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2023 Best Value Colleges for Child Development & Psychology (With Aid)

179 Ranked Colleges
17,542 Degrees Awarded
$13,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Getting Aid

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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.

For this year’s “Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 179 colleges that offer a degree in child development and psychology. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great child development and psychology programs and cost less that 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 child development and psychology program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Child Development & Psychology Schools

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Child Development Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. 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 Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for child development students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Child Development & Psychology (With Aid)

1

Out of the 179 schools in the Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 561 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

UW Seattle did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list. It costs about $12,017 for Child Development students with aid per year to attend UW Seattle.

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 2.1% 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%.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

2
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Stanford is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 63 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $12,894 for Child Development students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, 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 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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 University

3
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Harvard University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 88 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

Harvard also took the #4 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” ranking. It costs about $13,872 for child development students with aid per year to attend Harvard.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.

Full Harvard University Child Development & Psychology Report

4
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Yale University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Getting Aid. Yale is a private not-for-profit institution located in New Haven, Connecticut. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 103 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Yale did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Yale University is $15,296 for Child Development students with aid.

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 impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Yale Child Development & Psychology Report

5

Out of the 179 schools in the Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #5 spot on the list. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 800 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $12,209 for child development students with aid.

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%. 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 University of California - Irvine

6

With a ranking of #6, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s child development degrees to 749 students in 2020-2021.

U-M also made our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend U-M is $14,878 for child development students with aid.

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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

7
Hunter crest
Hunter College
New York, New York

Hunter College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. Hunter College is a large public school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 38 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Hunter College is $2,158 for Child Development students with aid.

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 full report on Child Development & Psychology at Hunter College

8

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 622 diplomas to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.

On top of its placing in this ranking, UIUC also did well 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 UIUC is $14,321 for child development students with aid.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UIUC Child Development & Psychology Report

9

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. UT Rio Grande Valley is a large public school situated in Edinburg, Texas. It awarded 7 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is $3,743 for Child Development students with aid.

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%.

Full UT Rio Grande Valley Child Development & Psychology Report

10
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. 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.

It costs about $13,377 for Child Development students with aid per year to attend Purdue.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 more about Child Development & Psychology at Purdue University - Main Campus

11
Princeton crest
Princeton University
Princeton, New Jersey

Princeton University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Princeton, New Jersey, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 43 diplomas to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.

Princeton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Princeton is $9,836 for child development students with aid.

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%. 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 Princeton University

12
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah

University of Utah ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Getting Aid list. U of U is a large school located in Salt Lake City, Utah that handed out 367 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $13,572 for Child Development students with aid per year to attend University of Utah.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at U of U

13

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. UCSB is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 578 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

UCSB also took the #24 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCSB is $16,252 for child development students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, 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 91%.

Full UCSB Child Development & Psychology Report

13

University of California - San Diego landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s child development degrees to 85 students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $15,240 for Child Development students with aid per year to attend University of California - San Diego.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UCSD Child Development & Psychology Report

15

University of California - Los Angeles came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 432 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.

On top of its placing in this ranking, UCLA also did well on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $15,023 for child development students with aid.

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 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Child Development & Psychology Report

16
UNF crest
University of North Florida
Jacksonville, Florida

University of North Florida ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Getting Aid list. UNF is a fairly large public school situated in Jacksonville, Florida. It awarded 384 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend University of North Florida is $8,865 for Child Development students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 Child Development & Psychology at UNF

16

Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #16. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 189 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

Columbia also took the #8 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia is $22,823 for child development students with aid.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Columbia

18

University of California - Davis came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of California - Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 879 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.

On top of its placing in this ranking, UC Davis also did well on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $15,768 for child development students with aid per year to attend UC Davis.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Full UC Davis Child Development & Psychology Report

19

University of California - Riverside landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school handed out 624 diplomas to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Riverside is $11,822 for child development students with aid.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at University of California - Riverside

20
Amherst crest
Amherst College
Amherst, Massachusetts

Amherst College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. Amherst 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.

In addition to being on this list, Amherst is in the top 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 Amherst College is $21,657 for child development students with aid.

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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Amherst College

21
Brooklyn College crest
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn, New York

With a ranking of #21, Brooklyn College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Brooklyn College is a fairly large public school situated in Brooklyn, New York. It awarded 10 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $3,067 for Child Development students with aid per year to attend Brooklyn College.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 full report on Child Development & Psychology at Brooklyn College

22
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina

Duke University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #22. Located in Durham, North Carolina, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 140 degrees to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.

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 $32,459 for Child Development students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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%.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Duke

23

With a ranking of #23, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 11 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $17,234 for child development students with aid per year to attend UW - Madison.

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 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%.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at UW - Madison

24

The University of Texas at Dallas came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Richardson, Texas, and it awarded 72 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for UT Dallas is $15,526 for Child Development students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at UT Dallas

25

California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #25. CSUN is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 5 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Northridge is $8,523 for child development students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.

Full California State University - Northridge Child Development & Psychology Report

Rest of the Best 27 in Best Value Child Development Schools For Those Getting Aid

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

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Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

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