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2022 Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California

15 Ranked Colleges
1,400 Degrees Awarded
$24,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor's in California

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Business Economics is the 121st most popular major in the country with 6,169 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across California, there were 1,428 business economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,400 business economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking, we looked at 15 colleges that offer a degree in business economics. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality business economics programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the business economics program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The business economics school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California.

Top 15 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Business Economics in California

#1

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 32 bachelors’s business economics degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also made our “Best Business Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $14,279 for California Bachelor’s Degree Business Economics students per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Business Economics at UCLA

#12 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 45 bachelors’s business economics degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Business Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $9,622 for California Bachelor’s Degree Business Economics students per year to attend CSULB.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Long Beach Business Economics Report

#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school awarded 696 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s business economics students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Business Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $14,783 for california bachelor’s degree business economics students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UC Irvine Business Economics Report

#7 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Riverside. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. University of California - Riverside is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 153 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Business Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $12,871 for california bachelor’s degree business economics students per year to attend University of California - Riverside.

The low student loan default rate of 2.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Read full report on Business Economics at University of California - Riverside

#5

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Santa Cruz. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s business economics degrees to 308 students in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Business Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Cruz is $18,186 for california bachelor’s degree business economics students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UC Santa Cruz Business Economics Report

#6

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. UCSB is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 bachelors’s business economics degrees to qualified students.

UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Business Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCSB is $15,884 for California Bachelor’s Degree Business Economics students.

The low student loan default rate of 1.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of California - Santa Barbara Business Economics Report

#8

Point Loma Nazarene University

San Diego, California
#13 in overall quality

Point Loma Nazarene University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Point Loma Nazarene University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 4 bachelors’s business economics degrees in 2019-2020.

PLNU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Business Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Point Loma Nazarene University is $33,044 for California Bachelor’s Degree Business Economics students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Point Loma Nazarene University Business Economics Report

#9

Mills College

Oakland, California
#15 in overall quality

Mills College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Oakland, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s business economics degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree business economics students list, Mills has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Business Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Mills College is $22,202 for california bachelor’s degree business economics students.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Business Economics at Mills College

#10

Westmont College

Santa Barbara, California
#6 in overall quality

Westmont College landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Westmont is a small school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 54 bachelors’s business economics degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Westmont, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Business Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Westmont College is $31,145 for California Bachelor’s Degree Business Economics students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Westmont College Business Economics Report

#11

University of Redlands

Redlands, California
#10 in overall quality

University of Redlands came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. University of Redlands is a small school located in Redlands, California that handed out 5 bachelors’s business economics degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Redlands not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Business Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Redlands is $27,958 for california bachelor’s degree business economics students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Redlands Business Economics Report

#12

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, California
#2 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, Santa Clara University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Santa Clara University is located in Santa Clara, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s business economics degrees to qualified students.

SCU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Business Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for SCU is $38,327 for California Bachelor’s Degree Business Economics students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Business Economics at SCU

#13

University of San Diego

San Diego, California
#8 in overall quality

University of San Diego came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Located in San Diego, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 4 degrees to qualified bachelors’s business economics students in 2019-2020.

USD also took the #8 spot in our “Best Business Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for USD is $32,460 for california bachelor’s degree business economics students.

The low student loan default rate of 1.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Business Economics at University of San Diego

#14

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, California
#9 in overall quality

University of San Francisco did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #14. USFCA is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

USFCA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Business Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend USFCA is $36,424 for California Bachelor’s Degree Business Economics students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Business Economics at USFCA

#15

Chapman University

Orange, California
#4 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, Chapman University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Orange, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s business economics degrees to 48 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Chapman, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Business Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Chapman University is $41,350 for California Bachelor’s Degree Business Economics students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Business Economics at Chapman

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Notes and References

References

  • 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 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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