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Best Value Library & Information Science Schools

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2023 Best Value Library & Information Science Schools

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

49 Colleges
$27,252 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$43,949 Avg Salary

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.

2023 Best Value Library & Information Science Schools in the United States

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Library & Information Science Colleges.

Top 10 Best Library & Information Science Schools

$18,752 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Sam Houston State University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Library & Information Science Schools list. Located in the town of Huntsville, SHSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

SHSU undergraduate students pay an average of $18,752 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Library & Information Science at Sam Houston State University

$26,376 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Library & Information Science Schools list. CU Anschutz is a very large public school located in the city of Denver.

CU Anschutz undergraduate students pay an average of $26,376 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Library & Information Science at University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus

Out of the 49 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jose State University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public school 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.

In addition to its great value ranking, San Jose State is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Library & Information Science Schools list.

Read More…

$22,266 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Texas A&M University - Commerce. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Library & Information Science Schools list. Texas A&M Commerce is a large public school located in the 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.

Read More…

$18,186 Average Tuition & Fees

Texas Woman’s University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Library & Information Science Schools list. TWU is a 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 More…

#7

LIU Post

Brookville, NY
$39,290 Average Tuition & Fees

LIU Post landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value library and information science programs. Located in the suburb of Brookville, LIU Post is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LIU Post are $39,290 per year.

Full Library & Information Science at LIU Post Report

$16,052 Average Tuition & Fees

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 school with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Clarion University are $16,052 per year.

Read full report on Library & Information Science at Clarion University of Pennsylvania

$15,755 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, Northeastern State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for library and information science students. NSU is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Tahlequah.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NSU are $15,755 per year.

Full Library & Information Science at Northeastern State University Report

#10

Queens College

Queens, NY
$15,488 Average Tuition & Fees

Queens College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Library & Information Science Schools list. Located in the city of Queens, QC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at QC are $15,488 per year.

Full Library & Information Science at Queens College Report

Library & Information Science by Region

View the Best Value Library & Information Science Schools for a specific region near you.

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

Library & Information Science is one of 2 different types of programs to choose from.

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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