #7, University of Maryland - College Park did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Human Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in College Park, Maryland, and it awarded 108 ’s human development degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our human development students whose families make $0-$30k list, UMCP has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools” ranking. It costs about $6,067 for human development 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%.

Full University of Maryland - College Park Human Development & Family Studies Report

8
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida

Florida State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Human Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Florida State is a large school located in Tallahassee, Florida that handed out 329 ’s human development degrees in 2020-2021.

Florida State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Florida State is $4,950 for human development students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Human Development & Family Studies at Florida State

9

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Human Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 73 ’s human development degrees in 2020-2021.

UIUC excels when it comes to human development quality. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $4,858 for human development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UIUC.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Human Development & Family Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

10
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

With a ranking of #10, Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Human Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Purdue University - Main Campus is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 55 ’s human development degrees to qualified students.

On top of its placing in this ranking, Purdue also did well on our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Purdue University - Main Campus is $5,995 for Human Development students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Human Development & Family Studies at Purdue

11

Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Human Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Ohio State is a large school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 185 ’s human development degrees in 2020-2021.

Ohio State also made our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend Ohio State is $7,068 for human development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Human Development & Family Studies at Ohio State University - Main Campus

12
Wazzu crest
Washington State University
Pullman, Washington

Washington State University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value Human Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Wazzu is a large school located in Pullman, Washington that handed out 276 ’s human development degrees in 2020-2021.

Wazzu also took the #9 spot in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools” ranking. It costs about $7,689 for human development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Washington State University.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Human Development & Family Studies at Wazzu

13
Fresno City College crest
Fresno City College
Fresno, California

With a ranking of #13, Fresno City College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Human Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Fresno City College is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 291 ’s human development degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $2,556 for Human Development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Fresno City College.

Read full report on Human Development & Family Studies at Fresno City College

14
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia

Virginia Tech did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Human Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. This large school is located in Blacksburg, Virginia, and it awarded 235 ’s human development degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our human development students whose families make $0-$30k list, Virginia Tech has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools” ranking. It costs about $11,934 for human development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Virginia Tech.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read more about Human Development & Family Studies at Virginia Tech

15

Iowa State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Human Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. Iowa State is a large school located in Ames, Iowa that handed out 105 ’s human development degrees in 2020-2021.

Iowa State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State is $9,766 for human development students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. 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 Human Development & Family Studies at Iowa State

16

Metropolitan Community College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Human Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. MCC is located in Omaha, Nebraska and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 ’s human development degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $3,325 for human development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend MCC.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Human Development & Family Studies at MCC

17

North Dakota State University - Main Campus ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Human Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Fargo, North Dakota, this fairly large public school awarded 164 degrees to qualified ’s human development students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our human development students whose families make $0-$30k list, North Dakota State University has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend North Dakota State University - Main Campus is $11,835 for human development students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 Human Development & Family Studies at North Dakota State University

17

Oklahoma State University - Main Campus came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Human Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is a large school located in Stillwater, Oklahoma that handed out 133 ’s human development degrees in 2020-2021.

OSU also made our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools” list, coming in at #24. The estimated yearly cost for Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is $8,609 for Human Development students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read more about Human Development & Family Studies at OSU

19

Northern Virginia Community College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Human Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Northern Virginia Community College is a public institution located in Annandale, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 209 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Northern Virginia Community College also claimed a top spot on our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Virginia Community College is $7,515 for human development students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Human Development & Family Studies at Northern Virginia Community College

20
SAC crest
Santa Ana College
Santa Ana, California

Santa Ana College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Human Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #20. Santa Ana College is located in Santa Ana, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 232 ’s human development degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $3,975 for Human Development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SAC.

Read full report on Human Development & Family Studies at SAC

21

Texas Woman’s University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Human Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #21. Denton, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s human development degrees to 194 students in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend TWU is $6,041 for human development students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Human Development & Family Studies at Texas Woman’s University

22

Brigham Young University - Provo landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Human Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Provo, Utah, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 320 diplomas to qualified ’s human development students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, BYU is also in the top of our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools” ranking. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for BYU is $9,445 for Human Development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full BYU Human Development & Family Studies Report

23

California State University - Long Beach landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Best Value Human Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. CSULB is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 150 ’s human development degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $6,663 for Human Development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read more about Human Development & Family Studies at California State University - Long Beach

24
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Human Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Virginia - Main Campus is located in Charlottesville, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 50 ’s human development degrees to qualified students.

University of Virginia excels when it comes to human development quality. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $12,476 for Human Development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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 University of Virginia - Main Campus Human Development & Family Studies Report

25

With a ranking of #25, The University of Tennessee - Knoxville did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Human Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Knoxville, Tennessee, and it awarded 112 ’s human development degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our human development students whose families make $0-$30k list, UT Knoxville has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is $10,433 for human development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, 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 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Human Development & Family Studies Report

Rest of the Best 28 in Best Value Human Development Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

Not only did these schools make the top 28 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

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28
Texas Tech crest
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, Texas

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