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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Studies in the Middle Atlantic Region

9 Ranked Colleges
773 Degrees Awarded
$21,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor's in the Middle Atlantic Region

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.

With 133,583 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, general studies is the 5th most popular major in the United States.

Across the Middle Atlantic region, there were 8,653 general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 773 general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,278 and $24,587 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking, we looked at 9 colleges that offer 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the general studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The general studies school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region”.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region.

Top 9 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Studies in the Middle Atlantic Region

#1

SUNY Cortland

Cortland, New York
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend SUNY Cortland. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. SUNY Cortland is a medium-sized public school situated in Cortland, New York. It awarded 42 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

SUNY Cortland also made our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend SUNY Cortland is $18,705 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree general studies students.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on General Studies at SUNY Cortland

#2

Rowan University

Glassboro, New Jersey
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rowan University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Rowan University is located in Glassboro, New Jersey and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 57 bachelors’s general studies degrees to qualified students.

Rowan also made our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $25,454 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree General Studies students per year to attend Rowan University.

Read full report on General Studies at Rowan University

#3

SUNY New Paltz

New Paltz, New York
#6 in overall quality

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, SUNY New Paltz landed the #3 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in New Paltz, New York, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

SUNY New Paltz also took the #6 spot in our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SUNY New Paltz is $17,171 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree general studies students.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 3.2% 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%.

Full SUNY New Paltz General Studies Report

#4

SUNY Plattsburgh

Plattsburgh, New York
#7 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend SUNY Plattsburgh. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region. Plattsburgh, New York is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general studies degrees to 27 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SUNY Plattsburgh, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SUNY Plattsburgh is $15,845 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree General Studies students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.0% 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 full report on General Studies at SUNY Plattsburgh

#5

Buffalo State

Buffalo, New York
#8 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Buffalo State. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region. This medium-sized school is located in Buffalo, New York, and it awarded 109 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree general studies students list, Buffalo State has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Buffalo State is $12,960 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree general studies students.

Full Buffalo State General Studies Report

#6

Roberts Wesleyan College

Rochester, New York
#9 in overall quality

Roberts Wesleyan College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #6. Roberts Wesleyan College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Rochester, New York. It awarded 16 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Roberts Wesleyan, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Roberts Wesleyan is $23,569 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree General Studies students.

Full Roberts Wesleyan General Studies Report

#3 in overall quality

Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus is a medium-sized school located in Teaneck, New Jersey that handed out 344 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at FDU, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus is $15,147 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree General Studies students.

Read more about General Studies at Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus

#5 in overall quality

Fairleigh Dickinson University - Florham Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #8. This small school is located in Madison, New Jersey, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

FDU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Fairleigh Dickinson University - Florham Campus is $22,809 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree general studies students.

Full Fairleigh Dickinson University - Florham Campus General Studies Report

#9

Villanova University

Villanova, Pennsylvania
#1 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Villanova University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Villanova, Pennsylvania is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general studies degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

Villanova did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. It costs about $41,027 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree general studies students per year to attend Villanova.

The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on General Studies at Villanova

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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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