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 2023 rankings named La Salle University the best value school in the United States for general education students. Located in the city of Philadelphia, La Salle is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at La Salle are $33,150 per year.
Read full report on General Education at La Salle University
Request Information
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cabrini University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value General Education Schools list. Cabrini University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Radnor.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Cabrini University are $33,845 a 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
Request Information
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Martin Luther College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value General Education Schools list. Located in the distant town of New Ulm, MLC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at MLC are $16,910 a year.
Read full report on General Education at Martin Luther College
Request Information
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Santa Fe Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value General Education Schools list. Located in the suburb of Santa Fe, SFCC is a public college with a small student population.
SFCC undergraduate students pay an average of $4,995 in tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on General Education at Santa Fe Community College
Request Information
Out of the 476 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Bellevue University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Bellevue, Bellevue University is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
Bellevue University undergraduate students pay an average of $8,310 in tuition and fees each 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.
Request Information
With a ranking of #6, Northeast Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general education students. Northeast is a medium-sized public school located in the remote town of Norfolk.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northeast are $5,010 per year.
Full General Education at Northeast Community College Report
Request Information
Worcester State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools list. Located in the city of Worcester, Worcester State is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Worcester State undergraduate students pay an average of $16,666 in tuition and fees each year.
Full General Education at Worcester State University Report
Request Information
Morningside College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools ranking. Located in the small city of Sioux City, Morningside 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 Morningside are $35,270 a year.
Full General Education at Morningside College Report
Request Information
With a ranking of #9, Rowan College of South Jersey Gloucester Campus did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general education students. RCSJ is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Sewell.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at RCSJ are $5,550 per 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
Request Information
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general education students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the rural area of Perkinston, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $7,250 in tuition and fees each year.
Request Information
Whitworth University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Spokane, Whitworth is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Whitworth are $47,590 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Whitworth is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best General Education Schools list.
Full General Education at Whitworth University Report
Request Information
Brandman University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general education students. It came in at #12 on the list. Brandman is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Irvine.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Brandman are $12,480 a year.
Brandman also claimed a spot on our Best General Education Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
Read full report on General Education at Brandman University
Request Information
University of Northwestern - St Paul landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value general education programs. 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.
Read full report on General Education at University of Northwestern - St Paul
Request Information
Southwest Baptist University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools ranking. Located in the distant town of Bolivar, Southwest Baptist University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Southwest Baptist University undergraduate students pay an average of $26,060 in tuition and fees each year.
Request Information
York College of Pennsylvania ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools list. YCP is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of York.
YCP undergraduate students pay an average of $22,350 in tuition and fees each year.
YCP also claimed a spot on our Best General Education Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
Full General Education at York College of Pennsylvania Report
Request Information
Minot State University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools list. MSU is a small public school located in the remote town of Minot.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at MSU are $8,163 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, MSU also did well on our Best General Education Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full report on General Education at Minot State University
Request Information
Delta State University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value general education programs. Delta State University is a small public school located in the remote town of Cleveland.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Delta State University are $8,360 per year.
Full General Education at Delta State University Report
Request Information
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.
PLNU also claimed a spot on our Best General Education Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
Read full report on General Education at Point Loma Nazarene University
Request Information
Grand View University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general education students. It came in at #19 on the list. Grand View University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Des Moines.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Grand View University are $30,954 a year.
Read full report on General Education at Grand View University
Request Information
Southwest Minnesota State University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools list. Located in the town of Marshall, Southwest Minnesota State University is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Southwest Minnesota State University undergraduate students pay an average of $9,482 in tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on General Education at Southwest Minnesota State University
Request Information
With a ranking of #21, Goucher College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general education students. Goucher is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Baltimore.
Goucher undergraduate students pay an average of $48,200 in tuition and fees each year.
Full General Education at Goucher College Report
Request Information
With a ranking of #22, Stark State College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general education students. Stark State College is a large public school located in the large suburb of North Canton.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Stark State College are $7,406 a year. While working on their degree, education majors at Stark State College accumulate an average of around $16,160 in student debt.
Request Information
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 college with a small student population.
Wilson undergraduate students pay an average of $26,200 in tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on General Education at Wilson College
Request Information
Calvin University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general education students. It came in at #24 on the list. Located in the medium-sized 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.
In addition to its great value ranking, Calvin is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best General Education Schools list.
Request Information
Southern Maine Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general education students. It came in at #25 on the list. 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.
Request InformationRest of the Top Best Value General Education Schools
Additional Award Winners
This section represents the remainder of the schools awarded a Best Value General Education Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school 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.
Course Advisor provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© Course Advisor – All Rights Reserved.