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2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

11 Ranked Colleges
697 Degrees Awarded
$18,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

General Education is the 28th most popular major in the country with 29,936 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across California, there were 7,838 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 697 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 11 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general education. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general education programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the general education program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 11 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Education (Income $0-$30k) in California

#2 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 #1 for the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 367 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Irvine has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $9,558 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of California - Irvine General Education Report

#3 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #2 spot on the list. UCSD is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 11 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $9,280 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its 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%.

Full University of California - San Diego General Education Report

#3

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

USC also took the #1 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern California is $14,668 for california bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full USC General Education Report

#5 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Vanguard University of Southern California landed the #4 spot on the list. Costa Mesa, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general education degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.

Vanguard also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $15,222 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Vanguard University of Southern California.

The low student loan default rate of 4.0% 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%.

Full Vanguard University of Southern California General Education Report

#5

Hope International University

Fullerton, California
#9 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Hope International University landed the #5 spot on the list. Hope is a small school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 21 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Hope, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Hope International University is $15,847 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 full report on General Education at Hope International University

#6

Mills College

Oakland, California
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, Mills College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Mills is a private not-for-profit institution located in Oakland, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Mills did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Mills College is $15,749 for california bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about General Education at Mills College

#8 in overall quality

The University of Arizona Global Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. UAGC is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 204 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

UAGC also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Arizona Global Campus is $20,283 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about General Education at UAGC

#8

Biola University

La Mirada, California
#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Biola University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in La Mirada, California, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

Biola did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $25,135 for california bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Biola.

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%.

Full Biola University General Education Report

#9

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, California
#7 in overall quality

Mount Saint Mary’s University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Mount Saint Mary’s University is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s general education degrees to qualified students.

MSMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend MSMU is $27,107 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 General Education at MSMU

#10

Chapman University

Orange, California
#4 in overall quality

Chapman University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Orange, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 46 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general education students in 2019-2020.

Chapman did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Chapman University is $33,219 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 Chapman General Education Report

#11

University of La Verne

La Verne, California
#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, University of La Verne did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. ULV is a medium-sized school located in La Verne, California that handed out 1 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at ULV, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $21,297 for california bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of La Verne.

The low student loan default rate of 3.2% 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 General Education at ULV

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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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to KOKUYO.

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