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2023 Best Value History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k

393 Ranked Colleges
32,731 Degrees Awarded
$4,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 32,731 people earned their degree in history, making the major the 30th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, history graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $30,467 and had an average of $23,587 in loans still to pay off.

For this year’s “Best Value History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 393 colleges that offer a degree in history. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality history 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 history program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank History 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 History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for history students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for History (Income $30-$48k)

1
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Duke University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Duke University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Durham, North Carolina. It awarded 61 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

Duke also took the #5 spot in our “Best History Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Duke is $-927 for History students whose families make $30-$48k. The negative number means the student will receive more financial aid on average than it costs to attend the school.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Duke University History Report

2
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Out of the 393 schools in the Best Value History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #2 spot on the list. Harvard University is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 178 ’s history degrees to qualified students.

Harvard not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best History Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Harvard University is $1,396 for History students whose families make $30-$48k.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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%.

Read full report on History at Harvard

3
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut

Out of the 393 schools in the Best Value History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Yale University landed the #3 spot on the list. Yale is located in New Haven, Connecticut and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 165 ’s history degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our history students whose families make $30-$48k list, Yale has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best History Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Yale is $3,083 for history students whose families make $30-$48k.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about History at Yale

4
Princeton crest
Princeton University
Princeton, New Jersey

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Princeton University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Princeton, New Jersey is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s history degrees to 76 students in 2020-2021.

Princeton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best History Schools” list. It costs about $4,502 for history students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Princeton.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Princeton History Report

5
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. UChicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 103 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our history students whose families make $30-$48k list, UChicago has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best History Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Chicago is $4,777 for History students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on History at UChicago

6
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2023 Best Value History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #6. This large school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 71 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

UPenn not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best History Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UPenn is $1,938 for history students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 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%. 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.

Read full report on History at UPenn

7

Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in New York, New York, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 218 diplomas to qualified ’s history students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best History Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Columbia University in the City of New York is $4,699 for History 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. 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 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on History at Columbia University in the City of New York

8
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 82 diplomas to qualified ’s history students in 2020-2021.

Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best History Schools” list. It costs about $917 for History students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Northwestern University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, 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. 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%.

Full Northwestern History Report

9
Williams crest
Williams College
Williamstown, Massachusetts

Williams College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Williams is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It awarded 33 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Williams, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best History Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Williams is $5,480 for history students whose families make $30-$48k.

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. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about History at Williams

10
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee

With a ranking of #10, Vanderbilt University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Vanderbilt University is a fairly large school located in Nashville, Tennessee that handed out 73 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

Vanderbilt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best History Schools” list. It costs about $4,652 for history students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Vanderbilt University.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, 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 more about History at Vanderbilt University

11
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island

Brown University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #11. This fairly large school is located in Providence, Rhode Island, and it awarded 91 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

Brown also took the #8 spot in our “Best History Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Brown University is $2,842 for history students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 0.8%, 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 Brown History Report

12
Dartmouth crest
Dartmouth College
Hanover, New Hampshire

Dartmouth College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Dartmouth College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Hanover, New Hampshire. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 59 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Dartmouth also took the #18 spot in our “Best History Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Dartmouth College is $8,718 for history students whose families make $30-$48k.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 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 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Dartmouth College History Report

13

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. U-M is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 160 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at U-M, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best History Schools” ranking. It costs about $5,670 for History students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend U-M.

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 History Report

14
Amherst crest
Amherst College
Amherst, Massachusetts

Amherst College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Amherst, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 25 degrees to qualified ’s history students in 2020-2021.

Amherst also claimed a top spot on our “Best History Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best History Schools” list. It costs about $4,459 for History students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Amherst College.

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. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on History at Amherst College

15
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, Massachusetts

Tufts University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #15. Tufts is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Medford, Massachusetts. It awarded 43 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Tufts, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best History Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Tufts University is $7,987 for History students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 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%. 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.

Read full report on History at Tufts University

16
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

With a ranking of #16, University of Florida did quite well on the 2023 Best Value History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. UF is a large school located in Gainesville, Florida that handed out 110 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

UF also claimed a top spot on our “Best History Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best History Schools” list. It costs about $2,857 for history students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UF.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about History at UF

17
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, District of Columbia

Georgetown University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Value History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Georgetown University is located in Washington, District of Columbia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 76 ’s history degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our history students whose families make $30-$48k list, Georgetown has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best History Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Georgetown University is $9,871 for History 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 History Report

18
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, Virginia

William & Mary came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. William & Mary is a public institution located in Williamsburg, Virginia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 130 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, William & Mary is in the top on our “Best History Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $7,507 for History students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend William & Mary.

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%. 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 more about History at William & Mary

19

University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. UW - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 154 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

On top of its placing in this ranking, UW - Madison also did well on our “Best History Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $4,788 for History students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UW - Madison.

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 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Wisconsin - Madison History Report

20
Cornell crest
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

With a ranking of #20, Cornell University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value History 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 history degrees to 57 students in 2020-2021.

Cornell also took the #21 spot in our “Best History Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cornell is $5,133 for history students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. 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.

Full Cornell University History Report

21

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Value History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UNC Chapel Hill is a large school located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina that handed out 159 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

UNC Chapel Hill excels when it comes to history quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best History Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UNC Chapel Hill is $5,729 for history 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill History Report

22
Wake Forest University crest
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Wake Forest University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Winston-Salem, North Carolina is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s history degrees to 33 students in 2020-2021.

Wake Forest University excels when it comes to history quality. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for Wake Forest University is $5,612 for history students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on History at Wake Forest University

23

University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Best Value History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s history degrees to 163 students in 2020-2021.

On top of its placing in this ranking, UW Seattle also did well on our “Best History Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend UW Seattle is $6,399 for History 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 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UW Seattle History Report

24
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Boston College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #24. Located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 91 degrees to qualified ’s history students in 2020-2021.

Boston College also took the #17 spot in our “Best History Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Boston College is $7,075 for History 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 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about History at Boston College

25

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 117 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best History Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $8,036 for history students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on History at UIUC

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
Wellesley crest
Wellesley College
Wellesley, Massachusetts
27
28
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia
29
30
31
32
VMI crest
Virginia Military Institute
Lexington, Virginia
33
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia
34
35
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida
36
QC crest
Queens College
Queens, New York
37
38
Hunter crest
Hunter College
New York, New York
39
Kenyon crest
Kenyon College
Gambier, Ohio
40
41
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana
42
American Military University crest
American Public University System
Charles Town, West Virginia
43
44
45
46
47
Notre Dame crest
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana
48
49
Vassar crest
Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, New York
50
Middlebury crest
Middlebury College
Middlebury, Vermont

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value History Schools For Those Making $30-$48k

While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

RankCollegeLocation
51Brigham Young University - ProvoProvo, UT
52The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyEdinburg, TX
53California State University - StanislausTurlock, CA
54Florida International UniversityMiami, FL
55University of California - San DiegoLa Jolla, CA
56Ohio State University - Main CampusColumbus, OH
57California State University - FullertonFullerton, CA
58University of California - Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, CA
59Brooklyn CollegeBrooklyn, NY

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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