2023 Best Value Colleges for General Studies
451
Ranked Colleges
129,869
Degrees Awarded
$7,500
Avg Net Price*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value General Studies Schools” ranking - to help you make that decision.
General Studies is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 5th of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 129,869 degrees were awarded to students with this major.
This year’s “Best Value General Studies Schools” ranking analyzed 451 colleges that offered a degree in general studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general 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 general studies program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank General Studies Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value General Studies Schools” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most 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 General Studies Schools
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value General Studies Schools.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for General Studies
Out of the 451 schools in the Best Value General Studies Schools that were part of this year’s ranking, American Public University System landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Charles Town, West Virginia, and it awarded 1,815 ’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
American Military University also took the #2 spot in our “Best General Studies Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for American Public University System is $10,563 for general studies students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%.
Read more about General Studies at American Public University System
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brigham Young University - Idaho. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value General Studies Schools list. Brigham Young University - Idaho is a large school located in Rexburg, Idaho that handed out 1,581 ’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, BYU - I is also in the top of our “Best General Studies Schools” ranking. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $6,698 for general studies students per year to attend BYU - I.
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%.
Read more about General Studies at Brigham Young University - Idaho
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central New Mexico Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value General Studies Schools list. Central New Mexico Community College is a fairly large school located in Albuquerque, New Mexico that handed out 2,341 ’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CNM, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best General Studies Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Central New Mexico Community College is $3,322 for General Studies students.
Read more about General Studies at Central New Mexico Community College
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Central Texas College. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value General Studies Schools. This medium-sized school is located in Killeen, Texas, and it awarded 826 ’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Central Texas College also claimed a top spot on our “Best General Studies Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend Central Texas College is $5,196 for general studies students.
Full Central Texas College General Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Virginia Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value General Studies Schools list. Located in Annandale, Virginia, this large public school awarded 1,351 degrees to qualified ’s general studies students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northern Virginia Community College, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best General Studies Schools” ranking. It costs about $9,452 for general studies students per year to attend Northern Virginia Community College.
Read more about General Studies at Northern Virginia Community College
Collin County Community College District came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Studies Schools ranking. Collin County Community College District is a large public school situated in McKinney, Texas. It awarded 1,244 ’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Collin County Community College District also did well on our “Best General Studies Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Collin County Community College District is $7,040 for general studies students.
Full Collin County Community College District General Studies Report
Columbia College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Studies Schools ranking. Located in Columbia, Missouri, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 806 degrees to qualified ’s general studies students in 2020-2021.
Columbia College Missouri did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best General Studies Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Columbia College Missouri is $26,668 for general studies students.
Full Columbia College Missouri General Studies Report
With a ranking of #8, McLennan Community College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Studies Schools list. McLennan Community College is a medium-sized school located in Waco, Texas that handed out 115 ’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
MCC also claimed a top spot on our “Best General Studies Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend McLennan Community College is $6,849 for general studies students.
Read full report on General Studies at McLennan Community College
South Dakota State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Studies Schools ranking. Located in Brookings, South Dakota, this fairly large public school awarded 65 degrees to qualified ’s general studies students in 2020-2021.
South Dakota State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best General Studies Schools” list. It costs about $18,578 for General Studies students per year to attend South Dakota State University.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.
Read more about General Studies at South Dakota State University
Macomb Community College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Studies Schools ranking. Macomb Community College is a fairly large public school situated in Warren, Michigan. It awarded 1,053 ’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Macomb Community College is also in the top of our “Best General Studies Schools” ranking. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for Macomb Community College is $9,982 for general studies students.
Read more about General Studies at Macomb Community College
Oakland Community College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value General Studies Schools list. This fairly large school is located in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and it awarded 309 ’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Oakland Community College excels when it comes to general studies quality. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend Oakland Community College is $3,665 for General Studies students.
Read more about General Studies at Oakland Community College
Central Arizona College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value General Studies Schools list. This small school is located in Coolidge, Arizona, and it awarded 77 ’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Central Arizona College is $5,804 for General Studies students.
Read full report on General Studies at Pinal County Community College
Otero Junior College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Studies Schools ranking. Otero JC is a small public school situated in La Junta, Colorado. It awarded 9 ’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Otero JC also claimed a top spot on our “Best General Studies Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Otero Junior College is $10,221 for general studies students.
Read full report on General Studies at Otero JC
With a ranking of #14, South Texas College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Studies Schools list. South Texas College is a large public school situated in McAllen, Texas. It awarded 969 ’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend South Texas College is $1,504 for general studies students.
Read more about General Studies at South Texas College
Garden City Community College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Studies Schools ranking. Garden City Community College is a small school located in Garden City, Kansas that handed out 45 ’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Garden City Community College is $5,217 for General Studies students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Studies at Garden City Community College
Cincinnati State Technical and Community College landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Studies Schools ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Cincinnati, Ohio, and it awarded 65 ’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Cincinnati State Technical and Community College is $5,532 for general studies students.
Read more about General Studies at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College
Oklahoma City Community College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value General Studies Schools ranking, coming in at #17. Oklahoma City Community College is a fairly large school located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma that handed out 648 ’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, OCCC is in the top on our “Best General Studies Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend OCCC is $5,794 for General Studies students.
Read full report on General Studies at Oklahoma City Community College
El Centro College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value General Studies Schools list. El Centro College is located in Dallas, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7,386 ’s general studies degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on this list, El Centro College is in the top on our “Best General Studies Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for El Centro College is $4,739 for general studies students.
Full El Centro College General Studies Report
Odessa College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value General Studies Schools ranking, coming in at #19. Odessa College is a public institution located in Odessa, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 425 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $5,985 for general studies students per year to attend Odessa College.
Read full report on General Studies at Odessa College
Pima Community College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value General Studies Schools ranking, coming in at #19. Pima County Community College District is a fairly large public school situated in Tucson, Arizona. It awarded 53 ’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Pima County Community College District excels when it comes to general studies quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best General Studies Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Pima Community College is $3,846 for general studies students.
Full Pima County Community College District General Studies Report
Suffolk County Community College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value General Studies Schools ranking, coming in at #21. This large school is located in Selden, New York, and it awarded 1,405 ’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, Suffolk County Community College is in the top on our “Best General Studies Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best General Studies Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Suffolk County Community College is $5,270 for General Studies students.
Read more about General Studies at Suffolk County Community College
City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value General Studies Schools list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s general studies degrees to 151 students in 2020-2021.
Harold Washington College excels when it comes to general studies quality. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College is $2,726 for General Studies students.
Read full report on General Studies at Harold Washington College
Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Studies Schools ranking. UA Cossatot is a small school located in De Queen, Arkansas that handed out 40 ’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas is $5,715 for general studies students.
Read more about General Studies at UA Cossatot
Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value General Studies Schools ranking, coming in at #24. Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus is a small public school situated in Portales, New Mexico. It awarded 59 ’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, ENMU - Main Campus is in the top on our “Best General Studies Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend ENMU - Main Campus is $8,961 for general studies students.
Read more about General Studies at Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus
With a ranking of #25, South Louisiana Community College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Studies Schools list. Lafayette, Louisiana is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s general studies degrees to 769 students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for South Louisiana Community College is $8,753 for General Studies students.
Full South Louisiana Community College General Studies Report
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