13
Ranked Colleges
1,336
Degrees Awarded
$15,300
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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” ranking looked at 13 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
The library science 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 Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region”.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend East Carolina University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region list. Greenville, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s library science degrees to 79 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southeast region library science students list, ECU has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $16,550 for southeast region library science students per year to attend ECU.
Read full report on Library & Information Science at East Carolina University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of South Carolina - Columbia. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region. UofSC is a large public school situated in Columbia, South Carolina. It awarded 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. It costs about $20,559 for southeast region library science students per year to attend UofSC.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Library & Information Science at University of South Carolina - Columbia
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region. This large school is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and it awarded 54 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNC Chapel Hill, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $12,469 for southeast region library science students per year to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad 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 full report on Library & Information Science at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Appalachian State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region list. Appalachian State University is a large public school situated in Boone, North Carolina. It awarded 27 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Appalachian State, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Appalachian State University is $13,989 for southeast region library science students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Library & Information Science at Appalachian State
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of South Florida - Main Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region list. USF Tampa is a large public school situated in Tampa, Florida. It awarded 98 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.
USF Tampa did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of South Florida - Main Campus is $8,346 for Southeast Region Library Science students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%.
Read more about Library & Information Science at University of South Florida - Main Campus
With a ranking of #6, Valdosta State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region list. Valdosta State University is a public institution located in Valdosta, Georgia. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 120 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southeast region library science students list, VSU has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Valdosta State University is $13,240 for Southeast Region Library Science students.
Read full report on Library & Information Science at VSU
University of North Carolina at Greensboro came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. University of North Carolina at Greensboro is a fairly large public school situated in Greensboro, North Carolina. It awarded 128 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southeast region library science students list, UNC Greensboro has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $11,629 for southeast region library science students per year to attend UNC Greensboro.
Read full report on Library & Information Science at UNC Greensboro
With a ranking of #8, Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region list. Louisiana State University is a large school located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana that handed out 102 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.
Louisiana State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It costs about $17,811 for Southeast Region Library Science students per year to attend Louisiana State University.
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%. 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 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
The University of Tennessee - Knoxville landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is a public institution located in Knoxville, Tennessee. The school has a large population, and it awarded 106 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Knoxville, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UT Knoxville is $18,579 for southeast region library science students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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 Library & Information Science at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Western Kentucky University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. WKU is a fairly large public school situated in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It awarded 28 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at WKU, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Western Kentucky University is $12,522 for southeast region library science students.
Read more about Library & Information Science at Western Kentucky University
North Carolina Central University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in Durham, North Carolina, this medium-sized public school awarded 89 degrees to qualified ’s library science students in 2020-2021.
North Carolina Central University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for North Carolina Central University is $14,332 for southeast region library science students.
Full North Carolina Central University Library & Information Science Report
The University of Alabama did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #12. UA is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 80 ’s library science degrees to qualified students.
UA also took the #7 spot in our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend The University of Alabama is $20,917 for southeast region library science students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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%.
Full UA Library & Information Science Report
University of Kentucky ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Library Science Schools in the Southeast Region list. UK is a large public school situated in Lexington, Kentucky. It awarded 99 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.
UK did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It costs about $18,203 for southeast region library science students per year to attend University of Kentucky.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national 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
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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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