2026 Best Value General Social Sciences Doctoral Degree Schools
Looking for the best-value General Social Sciences doctoral degree programs in the United States? This list ranks 540 institutions by value — the balance of cost and student outcomes, using our 2026 methodology. Each school below is scored on factors such as tuition, student debt, and post-graduation earnings to surface the strongest return on investment.
To arm you with the information you need, Course Advisor reviewed schools to produce this 2026 value ranking, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). View our full ranking methodology.
Top 25 Best-Value General Social Sciences Doctoral Degree Schools in the United States
Learn more about these high-value schools below:
For return on investment, no school beat University Of Chicago this year in the United States. Set in Chicago, IL, University Of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $69,324. Graduates carry a median of $15,854 in student loans. Graduates go on to earn a median of $91,885 ten years after entry. Set against $15,854 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 4%. See the full University Of Chicago profile
Canisius College came in at #2 on this year's best-value General Social Sciences ranking in the United States. Read the full report on Canisius College
You'll get strong value at Central College, which ranked #3 this year. Read more about Central College
Ferrum College came in at #4 on this year's best-value General Social Sciences ranking in the United States. Read more about Ferrum College
California State University Fullerton came in at #5 on this year's best-value General Social Sciences ranking in the United States. Read the full report on California State University Fullerton
Essex County College ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the best-value General Social Sciences schools. Read the full report on Essex County College
Howard College landed the #7 spot for value in the United States this year. See the full Howard College profile
Pennsylvania State University World Campus came in at #8 in this year's value ranking. More on Pennsylvania State University World Campus
Saint Josephs College New York ranked #9 on our 2026 list of the best-value General Social Sciences schools. See the full Saint Josephs College New York profile
Whittier College
Whittier College came in at #10 in this year's value ranking. Read more about Whittier College
Eastern Michigan University came in at #11 in this year's value ranking. Read the full report on Eastern Michigan University
Gardner Webb University landed the #12 spot for value in the United States this year. See the full Gardner Webb University profile
Long Island University C W Post Campus ranked #13 on our 2026 list of the best-value General Social Sciences schools. More on Long Island University C W Post Campus
Palomar College
Palomar College placed #14 among the best-value General Social Sciences schools in the United States. See the full Palomar College profile
Rose State College offered strong value this year, earning the #15 position. Read more about Rose State College
Tulane University Of Louisiana landed the #16 spot for value in the United States this year. Read the full report on Tulane University Of Louisiana
Amarillo College
Amarillo College ranked #17 on our 2026 list of the best-value General Social Sciences schools. Read the full report on Amarillo College
Tulsa Community College offered strong value this year, earning the #18 position. Read the full report on Tulsa Community College
Suny Empire State College came in at #19 in this year's value ranking. Read the full report on Suny Empire State College
Hope International University landed the #20 spot for value in the United States this year. Read the full report on Hope International University
Liberty University came in at #21 in this year's value ranking. See the full Liberty University profile
Massachusetts Bay Community College came in at #22 in this year's value ranking. Get the full Massachusetts Bay Community College report
Montclair State University ranked #23 on our 2026 list of the best-value General Social Sciences schools. More on Montclair State University
University Of California Irvine landed the #24 spot for value in the United States this year. More on University Of California Irvine
Catholic University Of America offered strong value this year, earning the #25 position. More on Catholic University Of America
Rest of the Top 50 Best-Value General Social Sciences Doctoral Degree Schools in the United States
These schools also delivered strong value this year:
Frederick Community College came in at #26 in this year's value ranking. More on Frederick Community College
University Of Missouri Columbia landed the #27 spot for value in the United States this year. Read more about University Of Missouri Columbia
University Of Mobile offered strong value this year, earning the #28 position. More on University Of Mobile
Luzerne County Community College placed #29 among the best-value General Social Sciences schools in the United States. See the full Luzerne County Community College profile
Brookdale Community College came in at #30 in this year's value ranking. Read the full report on Brookdale Community College
California State University Chico placed #31 among the best-value General Social Sciences schools in the United States. More on California State University Chico
Erie Community College landed the #32 spot for value in the United States this year. See the full Erie Community College profile
Lake Tahoe Community College ranked #33 on our 2026 list of the best-value General Social Sciences schools. More on Lake Tahoe Community College
University Of Central Florida landed the #34 spot for value in the United States this year. See the full University Of Central Florida profile
Austin Peay State University offered strong value this year, earning the #35 position. Read the full report on Austin Peay State University
Barstow Community College offered strong value this year, earning the #36 position. More on Barstow Community College
Concordia University Ann Arbor came in at #37 in this year's value ranking. See the full Concordia University Ann Arbor profile
Felician College
Felician College offered strong value this year, earning the #38 position. More on Felician College
Oklahoma Panhandle State University came in at #39 in this year's value ranking. More on Oklahoma Panhandle State University
Our Lady Of Holy Cross College ranked #40 on our 2026 list of the best-value General Social Sciences schools. Read more about Our Lady Of Holy Cross College
Solano Community College ranked #41 on our 2026 list of the best-value General Social Sciences schools. Read the full report on Solano Community College
California State University Stanislaus ranked #42 on our 2026 list of the best-value General Social Sciences schools. Get the full California State University Stanislaus report
Gordon College
Gordon College came in at #43 in this year's value ranking. See the full Gordon College profile
Southwestern Adventist University landed the #44 spot for value in the United States this year. Get the full Southwestern Adventist University report
Corban University offered strong value this year, earning the #45 position. Read the full report on Corban University
Mt San Jacinto Community College District landed the #46 spot for value in the United States this year. See the full Mt San Jacinto Community College District profile
New York University placed #47 among the best-value General Social Sciences schools in the United States. Read the full report on New York University
Palm Beach Atlantic University West Palm Beach landed the #48 spot for value in the United States this year. Read the full report on Palm Beach Atlantic University West Palm Beach
Westmont College
Westmont College came in at #49 in this year's value ranking. More on Westmont College
William Penn University placed #50 among the best-value General Social Sciences schools in the United States. Read the full report on William Penn University
Related General Social Sciences Value Rankings
Explore other degree levels:
- Best Value General Social Sciences Schools (All Levels)
- Best Value General Social Sciences Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Value General Social Sciences Undergraduate Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Value General Social Sciences Associate’s Degree Schools
- Best Value General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools
- Best Value General Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Value General Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools
Ranking Methodology & Notes
These rankings are produced by Course Advisor (DMS_RANKING_2023), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment — drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · Scope: Nation. *Averages shown above reflect the top 540 ranked schools only.
References
- Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) — National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education (core institutional data).
- College Scorecard — U.S. Department of Education (graduate earnings and outcomes data).
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