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.
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2023 Best Value General Education Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for education majors pursuing a .
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 large city of Philadelphia, La Salle is a private not-for-profit school 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
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Cabrini University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools list. Cabrini University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Radnor.
Cabrini University undergraduate students pay an average of $33,845 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that education majors at Cabrini University take out is $27,000.
The excellent programs at Martin Luther College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best general education schools in the United States. Located in the distant town of New Ulm, MLC is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly 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
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 small suburb of Santa Fe, SFCC is a public school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SFCC are $4,995 per year.
Read full report on General Education at Santa Fe Community College
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Bellevue University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Bellevue, Bellevue University is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly 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.
In addition to its great value ranking, Bellevue University is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best General Education Schools list.
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 moderately-sized public school located in the town of Norfolk.
Northeast undergraduate students pay an average of $5,010 in tuition and fees each year.
Full General Education at Northeast Community College Report
Worcester State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general education students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Worcester, Worcester State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Worcester State are $16,666 a year.
Read full report on General Education at Worcester State University
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 college with a small student population.
Morningside undergraduate students pay an average of $35,270 in tuition and fees each year.
Rowan College of South Jersey Gloucester Campus ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools list. 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.
Read full report on General Education at Rowan College of South Jersey Gloucester Campus
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 college 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.
Full General Education at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Report
Whitworth University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of Spokane, Whitworth is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Whitworth are $47,590 per year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Whitworth also is in the top 20% of our Best General Education Schools ranking.
Brandman University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools list. Brandman is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Irvine.
Brandman undergraduate students pay an average of $12,480 in tuition and fees each year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Brandman also did well on our Best General Education Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
With a ranking of #13, Southwest Baptist University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general education students. Located in the distant town of Bolivar, Southwest Baptist University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Southwest Baptist University undergraduate students pay an average of $26,060 in tuition and fees each year.
University of Northwestern - St Paul 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. Northwestern is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Saint Paul.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northwestern are $34,180 per year.
Full General Education at University of Northwestern - St Paul Report
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.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at YCP are $22,350 a year.
YCP excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best General Education Schools list.
Minot State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general education students. It came in at #16 on the 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.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, MSU also is in the top 20% of our Best General Education Schools ranking.
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 town of Cleveland.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Delta State University are $8,360 per year.
Point Loma Nazarene University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general education students. It came in at #18 on the list. PLNU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of San Diego.
PLNU undergraduate students pay an average of $39,500 in tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, PLNU also is in the top 20% of our Best General Education Schools ranking.
With a ranking of #19, Grand View University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general education students. Grand View University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Des Moines.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Grand View University are $30,954 per year.
Southwest Minnesota State University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools list. Located in the remote town of Marshall, Southwest Minnesota State University is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Southwest Minnesota State University are $9,482 a year.
Goucher College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools ranking. 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.
Stark State College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general education students. It came in at #22 on the list. Stark State College is a fairly 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.
With a ranking of #23, Wilson College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general education students. Located in the 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.
With a ranking of #24, Calvin University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general education students. Located in the midsize city of Grand Rapids, Calvin is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Calvin are $38,240 per 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.
Southern Maine Community College ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools list. Located in the city of South Portland, SMCC is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SMCC are $6,754 per year. After completing their degree, education graduates from SMCC carry an average student debtload of $14,725.
Full General Education at Southern Maine Community College Report
Rest of the Top Best Value General Education Schools
Additional Award Winners
This section shows the rest 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.
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