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

73 Ranked Colleges
1,041 Degrees Awarded
$8,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $30-$48k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 1,475 people earned their degree in urban studies, making the major the 210th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, urban studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $37,971 and had an average of $24,376 in loans still to pay off.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,041 urban studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 73 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in urban studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great urban studies 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 urban studies program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k

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

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

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k. Stanford University is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 10 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford also made our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $1,145 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Urban Studies at Stanford

#2

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k. UPenn is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 35 bachelors’s urban studies degrees to qualified students.

UPenn not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $4,833 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UPenn.

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 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 Urban Studies at University of Pennsylvania

#3

Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri
#7 in overall quality

Out of the 73 schools in the Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Washington University in St Louis landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 2 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s urban studies students in 2019-2020.

WUSTL also took the #7 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $6,248 for bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Washington University in St Louis.

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%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Urban Studies at WUSTL

#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Columbia University in the City of New York. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Columbia is a large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 17 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, Columbia has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $4,287 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Columbia.

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

Read full report on Urban Studies at Columbia

#5

Brown University

Providence, Rhode Island

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brown University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Brown University is a medium-sized school located in Providence, Rhode Island that handed out 25 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Brown, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Brown is $6,684 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. 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%.

Read more about Urban Studies at Brown University

#6

Swarthmore College

Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
#13 in overall quality

Swarthmore College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Swarthmore is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. It awarded 1 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Swarthmore, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Swarthmore is $8,701 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 Swarthmore Urban Studies Report

University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school handed out 34 degrees to qualified bachelors’s urban studies students in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also took the #2 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $9,130 for bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UC Berkeley.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Urban Studies at University of California - Berkeley

#8

Trinity College

Hartford, Connecticut
#6 in overall quality

Trinity College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Trinity College is located in Hartford, Connecticut and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 19 bachelors’s urban studies degrees to qualified students.

Trinity Bantams also made our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend Trinity College is $9,123 for bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Trinity Bantams Urban Studies Report

#9

Queens College

Queens, New York

Queens College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. QC is located in Queens, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 37 bachelors’s urban studies degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $3,056 for bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend QC.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Urban Studies at QC

#10

Hunter College

New York, New York

Hunter College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Hunter is a large public school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 11 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Hunter College is $2,394 for bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Urban Studies at Hunter College

#11

Bryn Mawr College

Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
#15 in overall quality

Bryn Mawr College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Bryn Mawr College is located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s urban studies degrees to qualified students.

Bryn Mawr also made our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $9,007 for bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Bryn Mawr.

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. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 Bryn Mawr College Urban Studies Report

With a ranking of #12, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. UC Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 57 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also made our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #20. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $10,373 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Urban Studies at UC Irvine

#13

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMN Twin Cities, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,418 for bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UMN Twin Cities.

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 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%.

Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Urban Studies Report

#14

Barnard College

New York, New York

Barnard College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. New York, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s urban studies degrees to 41 students in 2019-2020.

Barnard did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Barnard is $9,884 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low 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%. 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 student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Urban Studies at Barnard College

University of California - San Diego landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 45 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSD, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $9,974 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Urban Studies at University of California - San Diego

#16

Vassar College

Poughkeepsie, New York
#9 in overall quality

Vassar College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Vassar College is a small school located in Poughkeepsie, New York that handed out 13 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Vassar, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $6,080 for bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Vassar College.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Urban Studies at Vassar College

California State University - Northridge landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Northridge is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 22 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUN is $6,883 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Urban Studies at CSUN

University of Minnesota - Duluth ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. UMN Duluth is a fairly large public school situated in Duluth, Minnesota. It awarded 1 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UMN Duluth is $7,992 for bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Minnesota - Duluth Urban Studies Report

University of Nevada - Las Vegas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #19. University of Nevada - Las Vegas is a large public school situated in Las Vegas, Nevada. It awarded 27 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UNLV is $9,880 for bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full UNLV Urban Studies Report

The University of Texas at Austin ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s urban studies degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, UT Austin has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $13,575 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UT Austin.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Urban Studies at The University of Texas at Austin

#21

Rhodes College

Memphis, Tennessee
#10 in overall quality

Rhodes College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Memphis, Tennessee is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s urban studies degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

Rhodes College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $16,061 for bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Rhodes College.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Urban Studies at Rhodes College

With a ranking of #22, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school handed out 30 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s urban studies students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Chicago is $11,185 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UIC Urban Studies Report

#23

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #23. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $10,594 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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 full report on Urban Studies at San Diego State University

Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #24. Arizona State University - Tempe is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 3 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Arizona State University - Tempe is $8,921 for bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Urban Studies at Arizona State University - Tempe

#25

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, Minnesota

Saint Cloud State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #25. St. Cloud State University is located in Saint Cloud, Minnesota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s urban studies degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Saint Cloud State University is $11,274 for bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Urban Studies at St. Cloud State University

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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