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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Urban Studies/Affairs (Income $0-$30k)

73 Ranked Colleges
1,041 Degrees Awarded
$7,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Urban Affairs Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Urban Affairs Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Urban Studies/Affairs is the 341st most popular major in the country with 1,475 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

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

For this year’s “Best Value Urban Affairs Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 73 colleges that offer a degree in urban studies/affairs. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent urban studies/affairs programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the urban studies/affairs program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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 Urban Affairs Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Urban Affairs Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

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

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Urban Studies/Affairs (Income $0-$30k)

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 73 schools in the Best Value Urban Affairs Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s urban affairs degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $-1,387 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Affairs students whose families make $0-$30k. A negative average net price may seem strange, but it generally means that financial aid will more than cover the cost to attend the school.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.

Read full report on Urban Studies/Affairs at Stanford University

#2

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 73 schools in the Best Value Urban Affairs Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pennsylvania landed the #2 spot on the list. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s urban affairs degrees to 35 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UPenn, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $3,181 for bachelor’s degree urban affairs students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Pennsylvania.

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 impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.

Read full report on Urban Studies/Affairs at UPenn

#3

Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri
#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Washington University in St Louis. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Washington University in St Louis is a fairly large school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 2 bachelors’s urban affairs degrees in 2019-2020.

WUSTL also made our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for WUSTL is $5,273 for bachelor’s degree urban affairs students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full WUSTL Urban Studies/Affairs Report

#4

Brown University

Providence, Rhode Island
#11 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brown University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Urban Affairs Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Brown is a medium-sized school located in Providence, Rhode Island that handed out 25 bachelors’s urban affairs degrees in 2019-2020.

Brown also took the #11 spot in our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Brown University is $201 for bachelor’s degree urban affairs students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 92%. The low student loan default rate of 2.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Urban Studies/Affairs at Brown University

#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Urban Affairs Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. University of California - Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 34 bachelors’s urban affairs degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $8,392 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Affairs students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UC Berkeley Urban Studies/Affairs Report

#6

Swarthmore College

Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
#13 in overall quality

Swarthmore College landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Swarthmore is located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s urban affairs degrees to qualified students.

Swarthmore also made our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #13. The estimated yearly cost for Swarthmore is $5,860 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Affairs students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Swarthmore College Urban Studies/Affairs Report

#7

Queens College

Queens, New York

Queens College landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Queens, New York, this fairly large public school handed out 37 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s urban affairs students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for QC is $1,255 for bachelor’s degree urban affairs students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Urban Studies/Affairs at QC

#8

Hunter College

New York, New York

Hunter College landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s urban affairs degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Hunter College is $320 for bachelor’s degree urban affairs students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Urban Studies/Affairs at Hunter College

#4 in overall quality

Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s urban affairs degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.

Columbia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia is $8,916 for bachelor’s degree urban affairs students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

#10

Trinity College

Hartford, Connecticut
#6 in overall quality

Trinity College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Urban Affairs Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Hartford, Connecticut, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s urban affairs degrees in 2019-2020.

Trinity Bantams not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Trinity College is $6,256 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Affairs students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 Urban Studies/Affairs at Trinity Bantams

#20 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 57 bachelors’s urban affairs degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $9,558 for bachelor’s degree urban affairs students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.

Read full report on Urban Studies/Affairs at UC Irvine

#12

Vassar College

Poughkeepsie, New York
#9 in overall quality

Vassar College landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Poughkeepsie, New York, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s urban affairs degrees in 2019-2020.

Vassar also took the #9 spot in our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Vassar College is $8,186 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Affairs students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Urban Studies/Affairs at Vassar

#13

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota
#21 in overall quality

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Urban Affairs Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s urban affairs degrees in 2019-2020.

UMN Twin Cities not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $7,266 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Affairs students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Urban Studies/Affairs Report

#17 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - San Diego is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 45 bachelors’s urban affairs degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree urban affairs students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCSD has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $9,280 for bachelor’s degree urban affairs students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - San Diego.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Urban Studies/Affairs at UCSD

With a ranking of #15, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. CSUN is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 22 bachelors’s urban affairs degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,945 for bachelor’s degree urban affairs students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSUN.

The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 full report on Urban Studies/Affairs at California State University - Northridge

University of Minnesota - Duluth did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. This fairly large school is located in Duluth, Minnesota, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s urban affairs degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,443 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Affairs students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UMN Duluth.

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%.

Read more about Urban Studies/Affairs at University of Minnesota - Duluth

#17

Towson University

Towson, Maryland

Towson University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Towson is a large school located in Towson, Maryland that handed out 6 bachelors’s urban affairs degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Towson is $9,206 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Affairs students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read more about Urban Studies/Affairs at Towson University

#18

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

With a ranking of #18, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s urban affairs degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $8,870 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Affairs students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SDSU.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full SDSU Urban Studies/Affairs Report

#12 in overall quality

The University of Texas at Austin ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Urban Affairs Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s urban affairs degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Austin, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at Austin is $12,203 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Affairs students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, 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 more about Urban Studies/Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin

University of Nevada - Las Vegas ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Urban Affairs Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Las Vegas, Nevada, this large public school handed out 27 degrees to qualified bachelors’s urban affairs students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,378 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Affairs students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Nevada - Las Vegas.

Full University of Nevada - Las Vegas Urban Studies/Affairs Report

With a ranking of #21, Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Tempe, Arizona, this large public school handed out 3 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s urban affairs students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend ASU - Tempe is $7,044 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Affairs students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Read full report on Urban Studies/Affairs at Arizona State University - Tempe

#22

Trinity University

San Antonio, Texas
#23 in overall quality

Trinity University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. Trinity University is located in San Antonio, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 bachelors’s urban affairs degrees to qualified students.

Trinity U did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Trinity U is $12,373 for Bachelor’s Degree Urban Affairs students whose families make $0-$30k.

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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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%.

Read full report on Urban Studies/Affairs at Trinity University

University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Urban Affairs Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school awarded 30 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s urban affairs students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UIC is $10,648 for bachelor’s degree urban affairs students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Read more about Urban Studies/Affairs at University of Illinois at Chicago

#24

Rhodes College

Memphis, Tennessee
#10 in overall quality

Rhodes College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #24. This small school is located in Memphis, Tennessee, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s urban affairs degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Rhodes College, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Rhodes College is $16,870 for bachelor’s degree urban affairs students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Urban Studies/Affairs at Rhodes College

#25

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

Green Bay, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Green Bay, Wisconsin is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s urban affairs degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UW - Green Bay is $11,337 for bachelor’s degree urban affairs students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Urban Studies/Affairs at UW - Green Bay

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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