2023 Best Value Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k
13
Ranked Colleges
1,336
Degrees Awarded
$10,300
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Library & Information Science is the 121st most popular major in the country with 5,950 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, library and information science graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $43,949 and had an average of $27,472 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Southeast region, there were 1,336 library and information science graduates with average earnings and debt of $41,694 and $22,165 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 13 colleges that offered a degree in library and information science. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent library and information science 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 library and information science program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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 Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, this large public school handed out 54 diplomas to qualified ’s library science students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southeast region library science students whose families make $0-$30k list, UNC Chapel Hill has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $3,753 for Southeast Region Library Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UNC Chapel Hill.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Library & Information Science at UNC Chapel Hill
Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of South Florida - Main Campus landed the #2 spot on the list. USF Tampa is a large public school situated in Tampa, Florida. It awarded 98 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southeast region library science students whose families make $0-$30k list, USF Tampa has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of South Florida - Main Campus is $4,176 for southeast region library science students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Library & Information Science at USF Tampa
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College is a large public school situated in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It awarded 102 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southeast region library science students whose families make $0-$30k list, Louisiana State University has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College is $11,318 for southeast region library science students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read full report on Library & Information Science at Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of South Carolina - Columbia landed the #4 spot on the list. UofSC is a large school located in Columbia, South Carolina that handed out 121 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.
UofSC also took the #2 spot in our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of South Carolina - Columbia is $12,130 for southeast region library science students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.
Read more about Library & Information Science at UofSC
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Tennessee - Knoxville. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k. The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is a large public school situated in Knoxville, Tennessee. It awarded 106 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.
UT Knoxville did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is $10,433 for Southeast Region Library Science students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 full report on Library & Information Science at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Appalachian State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Appalachian State is a large school located in Boone, North Carolina that handed out 27 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.
Appalachian State also took the #6 spot in our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Appalachian State University is $7,354 for southeast region library science students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.
Read more about Library & Information Science at Appalachian State University
East Carolina University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. East Carolina University is located in Greenville, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 79 ’s library science degrees to qualified students.
ECU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for ECU is $11,260 for Southeast Region Library Science students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Library & Information Science at ECU
University of North Carolina at Greensboro came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UNC Greensboro is a fairly large school located in Greensboro, North Carolina that handed out 128 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNC Greensboro, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UNC Greensboro is $7,645 for southeast region library science students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Library & Information Science at University of North Carolina at Greensboro
University of Kentucky ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Lexington, Kentucky, and it awarded 99 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southeast region library science students whose families make $0-$30k list, UK has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UK is $12,593 for Southeast Region Library Science students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad 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 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Library & Information Science at UK
Valdosta State University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Valdosta, Georgia, and it awarded 120 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southeast region library science students whose families make $0-$30k list, VSU has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $11,021 for Southeast Region Library Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Valdosta State University.
Read full report on Library & Information Science at Valdosta State University
Western Kentucky University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Western Kentucky University is a public institution located in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 28 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
WKU also made our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #13. It costs about $12,195 for Southeast Region Library Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Western Kentucky University.
Full Western Kentucky University Library & Information Science Report
North Carolina Central University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. North Carolina Central University is located in Durham, North Carolina and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 89 ’s library science degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our southeast region library science students whose families make $0-$30k list, North Carolina Central University has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend North Carolina Central University is $12,249 for southeast region library science students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Library & Information Science at North Carolina Central University
The University of Alabama ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and it awarded 80 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.
UA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The yearly cost to attend The University of Alabama is $17,523 for southeast region library science students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad 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 more about Library & Information Science at UA
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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
- *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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Diliff.
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