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2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k

816 Ranked Colleges
155,417 Degrees Awarded
$4,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $30-$48k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Social Sciences is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 5th of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 205,726 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2017-2018, social sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $34,801 and had an average of $23,466 in loans still to pay off.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 155,417 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 $30-$48k” ranking looked at 816 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in social sciences. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent social sciences programs, but they also 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 social sciences program at the school. 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 Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” 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. 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 $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Sciences (Income $30-$48k)

#1

Duke University

Durham, North Carolina
#3 in overall quality

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 Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k. This fairly large school is located in Durham, North Carolina, and it awarded 407 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Duke also took the #3 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $-1,314 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Duke University. When an average net price is negative, it usually means that the student will receive more financial aid than it costs to attend the school.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Duke University

#2

Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#6 in overall quality

Out of the 816 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 558 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, Harvard has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $1,010 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Harvard.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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.

Read more about Social Sciences at Harvard

#3

Yale University

New Haven, Connecticut
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Yale University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Yale is a private not-for-profit institution located in New Haven, Connecticut. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 440 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Yale, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Yale University is $1,647 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Read more about Social Sciences at Yale University

#4

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Northwestern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 555 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, Northwestern has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern is $3,995 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

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. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Northwestern

#5

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#6 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 #5 for the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 513 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.

UPenn also made our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend University of Pennsylvania is $4,833 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Read full report on Social Sciences at UPenn

#6

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#10 in overall quality

Stanford University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Stanford, California 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 236 students in 2019-2020.

Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $1,145 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a 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 student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read more about Social Sciences at Stanford

#7

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

University of Chicago came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Chicago, Illinois 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 603 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, UChicago has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UChicago is $2,800 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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%.

Full University of Chicago Social Sciences Report

#8

Washington and Lee University

Lexington, Virginia
Top 5% in overall quality

Washington and Lee University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Washington and Lee is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lexington, Virginia. It awarded 117 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Washington and Lee is also in the top of our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Washington and Lee is $2,039 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Social Sciences at Washington and Lee

#9

Rice University

Houston, Texas
Top 5% in overall quality

Rice University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Rice University is a medium-sized school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 168 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, Rice is in the top on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Rice is $7,534 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Rice

#10

Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri
#19 in overall quality

Washington University in St Louis landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Washington University in St Louis is a fairly large school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 348 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

WUSTL also made our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #19. The yearly cost to attend Washington University in St Louis is $6,248 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The 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.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Washington University in St Louis

#11

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee
#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, Vanderbilt University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Vanderbilt is located in Nashville, Tennessee and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 623 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

Vanderbilt also made our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for Vanderbilt is $6,017 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, 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. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Social Sciences at Vanderbilt

#12

Brown University

Providence, Rhode Island
#22 in overall quality

Brown University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Providence, Rhode Island, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 438 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, Brown has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Brown is $6,684 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Brown

#13

Williams College

Williamstown, Massachusetts
#8 in overall quality

Williams College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Williams College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 207 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Williams also took the #8 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $2,223 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Williams College.

With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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 more about Social Sciences at Williams

#14

Princeton University

Princeton, New Jersey
#14 in overall quality

Princeton University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #14. Princeton, New Jersey is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 253 students in 2019-2020.

Princeton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Princeton is $2,044 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The 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. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Princeton University

#15

Cornell University

Ithaca, New York
#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, Cornell University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Cornell is a private not-for-profit institution located in Ithaca, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 410 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cornell, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $7,518 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Cornell University.

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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Cornell Social Sciences Report

#17 in overall quality

Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #16. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 841 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $4,287 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Columbia University in the City of New York.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Columbia University in the City of New York Social Sciences Report

#17

Amherst College

Amherst, Massachusetts
#20 in overall quality

Amherst College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Amherst is a small school located in Amherst, Massachusetts that handed out 131 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Amherst, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $4,423 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Amherst College.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.

Read more about Social Sciences at Amherst

#18

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, Maryland
#18 in overall quality

Johns Hopkins University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Baltimore, Maryland, and it awarded 291 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Johns Hopkins did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $8,210 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Johns Hopkins University.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The 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.

Read more about Social Sciences at Johns Hopkins University

#19

Colby College

Waterville, Maine
Top 10% in overall quality

Colby College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #19. This small school is located in Waterville, Maine, and it awarded 141 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

On top of its placing in this ranking, Colby also did well on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Colby College is $3,467 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low 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%.

Read more about Social Sciences at Colby College

#20

Swarthmore College

Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
Top 5% in overall quality

Swarthmore College ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Swarthmore is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. It awarded 144 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Swarthmore is also in the top of our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend Swarthmore is $8,701 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The impressive 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. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Sciences at Swarthmore College

#21

Pomona College

Claremont, California
#15 in overall quality

Pomona College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Pomona is a private not-for-profit institution located in Claremont, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 107 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Pomona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Pomona College is $8,655 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Pomona

#22

Claremont McKenna College

Claremont, California
#4 in overall quality

Claremont McKenna College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Claremont McKenna is a private not-for-profit institution located in Claremont, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 177 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Claremont McKenna also took the #4 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $6,591 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Claremont McKenna.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Social Sciences at Claremont McKenna College

#23

Dartmouth College

Hanover, New Hampshire
#5 in overall quality

Dartmouth College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #23. Dartmouth is a private not-for-profit institution located in Hanover, New Hampshire. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 409 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Dartmouth did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Dartmouth College is $4,830 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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%. The 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.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Dartmouth

#24

Bates College

Lewiston, Maine
Top 5% in overall quality

Bates College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #24. Bates College is a small school located in Lewiston, Maine that handed out 190 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

On top of its placing in this ranking, Bates also did well on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category. It costs about $9,039 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Bates College.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Social Sciences at Bates College

#25

Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem, North Carolina
#23 in overall quality

Wake Forest University landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 357 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Wake Forest University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Wake Forest University is $5,981 for bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, 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.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Wake Forest University

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

#26

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan
#27

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida
#28

Colgate University

Hamilton, New York
#29

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, Indiana
#30

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
#31

Middlebury College

Middlebury, Vermont
#32

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina
#33

Bowdoin College

Brunswick, Maine
#35

Hamilton College

Clinton, New York
#36

Tufts University

Medford, Massachusetts
#37

Wellesley College

Wellesley, Massachusetts
#38

Georgetown University

Washington, District of Columbia
#39

Haverford College

Haverford, Pennsylvania
#40

Hunter College

New York, New York
#42

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California
#43

William & Mary

Williamsburg, Virginia
#45

Northeastern University

Boston, Massachusetts
#46

Trinity College

Hartford, Connecticut
#47

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, Virginia
#50

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k

While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

Rank College Location
51 Baruch College New York, NY
52 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
53 Emory University Atlanta, GA
54 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
55 Queens College Queens, NY
56 Lehman College Bronx, NY
57 University of Richmond University of Richmond, VA
58 California State University - Dominguez Hills Carson, CA
59 The City College of New York New York, NY
60 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
61 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
62 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX
63 Florida International University Miami, FL
64 California State University - Fresno Fresno, CA
65 University of California - Irvine Irvine, CA
Rank College Location
66 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
67 Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN
68 Colorado College Colorado Springs, CO
69 Lafayette College Easton, PA
70 California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA
71 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
72 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
73 Brigham Young University - Idaho Rexburg, ID
74 The University of West Florida Pensacola, FL
75 St Olaf College Northfield, MN
76 York College Jamaica, NY
77 Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA
78 Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr, PA
79 University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD
80 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
81 California State University - Stanislaus Turlock, CA
82 University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA
83 Texas A&M International University Laredo, TX
84 Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Atlanta, GA
85 Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY
86 Brigham Young University - Provo Provo, UT
87 California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA
88 Smith College Northampton, MA
89 College of Staten Island CUNY Staten Island, NY
90 University of North Texas Denton, TX
Rank College Location
91 Boston University Boston, MA
92 University of California - Riverside Riverside, CA
93 California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA
93 Barnard College New York, NY
95 Macalester College Saint Paul, MN
96 University of Minnesota - Duluth Duluth, MN
97 University of Georgia Athens, GA
98 Carleton College Northfield, MN
99 University of California - Davis Davis, CA
100 University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA
101 Washington State University Pullman, WA
102 Dickinson College Carlisle, PA
103 University of Wyoming Laramie, WY
104 California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA
105 Indiana University - East Richmond, IN
106 Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
107 University of Wisconsin - River Falls River Falls, WI
108 University of Wisconsin - La Crosse La Crosse, WI
109 Gettysburg College Gettysburg, PA
110 Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla, MO
111 Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA
112 University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL
113 Truman State University Kirksville, MO
114 University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI
115 The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX
Rank College Location
116 Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX
117 Arizona State University - Tempe Tempe, AZ
118 American Public University System Charles Town, WV
119 University of North Texas at Dallas Dallas, TX
120 Iowa State University Ames, IA
121 California State University - Bakersfield Bakersfield, CA
122 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
123 Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster, PA

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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