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2023 Best Value Colleges for Child Development & Psychology (Income $30-$48k)

179 Ranked Colleges
17,542 Degrees Awarded
$4,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $30-$48k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2020-2021, 17,542 people earned their degree in child development and psychology, making the major the 57th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, child development and psychology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $34,186 and had an average of $22,623 in loans still to pay off.

This year’s “Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 179 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in child development and psychology. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent child development and psychology 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 child development and psychology program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Child Development & Psychology Schools

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Child Development Schools 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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Child Development & Psychology (Income $30-$48k)

1
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Duke University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Duke is located in Durham, North Carolina and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 140 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Duke, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Duke is $-927 for child development students whose families make $30-$48k. A negative average net price may seem strange, but it generally means that financial aid will more than cover the cost to attend the school.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Full Duke Child Development & Psychology Report

2
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Out of the 179 schools in the Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #2 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 63 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $1,581 for Child Development students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, 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 86%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Stanford

3
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harvard University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 88 diplomas to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.

Harvard also made our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $1,396 for Child Development students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Harvard.

The undergraduate 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 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%.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Harvard

4
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut

Out of the 179 schools in the Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Yale University landed the #4 spot on the list. Yale University is located in New Haven, Connecticut and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 103 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.

Yale also made our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for Yale University is $3,083 for child development students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Yale

5
Princeton crest
Princeton University
Princeton, New Jersey

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Princeton University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Princeton, New Jersey is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s child development degrees to 43 students in 2020-2021.

Princeton also took the #12 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Princeton is $4,502 for child development students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Princeton University Child Development & Psychology Report

6
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 122 diplomas to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.

UChicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UChicago is $4,777 for child development students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at UChicago

7

Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 189 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

Columbia also made our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia is $4,699 for child development students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, 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 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Columbia Child Development & Psychology Report

8
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UPenn is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 153 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.

UPenn also made our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend UPenn is $1,938 for child development students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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 full report on Child Development & Psychology at University of Pennsylvania

9
WUSTL crest
Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, Missouri

Washington University in St Louis landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. WUSTL is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 210 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WUSTL, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Washington University in St Louis is $2,446 for Child Development students whose families make $30-$48k.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 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 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full WUSTL Child Development & Psychology Report

10
Dartmouth crest
Dartmouth College
Hanover, New Hampshire

With a ranking of #10, Dartmouth College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Dartmouth is located in Hanover, New Hampshire and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 54 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Dartmouth, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,718 for child development students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Dartmouth.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate 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.

Full Dartmouth Child Development & Psychology Report

11
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island

Brown University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Brown University is a fairly large school located in Providence, Rhode Island that handed out 73 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our child development students whose families make $30-$48k list, Brown has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Brown is $2,842 for child development students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Brown

12
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

With a ranking of #12, Northwestern University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 22 diplomas to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list. It costs about $917 for child development students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Northwestern.

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 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 Child Development & Psychology at Northwestern

13

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #13. U-M is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 749 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our child development students whose families make $30-$48k list, U-M has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for U-M is $5,670 for child development students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Child Development & Psychology Report

14
Wellesley crest
Wellesley College
Wellesley, Massachusetts

Wellesley College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Wellesley, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 62 diplomas to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.

Wellesley excels when it comes to child development quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list. It costs about $8,021 for Child Development students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Wellesley.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Wellesley College Child Development & Psychology Report

15

With a ranking of #15, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s child development degrees to 561 students in 2020-2021.

UW Seattle not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list. It costs about $6,399 for Child Development students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Full UW Seattle Child Development & Psychology Report

16
Amherst crest
Amherst College
Amherst, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #16, Amherst College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Amherst College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Amherst, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 37 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Amherst is also in the top of our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” ranking. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for Amherst is $4,459 for child development students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Amherst College Child Development & Psychology Report

17
Cornell crest
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

Cornell University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Ithaca, New York, and it awarded 21 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our child development students whose families make $30-$48k list, Cornell has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cornell University is $5,133 for Child Development students whose families make $30-$48k.

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. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Full Cornell Child Development & Psychology Report

18
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee

Vanderbilt University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #18. Vanderbilt University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Nashville, Tennessee. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 42 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Vanderbilt also claimed a top spot on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $4,652 for child development students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Vanderbilt University.

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 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 full report on Child Development & Psychology at Vanderbilt University

19
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, Massachusetts

Tufts University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #19. Located in Medford, Massachusetts, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 70 diplomas to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.

Tufts also claimed a top spot on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Tufts is $7,987 for child development students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Tufts University

20
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Purdue University - Main Campus is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 272 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Purdue is $5,853 for Child Development students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 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%.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Purdue University - Main Campus

21
Bates crest
Bates College
Lewiston, Maine

Bates College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #21. Bates is located in Lewiston, Maine and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 73 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.

Bates not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Bates is $4,981 for Child Development students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 Child Development & Psychology at Bates

22
Colgate crest
Colgate University
Hamilton, New York

Colgate University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Colgate University is located in Hamilton, New York and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 51 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.

Colgate did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Colgate University is $7,197 for child development students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, 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 94%.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at Colgate University

23

University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UW - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison is $4,788 for Child Development students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. 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 University of Wisconsin - Madison Child Development & Psychology Report

24

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 622 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

UIUC also claimed a top spot on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $8,036 for child development 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 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%.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at UIUC

25

University of California - Berkeley came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of California - Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 326 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UC Berkeley is also in the top of our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $9,999 for Child Development students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at UC Berkeley

Rest of the Best 27 in Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Making $30-$48k

Not only did these schools make the top 27 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
27

Notes and References

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