2023 Best Value General Education Schools
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best General Education School for You
General Education is the #39 most popular major in the country with 29,810 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value General Education Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 476 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best value experiences for education students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality in General Education
Our analysis found La Salle University to be the best value school for general education students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, La Salle is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
La Salle undergraduate students pay an average of $33,150 in tuition and fees each year.
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Out of the 476 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Cabrini University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Cabrini University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Radnor.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cabrini University are $33,845 per year. The average amount in student loans that education majors at Cabrini University take out is $27,000.
Full General Education at Cabrini University Report
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Out of the 476 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Martin Luther College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the town of New Ulm, MLC is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
MLC undergraduate students pay an average of $16,910 in tuition and fees each year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Santa Fe Community College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools list. Located in the small suburb of Santa Fe, SFCC is a public college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SFCC are $4,995 per year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bellevue University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value General Education Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Bellevue, Bellevue University is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bellevue University are $8,310 per year. The average amount in student loans that education majors at Bellevue University take out is $25,000.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Bellevue University also did well on our Best General Education Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Northeast Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value general education programs. Northeast is a medium-sized public school located in the remote town of Norfolk.
Northeast undergraduate students pay an average of $5,010 in tuition and fees each year.
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Worcester State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Worcester, Worcester State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Worcester State undergraduate students pay an average of $16,666 in tuition and fees each year.
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Morningside College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools ranking. Located in the city of Sioux City, Morningside is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Morningside undergraduate students pay an average of $35,270 in tuition and fees each year.
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Rowan College of South Jersey Gloucester Campus came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools ranking. RCSJ is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Sewell.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at RCSJ are $5,550 a year. On average, education graduates from RCSJ take out $9,808 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full General Education at Rowan College of South Jersey Gloucester Campus Report
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Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value general education programs. Located in the rural area of Perkinston, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College are $7,250 per year.
Read full report on General Education at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
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Whitworth University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general education students. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the suburb of Spokane, Whitworth is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Whitworth are $47,590 per year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Whitworth is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best General Education Schools list.
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Brandman University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools ranking. Brandman is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Irvine.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Brandman are $12,480 per year.
Brandman excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best General Education Schools list.
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With a ranking of #13, University of Northwestern - St Paul did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general education students. Northwestern is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Saint Paul.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northwestern are $34,180 per year.
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Southwest Baptist University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general education students. It came in at #13 on the list. Located in the town of Bolivar, Southwest Baptist University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Southwest Baptist University are $26,060 per year.
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York College of Pennsylvania did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general education students. It came in at #15 on the list. YCP is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized suburb of York.
YCP undergraduate students pay an average of $22,350 in tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, YCP also is in the top 20% of our Best General Education Schools ranking.
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Minot State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools ranking. MSU is a small public school located in the remote town of Minot.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MSU are $8,163 per year.
MSU also claimed a spot on our Best General Education Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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Delta State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general education students. It came in at #17 on the list. Delta State University is a small public school located in the remote town of Cleveland.
Delta State University undergraduate students pay an average of $8,360 in tuition and fees each year.
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Point Loma Nazarene University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools list. PLNU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Diego.
PLNU undergraduate students pay an average of $39,500 in tuition and fees each year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, PLNU also did well on our Best General Education Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Grand View University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools list. Grand View University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Des Moines.
Grand View University undergraduate students pay an average of $30,954 in tuition and fees each year.
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Southwest Minnesota State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general education students. It came in at #20 on the list. Located in the town of Marshall, Southwest Minnesota State University is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Southwest Minnesota State University are $9,482 per year.
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Goucher College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general education students. It came in at #21 on the list. Goucher is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Baltimore.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Goucher are $48,200 a year.
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Stark State College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools ranking. Stark State College is a large public school located in the suburb of North Canton.
Stark State College undergraduate students pay an average of $7,406 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, education majors at Stark State College accumulate an average of around $16,160 in student debt.
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Wilson College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general education students. It came in at #23 on the list. Located in the small city of Chambersburg, Wilson is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Wilson are $26,200 a year.
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Calvin University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools list. Located in the city of Grand Rapids, Calvin is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Calvin undergraduate students pay an average of $38,240 in tuition and fees each year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Calvin also did well on our Best General Education Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full General Education at Calvin University Report
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Southern Maine Community College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools ranking. Located in the small city of South Portland, SMCC is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SMCC are $6,754 a year. After completing their degree, education graduates from SMCC carry an average student debtload of $14,725.
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Additional Award Winners
This section represents the remainder of the colleges awarded a Best Value General Education Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 476 different United States general education schools we analyzed.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Peru State College | Peru, NE |
| 52 | Baldwin Wallace University | Berea, OH |
| 53 | Grand Canyon University | Phoenix, AZ |
| 54 | NHTI-Concord’s Community College | Concord, NH |
| 55 | Montclair State University | Montclair, NJ |
| 56 | Clayton State University | Morrow, GA |
| 56 | Concordia University, Texas | Lakeway, TX |
| 58 | California State University - Sacramento | Sacramento, CA |
| 59 | University of North Alabama | Florence, AL |
| 60 | Baker University | Baldwin City, KS |
| 61 | Converse College | Spartanburg, SC |
| 62 | East Texas Baptist University | Marshall, TX |
| 62 | University of Delaware | Newark, DE |
| 64 | Bluffton University | Bluffton, OH |
| 65 | Messiah University | Mechanicsburg, PA |
| 66 | Notre Dame de Namur University | Belmont, CA |
| 66 | National University | La Jolla, CA |
| 68 | Delaware State University | Dover, DE |
| 69 | Simpson University | Redding, CA |
| 70 | Saint Michael’s College | Colchester, VT |
| 71 | California State University - Long Beach | Long Beach, CA |
Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value General Education Schools award.
General Education by Region
View the Best Value General Education Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More General Education Rankings
Majors Related to Education
One of 14 majors within the area of study, general education has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related to Education
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 110,226 |
| Educational Administration | 46,469 |
| Teacher Education Subject Specific | 43,297 |
| Special Education | 36,792 |
| Curriculum & Instruction | 19,832 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- 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 the rest 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to KOKUYO.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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