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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Social Sciences (Income $48-$75k)

152 Ranked Colleges
6,589 Degrees Awarded
$32,689 Avg Salary
Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $48-$75k

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 Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

General Social Sciences is the 51st most popular major in the country with 19,742 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, general social sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $31,665 and had an average of $22,423 in loans still to pay off.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 6,589 general social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 152 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general social sciences. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general social sciences 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 general social sciences program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Social Sciences (Income $48-$75k)

#1

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 #1 for the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k. Harvard University is a large school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that handed out 157 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Harvard also made our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $3,411 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Harvard University.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low 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%.

Full Harvard General Social Sciences Report

#2

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Vanderbilt University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Vanderbilt University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 227 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Vanderbilt did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $8,086 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Vanderbilt University.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 General Social Sciences at Vanderbilt University

#3

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k. Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

Northwestern also took the #4 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $6,452 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, 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%.

Full Northwestern University General Social Sciences Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 72 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Seattle, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $9,694 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UW Seattle.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, 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 93%.

Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus General Social Sciences Report

#5

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Pennsylvania is a private not-for-profit institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k list, UPenn has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Pennsylvania is $12,752 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive 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.

Read full report on General Social Sciences at University of Pennsylvania

#7 in overall quality

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k list, U-M has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $10,028 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about General Social Sciences at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is located in Edinburg, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $6,405 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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%.

Read more about General Social Sciences at UT Rio Grande Valley

University of Minnesota - Morris came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Morris, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Morris is $7,558 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Social Sciences at UMN Morris

#9

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida

Florida State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #9. Tallahassee, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 292 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k list, Florida State has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $10,583 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Florida State.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on General Social Sciences at Florida State

University of South Florida - Main Campus ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Tampa, Florida, this large public school handed out 153 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend USF Tampa is $9,809 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on General Social Sciences at University of South Florida - Main Campus

#11

The University of West Florida

Pensacola, Florida

The University of West Florida landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Pensacola, Florida, this fairly large public school handed out 42 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UWF is $7,511 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about General Social Sciences at UWF

#12

University of Wyoming

Laramie, Wyoming

University of Wyoming ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. UW is a fairly large public school situated in Laramie, Wyoming. It awarded 16 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Wyoming is $11,491 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Social Sciences at University of Wyoming

California State University - Stanislaus landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Turlock, California, this fairly large public school handed out 63 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,772 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Stanislaus.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, 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 87%.

Read more about General Social Sciences at California State University - Stanislaus

#14

Colgate University

Hamilton, New York
#5 in overall quality

Colgate University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Hamilton, New York, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 1 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.

Colgate also made our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend Colgate is $16,525 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, 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%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about General Social Sciences at Colgate

University of California - Irvine landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UC Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 29 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $13,648 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Social Sciences at UC Irvine

#16

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington

Washington State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #16. Washington State University is a large school located in Pullman, Washington that handed out 394 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Wazzu, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Washington State University is $15,548 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Washington State University General Social Sciences Report

#17

University of Central Florida

Orlando, Florida

University of Central Florida came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UCF is a public institution located in Orlando, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,161 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UCF.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Social Sciences at University of Central Florida

#18

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - River Falls did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #18. UW - River Falls is a medium-sized school located in River Falls, Wisconsin that handed out 10 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

On top of its placing in this ranking, UW - River Falls also did well on our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - River Falls is $13,474 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 UW - River Falls General Social Sciences Report

#19

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah

University of Utah landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and it awarded 88 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for U of U is $14,501 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Social Sciences at U of U

#20

University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Platteville, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Platteville did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #20. UW - Platteville is a public institution located in Platteville, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,152 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UW - Platteville.

Read more about General Social Sciences at University of Wisconsin - Platteville

University of Nevada - Las Vegas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #21. UNLV is a public institution located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UNLV is $12,470 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on General Social Sciences at University of Nevada - Las Vegas

#22

University of Oregon

Eugene, Oregon

University of Oregon ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. UO is a large school located in Eugene, Oregon that handed out 380 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UO also claimed a top spot on our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend UO is $15,109 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Social Sciences at University of Oregon

#23

Bellevue University

Bellevue, Nebraska

Bellevue University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Bellevue, Nebraska is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 104 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $16,615 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Bellevue University.

Read more about General Social Sciences at Bellevue University

#24

University of Wisconsin - Stout

Menomonie, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Stout did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #24. This medium-sized school is located in Menomonie, Wisconsin, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UW - Stout is $15,235 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Wisconsin - Stout General Social Sciences Report

#25

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, North Dakota

University of North Dakota came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Grand Forks, North Dakota, this fairly large public school awarded 19 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,109 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of North Dakota.

The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 more about General Social Sciences at UND

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

Footnotes

  • *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.

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