2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts (Income $30-$48k)
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
With 365,980 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, liberal arts is the 2nd most popular major in the United States.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 25,169 liberal arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 292 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in liberal arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality liberal arts programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the liberal arts program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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More Ways to Rank Liberal Arts 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 Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts (Income $30-$48k)
Out of the 292 schools in the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Massachusetts Institute of Technology landed the #1 spot on the list. MIT is a fairly large school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that handed out 10 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
MIT also took the #1 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $1,820 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend MIT.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Harvard University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k. Harvard is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Harvard, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $1,010 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Harvard University.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 292 schools in the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 12 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
UChicago also made our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $2,800 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UChicago.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Johns Hopkins University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Baltimore, Maryland is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.
Johns Hopkins not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Johns Hopkins University is $8,210 for bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, 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 students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The City College of New York. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k. The City College of New York is a fairly large school located in New York, New York that handed out 104 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for CCNY is $2,947 for bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a ranking of #6, Georgetown University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Georgetown is a fairly large school located in Washington, District of Columbia that handed out 24 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Georgetown, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Georgetown University is $8,678 for bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #7, Wesleyan University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Wesleyan U is a small school located in Middletown, Connecticut that handed out 9 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Wesleyan U not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $7,740 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Wesleyan University.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
University of South Florida - Main Campus landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of South Florida - Main Campus is a public institution located in Tampa, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 242 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, USF Tampa also did well on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for USF Tampa is $5,616 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Notre Dame did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Notre Dame, Indiana. It awarded 47 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Notre Dame, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Notre Dame is $15,609 for bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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%.
With a ranking of #10, Baruch College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Baruch College is $4,201 for bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.
California State University - Los Angeles came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 180 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $2,117 for bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 Liberal Arts at California State University - Los Angeles
Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. IU Bloomington is a large school located in Bloomington, Indiana that handed out 238 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
IU Bloomington also claimed a top spot on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $6,192 for bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend IU Bloomington.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Florida International University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Miami, Florida, this large public school handed out 368 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Florida International University is $6,683 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
North Carolina State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. NC State is a large school located in Raleigh, North Carolina that handed out 13 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, NC State has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $9,887 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend NC State.
The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
California State University - Stanislaus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #15. Stan State is a fairly large school located in Turlock, California that handed out 235 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $3,958 for bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Stan State.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #16, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Fresno State is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 485 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $3,731 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Fresno.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Fresno Liberal Arts Report
California State University - Dominguez Hills ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Carson, California, this fairly large public school handed out 129 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $3,115 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k 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%.
California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school handed out 320 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $6,883 for bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%.
University of Richmond came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Richmond is a small private not-for-profit school situated in University of Richmond, Virginia. It awarded 8 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
URichmond excels when it comes to liberal studies quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for URichmond is $9,131 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
The impressive 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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low 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%.
Northern Kentucky University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Highland Heights, Kentucky, this fairly large public school awarded 92 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $6,295 for bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Northern Kentucky University.
University of Wisconsin - Green Bay came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Green Bay, Wisconsin is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 97 students in 2019-2020.
UW - Green Bay also claimed a top spot on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is $11,641 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
California State University - Long Beach landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 240 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $7,595 for bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%.
Oklahoma State University - Main Campus ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. OSU is a large school located in Stillwater, Oklahoma that handed out 27 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, OSU also did well on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is $9,962 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Full Oklahoma State University - Main Campus Liberal Arts Report
Oakland University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Oakland University is a public institution located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $7,751 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Oakland.
With a ranking of #25, Soka University of America did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Aliso Viejo, California, and it awarded 93 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Soka University excels when it comes to liberal studies quality. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Soka University is $9,210 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low 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 92%. The impressive 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.
Rest of the Best 44 in Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k
Not only did these schools make the top 44 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
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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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