2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Liberal Arts is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 2nd of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 365,980 degrees were awarded to students with this major.
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” ranking analyzed 306 colleges that offered a degree in liberal arts. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent liberal arts programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the liberal arts program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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More Ways to Rank Liberal Arts Schools
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s” list to help you make the college decision.
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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Thomas Edison State University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s. TESU is a fairly large public school situated in Trenton, New Jersey. It awarded 357 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
TESU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list.
Read full report on Liberal Arts at Thomas Edison State University
Out of the 306 schools in the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Charter Oak State College landed the #2 spot on the list. This small school is located in New Britain, Connecticut, and it awarded 188 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on this list, Charter Oak State College is in the top on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend Charter Oak State College is $10,724 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 306 schools in the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Excelsior University landed the #3 spot on the list. Excelsior University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Albany, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,442 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree liberal studies students list, Excelsior University has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking.
Out of the 306 schools in the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Arizona State University - Skysong landed the #4 spot on the list. Arizona State University - Skysong is a public institution located in Scottsdale, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 342 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on this list, ASU - Skysong is in the top 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 ASU - Skysong is $13,971 for bachelor’s degree liberal studies students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Green Bay. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s list. University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is a public institution located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 97 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - Green Bay excels when it comes to liberal studies quality. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend UW - Green Bay is $14,395 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students.
Maria College of Albany landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Maria College of Albany is a small school located in Albany, New York that handed out 4 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on this list, Maria College of Albany is in the top on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. It costs about $12,995 for bachelor’s degree liberal studies students per year to attend Maria College of Albany.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Portales, New Mexico, this medium-sized public school handed out 71 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $9,516 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students per year to attend ENMU - Main Campus.
Read more about Liberal Arts at Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus
Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #8. WIU is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 10 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for WIU is $16,210 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students.
Brandman University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Brandman is a fairly large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 170 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Brandman excels when it comes to liberal studies quality. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Brandman is $21,604 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students.
With a ranking of #10, Fort Hays State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Hays, Kansas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 249 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Fort Hays State University is $12,053 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students.
Read full report on Liberal Arts at Fort Hays State University
With a ranking of #11, Wilmington University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Located in New Castle, Delaware, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 66 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $14,683 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students per year to attend Wilmington University.
With a ranking of #12, University of Wisconsin - Platteville did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s list. UW - Platteville is a medium-sized public school situated in Platteville, Wisconsin. It awarded 3 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Platteville is $15,718 for bachelor’s degree liberal studies students.
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. UW Oshkosh is a fairly large school located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin that handed out 37 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,463 for bachelor’s degree liberal studies students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh.
Westfield State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Westfield State University is located in Westfield, Massachusetts and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 153 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Westfield is also in the top of our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. 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 Westfield is $19,167 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students.
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%.
Texas A & M University - Central Texas landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Texas A & M University - Central Texas is a small public school situated in Killeen, Texas. It awarded 52 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Read more about Liberal Arts at Texas A & M University - Central Texas
The Graduate Center, CUNY ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s list. This medium-sized school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 54 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Eastern Illinois University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Charleston, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 123 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for EIU is $14,607 for bachelor’s degree liberal studies students.
With a ranking of #18, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Whitewater, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school handed out 26 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,249 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater.
Full University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Liberal Arts Report
University of South Florida - Main Campus ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s list. USF Tampa is a public institution located in Tampa, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 242 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
USF Tampa excels when it comes to liberal studies quality. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend USF Tampa is $8,355 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students.
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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Northern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #20. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 61 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $18,259 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students per year to attend NIU.
Read more about Liberal Arts at Northern Illinois University
With a ranking of #21, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s list. University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire is located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 25 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $16,020 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire.
Full University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Liberal Arts Report
Grand Valley State University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Allendale, Michigan, this large public school handed out 80 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for GVSU is $17,646 for bachelor’s degree liberal studies students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Central Oklahoma did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #23. Located in Edmond, Oklahoma, this fairly large public school awarded 2 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $16,562 for bachelor’s degree liberal studies students per year to attend University of Central Oklahoma.
Read full report on Liberal Arts at University of Central Oklahoma
Northern Arizona University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s list. NAU is a large public school situated in Flagstaff, Arizona. It awarded 545 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend NAU is $12,915 for Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students.
Purdue University Northwest landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Purdue University Northwest is located in Hammond, Indiana and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 45 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $11,250 for bachelor’s degree liberal studies students per year to attend Purdue University Northwest.
Rest of the Best 46 in Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s
Not only did these schools make the top 46 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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