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2022 Best Value General Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

155 Ranked Colleges
6,579 Degrees Awarded
$6,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value General Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value General Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

General Social Sciences is the 39th most popular major in the country with 19,542 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 6,579 general social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value General Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 155 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the general social sciences program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value General Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most 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 General Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree general social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Social Sciences (Income $0-$30k)

#1

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Vanderbilt University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value General Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Vanderbilt is located in Nashville, Tennessee and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 227 bachelors’s general social sciences degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Vanderbilt, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $3,156 for bachelor’s degree general social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Vanderbilt University.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national 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.

Read more about General Social Sciences at Vanderbilt University

#2

Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Harvard University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value General Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Harvard is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 157 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Harvard also made our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend Harvard is $2,973 for bachelor’s degree general social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Social Sciences at Harvard

#3

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value General Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general social sciences degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree general social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, UPenn has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pennsylvania is $3,181 for bachelor’s degree general social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. 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.

Read full report on General Social Sciences at University of Pennsylvania

#4

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 #4 for the Best Value General Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Northwestern is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 bachelors’s general social sciences degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $1,866 for bachelor’s degree general social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northwestern University.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low 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%.

Full Northwestern University General Social Sciences Report

#7 in overall quality

Out of the 155 schools in the Best Value General Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #5 spot on the list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 8 bachelors’s general social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at U-M, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for U-M is $3,166 for Bachelor’s Degree General Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Read more about General Social Sciences at U-M

#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. UW Seattle is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 72 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UW Seattle not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $7,850 for bachelor’s degree general social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW Seattle.

The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 93%.

Full UW Seattle General Social Sciences Report

#7

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida
#13 in overall quality

Florida State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value General Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Florida State University is located in Tallahassee, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 292 bachelors’s general social sciences degrees to qualified students.

Florida State also took the #13 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Florida State University is $5,360 for bachelor’s degree general social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Edinburg, Texas, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s general social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $2,993 for Bachelor’s Degree General Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UT Rio Grande Valley.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Social Sciences at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Top 25% in overall quality

University of South Florida - Main Campus came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of South Florida - Main Campus is a public institution located in Tampa, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 153 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of South Florida - Main Campus is $3,950 for bachelor’s degree general social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 more about General Social Sciences at USF Tampa

#10

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#16 in overall quality

Michigan State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. This large school is located in East Lansing, Michigan, and it awarded 129 bachelors’s general social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Michigan State also made our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #16. The yearly cost to attend Michigan State University is $6,686 for Bachelor’s Degree General Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.

Full Michigan State General Social Sciences Report

#24 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 29 bachelors’s general social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also took the #24 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $9,558 for Bachelor’s Degree General Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Irvine.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low 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 full report on General Social Sciences at UC Irvine

With a ranking of #12, University of Minnesota - Morris did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Morris, Minnesota, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s general social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Morris is $4,230 for bachelor’s degree general social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Full UMN Morris General Social Sciences Report

#13

Colgate University

Hamilton, New York
#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, Colgate University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Hamilton, New York, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 1 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general 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 $9,752 for Bachelor’s Degree General Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

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. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Colgate General Social Sciences Report

#14

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington
#17 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, Washington State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Pullman, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general social sciences degrees to 394 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree general social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, Wazzu has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Washington State University is $9,334 for bachelor’s degree general social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Read full report on General Social Sciences at Washington State University

#15

The University of West Florida

Pensacola, Florida

With a ranking of #15, The University of West Florida did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. The University of West Florida is a fairly large school located in Pensacola, Florida that handed out 42 bachelors’s general social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UWF is $4,140 for Bachelor’s Degree General Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full The University of West Florida General Social Sciences Report

With a ranking of #16, California State University - Stanislaus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Turlock, California, this fairly large public school handed out 63 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general social sciences students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,410 for Bachelor’s Degree General Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k 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

#17

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin
Top 20% in overall quality

With a ranking of #17, University of Wisconsin - River Falls did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in River Falls, Wisconsin, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s general social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - River Falls excels when it comes to general social sciences quality. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $8,366 for bachelor’s degree general social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW - River Falls.

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%.

Read full report on General Social Sciences at University of Wisconsin - River Falls

#18

University of Central Florida

Orlando, Florida

University of Central Florida landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Orlando, Florida, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s general social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $6,211 for Bachelor’s Degree General Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCF.

The low student loan default rate of 4.2% 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 Central Florida

#19

University of Wyoming

Laramie, Wyoming

With a ranking of #19, University of Wyoming did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Laramie, Wyoming, this fairly large public school handed out 16 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general social sciences students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $8,231 for Bachelor’s Degree General Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Wyoming.

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 more about General Social Sciences at University of Wyoming

#20

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Diego State University is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 55 bachelors’s general social sciences degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $8,870 for bachelor’s degree general social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SDSU.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on General Social Sciences at SDSU

#21

Towson University

Towson, Maryland

Towson University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value General Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Towson is located in Towson, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 27 bachelors’s general social sciences degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $9,206 for bachelor’s degree general social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Towson.

The low student loan default rate of 3.8% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about General Social Sciences at Towson

#22

University of North Texas

Denton, Texas

University of North Texas came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of North Texas is a large public school situated in Denton, Texas. It awarded 27 bachelors’s general social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of North Texas is $8,521 for Bachelor’s Degree General Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on General Social Sciences at UNT

#23

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

Whitewater, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Whitewater, Wisconsin, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s general social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is $11,868 for Bachelor’s Degree General Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on General Social Sciences at UW - Whitewater

#24

University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Platteville, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Platteville ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value General Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. UW - Platteville is located in Platteville, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s general social sciences degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for UW - Platteville is $12,117 for Bachelor’s Degree General Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full UW - Platteville General Social Sciences Report

#25

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, Kentucky

With a ranking of #25, Northern Kentucky University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Highland Heights, Kentucky, this fairly large public school handed out 10 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general social sciences students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for NKU is $4,156 for Bachelor’s Degree General Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about General Social Sciences at NKU

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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