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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for History (With Aid)

563 Ranked Colleges
26,120 Degrees Awarded
$9,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Getting Aid

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 a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

History is the 30th most popular major in the country with 32,905 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, history graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $29,593 and had an average of $23,490 in loans still to pay off.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 26,120 history graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 563 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in history. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent history programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the history program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree history students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for History (With Aid)

#1

Yale University

New Haven, Connecticut

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Yale University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. New Haven, Connecticut is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 108 students in 2019-2020.

Yale not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Yale is $17,549 for bachelor’s degree history students with aid.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive 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 Yale

#2

Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Out of the 563 schools in the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #2 spot on the list. Harvard is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 145 bachelors’s history degrees to qualified students.

Harvard also made our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend Harvard is $15,386 for bachelor’s degree history students with aid.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on History at Harvard University

#3

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. Located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, this large public school awarded 145 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s history students in 2019-2020.

UNC Chapel Hill excels when it comes to history quality. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is $12,352 for bachelor’s degree history students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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%.

Full UNC Chapel Hill History Report

#4

Queens College

Queens, New York

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Queens College. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Queens, New York, this fairly large public school awarded 92 degrees to qualified bachelors’s history students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,067 for Bachelor’s Degree History students with aid per year to attend Queens College.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on History at Queens College

#5

Hunter College

New York, New York

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Hunter College. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. Hunter College is a large public school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 41 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Hunter is $2,490 for Bachelor’s Degree History students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on History at Hunter

California State University - Los Angeles ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Cal State LA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 61 bachelors’s history degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Los Angeles is $2,768 for Bachelor’s Degree History students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about History at California State University - Los Angeles

#7

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida

University of Florida landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Florida is located in Gainesville, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 143 bachelors’s history degrees to qualified students.

UF excels when it comes to history quality. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend University of Florida is $6,302 for Bachelor’s Degree History students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about History at University of Florida

University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 130 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

UW Seattle excels when it comes to history quality. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $13,297 for bachelor’s degree history students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read more about History at UW Seattle

With a ranking of #9, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Edinburg, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 50 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $4,514 for Bachelor’s Degree History students with aid per year to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on History at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

#10

Princeton University

Princeton, New Jersey

With a ranking of #10, Princeton University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Princeton is a medium-sized school located in Princeton, New Jersey that handed out 73 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

Princeton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Princeton University is $11,317 for bachelor’s degree history students with aid.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low 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 full report on History at Princeton University

#11

American Public University System

Charles Town, West Virginia

American Public University System ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Charles Town, West Virginia, this large private for-profit school awarded 110 degrees to qualified bachelors’s history students in 2019-2020.

American Military University also claimed a top spot on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for American Public University System is $10,222 for bachelor’s degree history students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about History at American Public University System

#12

Brooklyn College

Brooklyn, New York

Brooklyn College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Brooklyn, New York, and it awarded 29 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $2,683 for Bachelor’s Degree History students with aid per year to attend Brooklyn College.

The low student loan default rate of 5.0% 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 History at Brooklyn College

John Jay College of Criminal Justice came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. John Jay is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend John Jay College of Criminal Justice is $2,532 for bachelor’s degree history students with aid.

Read full report on History at John Jay

#14

The City College of New York

New York, New York

With a ranking of #14, The City College of New York did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. CCNY is a fairly large school located in New York, New York that handed out 45 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CCNY is $2,385 for bachelor’s degree history students with aid.

Full CCNY History Report

Texas A&M International University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Texas A&M International University is a medium-sized public school situated in Laredo, Texas. It awarded 24 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M International University is $3,074 for Bachelor’s Degree History students with aid.

Full Texas A&M International University History Report

#16

Lehman College

Bronx, New York

With a ranking of #16, Lehman College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Lehman is a fairly large public school situated in Bronx, New York. It awarded 24 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $1,814 for bachelor’s degree history students with aid per year to attend Lehman College.

Full Lehman College History Report

#17

Williams College

Williamstown, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #17, Williams College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Williamstown, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 39 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree history students with aid list, Williams has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Williams College is $19,480 for bachelor’s degree history students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive 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.

Read more about History at Williams College

#18

Amherst College

Amherst, Massachusetts

Amherst College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Amherst College is a small school located in Amherst, Massachusetts that handed out 33 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

Amherst not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $18,524 for Bachelor’s Degree History students with aid per year to attend Amherst.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Amherst History Report

With a ranking of #19, The University of Texas at Dallas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Richardson, Texas, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UT Dallas is also in the top of our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $15,232 for Bachelor’s Degree History students with aid per year to attend UT Dallas.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UT Dallas History Report

California State University - Fresno came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Fresno is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 97 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $5,464 for bachelor’s degree history students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Fresno History Report

With a ranking of #21, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Carson, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 21 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $4,215 for bachelor’s degree history students with aid per year to attend CSUDH.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full CSUDH History Report

University of South Florida - Main Campus ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. University of South Florida - Main Campus is a large school located in Tampa, Florida that handed out 128 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend USF Tampa is $8,355 for bachelor’s degree history students with aid.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of South Florida - Main Campus History Report

University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UW - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 130 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - Madison is also in the top of our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Madison is $17,708 for Bachelor’s Degree History students with aid.

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 student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 Wisconsin - Madison History Report

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #24. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 87 degrees to qualified bachelors’s history students in 2019-2020.

UIUC excels when it comes to history quality. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $15,880 for Bachelor’s Degree History students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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%.

Full UIUC History Report

#25

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, Virginia

University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Virginia is located in Charlottesville, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 149 bachelors’s history degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree history students with aid list, University of Virginia has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Virginia is $20,397 for Bachelor’s Degree History students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on History at University of Virginia - Main Campus

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

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

#26

College of Staten Island CUNY

Staten Island, New York
#28

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#30

Rice University

Houston, Texas
#32

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida
#33

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Greensboro, North Carolina
#37

Truman State University

Kirksville, Missouri
#38

The University of West Florida

Pensacola, Florida
#39

University of Central Florida

Orlando, Florida
#40

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#41

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan
#43

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#44

University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

La Crosse, Wisconsin
#48

East Central University

Ada, Oklahoma
#49

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

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

Rank College Location
51 The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX
52 McNeese State University Lake Charles, LA
53 University of Houston Houston, TX
54 University of Minnesota - Morris Morris, MN
55 Appalachian State University Boone, NC
56 California State University - Bakersfield Bakersfield, CA
57 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, WI
58 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
59 Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Atlanta, GA
60 University of Wisconsin - River Falls River Falls, WI
61 University of Illinois at Springfield Springfield, IL
62 Dartmouth College Hanover, NH
63 University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL
64 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
65 University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD
Rank College Location
66 Northeastern State University Tahlequah, OK
67 University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA
68 Duke University Durham, NC
69 University of Missouri - St Louis Saint Louis, MO
70 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
71 Angelo State University San Angelo, TX
72 University of North Texas Denton, TX
73 University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA
74 University of Mississippi University, MS
75 The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX
76 University of Wyoming Laramie, WY
77 Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers, FL
78 Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla, MO
79 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
80 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
81 Rhode Island College Providence, RI
82 University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Green Bay, WI
83 University of North Georgia Dahlonega, GA
84 University of California - Davis Davis, CA
85 Brigham Young University - Idaho Rexburg, ID

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.

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