2023 Best Value Colleges for Philosophy (Income $0-$30k)
75
Ranked Colleges
9,487
Degrees Awarded
$6,300
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 9,487 people earned their degree in philosophy, making the major the 86th most popular in the United States.
For this year’s “Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 75 colleges that offer a degree in philosophy. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality philosophy programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the philosophy program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Philosophy 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 Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Philosophy (Income $0-$30k)
Out of the 75 schools in the Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Duke University landed the #1 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Durham, North Carolina, and it awarded 22 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
Duke did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Philosophy Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Duke University is $371 for Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% 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%.
Full Duke University Philosophy Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 38 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UPenn, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UPenn is $580 for philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Philosophy at UPenn
Out of the 75 schools in the Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k 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 school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 71 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
UChicago also took the #3 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Chicago is $2,500 for Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.
Read more about Philosophy at University of Chicago
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Vanderbilt University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Nashville, Tennessee is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s philosophy degrees to 35 students in 2020-2021.
Vanderbilt also made our “Best Philosophy Schools” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend Vanderbilt is $3,176 for Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Philosophy at Vanderbilt
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Boston College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, and it awarded 95 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k list, Boston College has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Philosophy Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Boston College is $10,212 for philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Boston College Philosophy Report
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, this large public school awarded 72 diplomas to qualified ’s philosophy students in 2020-2021.
UNC Chapel Hill also made our “Best Philosophy Schools” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for UNC Chapel Hill is $3,753 for philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 Philosophy at UNC Chapel Hill
University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s philosophy degrees to 73 students in 2020-2021.
UW - Madison not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Philosophy Schools” list. It costs about $3,981 for philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Philosophy at University of Wisconsin - Madison
University of Florida landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Gainesville, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s philosophy degrees to 50 students in 2020-2021.
UF not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Philosophy Schools” list. It costs about $65 for Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Florida.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read full report on Philosophy at University of Florida
With a ranking of #9, Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Columbia University in the City of New York is a large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 82 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
Columbia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Philosophy Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia is $9,873 for Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
Read more about Philosophy at Columbia University in the City of New York
University of Washington - Seattle Campus came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 60 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
UW Seattle also made our “Best Philosophy Schools” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $5,194 for philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Philosophy at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
With a ranking of #11, Florida State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Florida State is a public institution located in Tallahassee, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 55 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Florida State University is $4,950 for philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Florida State Philosophy Report
Emory University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 65 diplomas to qualified ’s philosophy students in 2020-2021.
Emory also took the #5 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,538 for Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Emory.
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 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Philosophy at Emory University
University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. UC Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 106 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley also made our “Best Philosophy Schools” list, coming in at #17. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $8,450 for philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad 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 96%.
Read full report on Philosophy at UC Berkeley
University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. University of Virginia is a large school located in Charlottesville, Virginia that handed out 39 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Virginia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Philosophy Schools” list. It costs about $12,476 for philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Philosophy at University of Virginia - Main Campus
With a ranking of #15, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. UC Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 58 ’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Philosophy Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $10,006 for Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of California - Davis Philosophy Report
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s philosophy degrees to 27 students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $4,858 for philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Philosophy Report
Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #17. Tempe, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s philosophy degrees to 60 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k list, ASU - Tempe has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Philosophy Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Arizona State University - Tempe is $8,969 for Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad 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 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Philosophy at Arizona State University - Tempe
With a ranking of #18, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large public school awarded 44 degrees to qualified ’s philosophy students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for UMN Twin Cities is $7,698 for Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, 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 93%.
Read full report on Philosophy at UMN Twin Cities
University of Notre Dame ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Notre Dame is located in Notre Dame, Indiana and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 48 ’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
Notre Dame also took the #10 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools” ranking. It costs about $9,872 for Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Notre Dame.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad 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 freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Philosophy at University of Notre Dame
University of California - Riverside ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. UCR is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 59 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for UCR is $6,810 for philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Philosophy at University of California - Riverside
Lehman College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Bronx, New York, and it awarded 28 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $881 for Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lehman College.
Full Lehman Philosophy Report
Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 31 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State University - Main Campus is $7,068 for philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Philosophy at Ohio State University - Main Campus
University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school awarded 144 diplomas to qualified ’s philosophy students in 2020-2021.
UCSB also took the #21 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Barbara is $10,568 for Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad 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%.
Full UCSB Philosophy Report
With a ranking of #24, Boston University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and it awarded 50 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k list, Boston U has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Philosophy Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Boston U is $12,982 for philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 more about Philosophy at Boston University
Florida International University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Philosophy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. FIU is a large public school situated in Miami, Florida. It awarded 53 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Florida International University is $3,196 for Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Philosophy at Florida International University
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