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Best Value General Family & Consumer Sciences Schools

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2023 Best Value General Family & Consumer Sciences Schools

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

64 Colleges
$18,646 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$30,445 Avg Salary

Finding the Best General Family & Consumer Sciences School for You

General Family & Consumer Sciences is the #171 most popular major in the country with 2,906 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value General Family & Consumer Sciences Schools ranking. This report analyzed 64 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best value programs for consumer science students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value General Family & Consumer Sciences Schools in the United States

Check out the consumer science programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best General Family & Consumer Sciences Schools

Our analysis found Brigham Young University - Provo to be the best value school for general family and consumer sciences students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Located in the medium-sized city of Provo, BYU is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

BYU undergraduate students pay an average of $6,120 in tuition and fees each year.

BYU also claimed a spot on our Best General Family & Consumer Sciences Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Read full report on General Family & Consumer Sciences at Brigham Young University - Provo

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value General Family & Consumer Sciences Schools list. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Illinois State are $24,172 per year. On average, consumer science graduates from Illinois State take out $19,807 in student loans while working on their degree.

Illinois State also claimed a spot on our Best General Family & Consumer Sciences Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

Full General Family & Consumer Sciences at Illinois State University Report

#3

Nicholls State University

Thibodaux, LA
$9,039 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Nicholls State University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value General Family & Consumer Sciences Schools list. Nicholls State University is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Thibodaux.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Nicholls State University are $9,039 a year. On average, consumer science graduates from Nicholls State University take out $32,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on General Family & Consumer Sciences at Nicholls State University

$9,072 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means San Joaquin Delta College is a great value for general family and consumer sciences students. Delta is a large public school located in the city of Stockton.

Delta undergraduate students pay an average of $9,072 in tuition and fees each year.

Full General Family & Consumer Sciences at San Joaquin Delta College Report

#5

Delta State University

Cleveland, MS
$8,360 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Delta State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value General Family & Consumer Sciences Schools list. Located in the town of Cleveland, Delta State University is a public college with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Delta State University are $8,360 per year. After completing their degree, consumer science graduates from Delta State University carry an average student debtload of $29,125.

Read full report on General Family & Consumer Sciences at Delta State University

$15,285 Average Tuition & Fees

Southeast Missouri State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Family & Consumer Sciences Schools ranking. Located in the city of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri State University is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Southeast Missouri State University are $15,285 a year. The average amount in student loans that consumer science majors at Southeast Missouri State University take out is $25,000. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $106, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full General Family & Consumer Sciences at Southeast Missouri State University Report

Minnesota State University - Mankato landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value general family and consumer sciences programs. Located in the city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public college with a large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Minnesota State Mankato are $18,200 per year. While working on their degree, consumer science majors at Minnesota State Mankato accumulate an average of around $26,224 in student debt.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Minnesota State Mankato also is in the top 15% of our Best General Family & Consumer Sciences Schools ranking.

Full General Family & Consumer Sciences at Minnesota State University - Mankato Report

With a ranking of #8, Western Illinois University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general family and consumer sciences students. Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at WIU are $13,297 a year. The average amount in student loans that consumer science majors at WIU take out is $37,331.

Full General Family & Consumer Sciences at Western Illinois University Report

#9

SUNY Oneonta

Oneonta, NY
$18,696 Average Tuition & Fees

SUNY Oneonta did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general family and consumer sciences students. It came in at #9 on the list. SUNY Oneonta is a medium-sized public school located in the remote town of Oneonta.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SUNY Oneonta are $18,696 per year. On average, consumer science graduates from SUNY Oneonta take out $20,500 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $348.

Full General Family & Consumer Sciences at SUNY Oneonta Report

$16,555 Average Tuition & Fees

East Central University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Family & Consumer Sciences Schools ranking. Located in the town of Ada, ECU is a public school with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at ECU are $16,555 per year.

Full General Family & Consumer Sciences at East Central University Report

Additional Noteworthy Schools

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 Family & Consumer Sciences Schools award.

Rank College Location
11 University of Wyoming Laramie, WY
12 Eastern Illinois University Charleston, IL

General Family & Consumer Sciences by Region

View the Best Value General Family & Consumer Sciences Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

General Family & Consumer Sciences is one of 7 different types of programs to choose from.

Majors Similar to Consumer Science

Related Major Annual Graduates
Human Development & Family Studies 42,112
Food, Nutrition & Related Services 4,858
Textile & Apparel Studies 3,313
Family & Consumer Economics 1,454
Human Sciences Business Services 704

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 National Cancer Institute.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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