2023 Best Value General Education Schools
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best General Education School for You
With 29,810 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, general education is the #5 most popular major in the United States.
With all the teaching programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Teaching Degree Search has developed this Best Value General Education Schools ranking. 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.
Featured schools near , edit
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 city of Philadelphia, La Salle is a private not-for-profit college 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
The excellent programs at Cabrini University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best general education schools in the United States. 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. Education majors at Cabrini University take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Martin Luther College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools list. Located in the town of New Ulm, MLC is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MLC are $16,910 per year.
Out of the 476 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Santa Fe Community College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Santa Fe, SFCC is a public school with a small student population.
SFCC undergraduate students pay an average of $4,995 in tuition and fees each year.
SFCC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best General Education Schools list.
The excellent programs at Bellevue University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best general education schools in the United States. Located in the large suburb of Bellevue, Bellevue University is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Bellevue University are $8,310 a year. Education majors at Bellevue University take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
Northeast Community College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools list. Northeast is a moderately-sized public school located in the remote town of Norfolk.
Northeast undergraduate students pay an average of $5,010 in tuition and fees each year.
Northeast also claimed a spot on our Best General Education Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
Full General Education at Northeast Community College Report
Worcester State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools ranking. Located in the midsize city of Worcester, Worcester State is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Worcester State are $16,666 a year.
With a ranking of #8, Morningside College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general education students. Located in the city of Sioux City, Morningside is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Morningside are $35,270 a 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.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at RCSJ are $5,550 a year. While working on their degree, education majors at RCSJ accumulate an average of around $9,808 in student debt.
Read full report on General Education at Rowan College of South Jersey Gloucester Campus
With a ranking of #10, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general education students. 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.
Read full report on General Education at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Whitworth University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools ranking. Located in the large suburb of Spokane, Whitworth is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Whitworth are $47,590 per year.
Whitworth excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best General Education Schools list.
Brandman University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools ranking. Brandman is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Irvine.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Brandman are $12,480 per 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 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Southwest Baptist University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools list. Located in the 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.
Full General Education at Southwest Baptist University Report
University of Northwestern - St Paul landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value general education programs. 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.
Read full report on General Education at University of Northwestern - St Paul
York College of Pennsylvania landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value general education programs. YCP is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize suburb of York.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at YCP are $22,350 per year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, YCP also is in the top 10% of our Best General Education Schools ranking.
Full General Education at York College of Pennsylvania Report
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.
MSU undergraduate students pay an average of $8,163 in tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its great value ranking, MSU is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best General Education Schools list.
Read full report on General Education at Minot State University
With a ranking of #17, Delta State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general education students. Delta State University is a small public school located in the remote town of Cleveland.
Delta State University undergraduate students pay an average of $8,360 in tuition and fees each year.
With a ranking of #18, Point Loma Nazarene University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general education students. PLNU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Diego.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at PLNU are $39,500 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, PLNU is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best General Education Schools list.
Full General Education at Point Loma Nazarene University Report
Grand View University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools ranking. Grand View University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Des Moines.
Grand View University undergraduate students pay an average of $30,954 in tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on General Education at Grand View University
Southwest Minnesota State University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools list. Located in the town of Marshall, Southwest Minnesota State University is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Southwest Minnesota State University are $9,482 per year.
Read full report on General Education at Southwest Minnesota State University
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 small 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 suburb of North Canton.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Stark State College are $7,406 per year. The average amount in student loans that education majors at Stark State College take out is $16,160.
With a ranking of #23, Wilson College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general education students. Located in the small city of Chambersburg, Wilson is a private not-for-profit college 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 college with a small student population.
Calvin undergraduate students pay an average of $38,240 in tuition and fees each year.
Calvin excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best General Education Schools list.
Southern Maine Community College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools ranking. Located in the small city of South Portland, SMCC is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
SMCC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,754 in tuition and fees each year. On average, education graduates from SMCC take out $14,725 in student loans while working on their degree.
Rest of the Top Best Value General Education Schools
Additional Award Winners
This section shows the remainder of the colleges awarded a Best Value General Education Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college 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 | University of Delaware | Newark, DE |
| 62 | East Texas Baptist University | Marshall, TX |
| 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 teaching area of study, general education has other similar majors worth exploring.
Education Concentrations
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Education | 29,810 |
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.
Featured Schools
Request Info
|
Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs. Learn More > |
TeachingDegreeSearch.com provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© TeachingDegreeSearch.com – All Rights Reserved.