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2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k

42 Ranked Colleges
5,971 Degrees Awarded
$9,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $30-$48k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Education is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 4th of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 310,601 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2017-2018, education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $43,887 and had an average of $30,244 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 24,764 education graduates with average earnings and debt of $55,134 and $37,359 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 5,971 education graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 42 colleges that offered a degree in education. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great education programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the education program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Education Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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.

Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Education (Income $30-$48k) in California

#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school handed out 518 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton also made our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $6,100 for California Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Education at Cal State Fullerton

#24 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. California State University - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 423 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State LA also took the #24 spot in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $2,117 for California Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Cal State LA.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal State LA Education Report

#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Riverside. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school awarded 153 degrees to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

UCR not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCR is $9,151 for California Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UCR Education Report

#10 in overall quality

Out of the 42 schools in the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Northridge landed the #4 spot on the list. CSUN is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 352 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k list, CSUN has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $6,883 for California Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend CSUN.

The 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 full report on Education at California State University - Northridge

#25 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - Fresno is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 162 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Fresno State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $3,731 for california bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Education at Fresno State

#20 in overall quality

California State University - Bakersfield ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Bakersfield, California, this fairly large public school awarded 114 degrees to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

CSUB also took the #20 spot in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSUB is $3,880 for California Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Education at CSUB

#6 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 388 students in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $10,373 for California Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of California - Irvine Education Report

With a ranking of #8, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. CSUDH is a fairly large school located in Carson, California that handed out 194 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUDH is $3,115 for california bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Dominguez Hills Education Report

#9 in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Sacramento is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 496 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k list, Sac State has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $7,823 for California Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Sac State Education Report

#10

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#5 in overall quality

University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 6 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also made our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $9,254 for california bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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%.

Full UCLA Education Report

#11

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

With a ranking of #11, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. San Bernardino, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUSB is $5,869 for california bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 Education at California State University - San Bernardino

#15 in overall quality

California State University - San Marcos came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - San Marcos is a public institution located in San Marcos, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 86 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUSM also took the #15 spot in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,347 for California Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - San Marcos.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Education at California State University - San Marcos

California State University - Stanislaus ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - Stanislaus is a public institution located in Turlock, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 56 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Stan State is $3,958 for California Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read full report on Education at Stan State

#12 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - San Diego is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 17 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSD, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,974 for california bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UCSD.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Education at UCSD

#15

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. San Diego State University is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 157 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $10,594 for california bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national 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.

Read full report on Education at San Diego State University

#8 in overall quality

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Pomona, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 82 students in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly Pomona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $9,630 for california bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read full report on Education at Cal Poly Pomona

#17

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#7 in overall quality

San Jose State University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. San Jose State is a large public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 248 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $11,752 for california bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Education at San Jose State University

#19 in overall quality

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #18. UC Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also took the #19 spot in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Davis is $10,769 for california bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Education at UC Davis

#13 in overall quality

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a large school located in San Luis Obispo, California that handed out 68 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k list, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,680 for california bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Full Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Education Report

#20

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#21 in overall quality

San Francisco State University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in San Francisco, California, this large public school handed out 198 degrees to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFSU, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SFSU is $12,517 for California Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full San Francisco State University Education Report

#21

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#1 in overall quality

With a ranking of #21, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $16,252 for california bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend USC.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Education at USC

California State University - Chico ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - Chico is a fairly large public school situated in Chico, California. It awarded 72 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Chico State is $11,576 for California Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Education at Chico State

#22

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #22. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Cruz is $11,793 for California Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national 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 full report on Education at UC Santa Cruz

#24

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, California

Sonoma State University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Rohnert Park, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 115 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend SSU is $13,248 for California Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Education at SSU

California State University - Channel Islands landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Channel Islands is a public institution located in Camarillo, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 59 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Channel Islands is $11,497 for California Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%.

Read more about Education at California State University - Channel Islands

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 Horadrim.

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