2023 Best Value Library & Information Science Schools
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Library & Information Science School for You
In 2020-2021, 5,950 people earned a degree or certificate in library and information science, making the major the #118 most popular in the United States.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.
The Best Value Library & Information Science Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 49 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best value programs for library science students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
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. 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.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best Library & Information Science Schools
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Sam Houston State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Library & Information Science Schools list. Located in the distant town of Huntsville, SHSU is a public college with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SHSU are $18,752 a year.
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Out of the 49 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus landed the # 3 spot on the list. CU Anschutz is a very large public school located in the large city of Denver.
CU Anschutz undergraduate students pay an average of $26,376 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Library & Information Science at University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Report
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend San Jose State University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Library & Information Science Schools list. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at San Jose State are $19,732 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, San Jose State also did well on our Best Library & Information Science Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full report on Library & Information Science at San Jose State University
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas A&M University - Commerce. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Library & Information Science Schools list. Texas A&M Commerce is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Commerce.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Texas A&M Commerce are $22,266 a year.
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Texas Woman’s University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for library and information science students. It came in at #6 on the list. TWU is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Denton.
TWU undergraduate students pay an average of $18,186 in tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Library & Information Science at Texas Woman’s University
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LIU Post came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Library & Information Science Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of Brookville, LIU Post is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LIU Post are $39,290 per year.
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With a ranking of #8, Clarion University of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s best value schools for library and information science students. Located in the remote town of Clarion, Clarion University is a public college with a small student population.
Clarion University undergraduate students pay an average of $16,052 in tuition and fees each year.
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Northeastern State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Library & Information Science Schools list. NSU is a medium-sized public school located in the remote town of Tahlequah.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at NSU are $15,755 a year.
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With a ranking of #10, Queens College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for library and information science students. Located in the city of Queens, QC is a public college with a fairly large student population.
QC undergraduate students pay an average of $15,488 in tuition and fees each year.
Request InformationLibrary & Information Science by Region
View the Best Value Library & Information Science Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
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| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Library & Information Science Rankings
Majors Related to Library Science
Library & Information Science is one of 2 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Majors Related to Library Science
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Library & Archives Assisting | 467 |
| Other Library & Archives Assisting | 121 |
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 Diliff.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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