by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Well Attended Education Major in California” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 29,810 people earned their degree in general education, making the major the 41st most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, general education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $48,719 and had an average of $23,394 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 7,597 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,160 and $26,891 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Education Major in California” ranking looked at 74 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general education. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in general education.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 “Most Well Attended Education Major in California” list to help you make the college decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Education Major in California”.
Out of the 74 schools in the Most Well Attended Education Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, National University landed the #1 spot on the list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 1,075 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northcentral University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Education Major in California. This fairly large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 706 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in California list. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 368 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 University of California - Irvine
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fullerton. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in California list. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 255 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at California State University - Fullerton
California Baptist University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in California list. Riverside, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 247 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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%.
San Jose State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in California ranking. San Jose State University is a large public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 233 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad 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 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Azusa Pacific University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in California ranking. Azusa Pacific University is located in Azusa, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 259 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on General Education at Azusa Pacific University
University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in California ranking, coming in at #9. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 222 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Brandman University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in California list. Brandman University is a medium-sized school located in Irvine, California that handed out 196 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of California - Riverside ranked #11 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in California list. University of California - Riverside is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 195 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 University of California - Riverside
San Diego State University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in California list. SDSU is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 145 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
California State University - Sacramento ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in California list. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 145 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at California State University - Sacramento
California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in California ranking. California State University - Dominguez Hills is located in Carson, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 141 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at California State University - Dominguez Hills
Point Loma Nazarene University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in California ranking. Point Loma Nazarene University is a small school located in San Diego, California that handed out 140 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at Point Loma Nazarene University
California State University - Bakersfield came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in California ranking. California State University - Bakersfield is a fairly large school located in Bakersfield, California that handed out 136 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on General Education at California State University - Bakersfield
University of San Francisco ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in California list. San Francisco, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 131 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #18, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in California list. SFSU is a large public school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 128 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of California - San Diego came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in California ranking. UCSD is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 127 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - San Diego General Education Report
California State University - Fresno ranked #20 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in California list. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s education degrees to 121 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at California State University - Fresno
California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in California ranking, coming in at #21. Cal State LA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 129 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 California State University - Los Angeles General Education Report
University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in California ranking. University of California - Santa Barbara is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 187 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%.
California State University - Stanislaus landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in California ranking. Located in Turlock, California, this fairly large public school handed out 105 degrees to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on General Education at California State University - Stanislaus
University of California - Davis came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in California ranking. University of California - Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 100 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
California State University - Long Beach landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in California ranking. CSULB is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 91 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about General Education at California State University - Long Beach
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
