by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Most Well Attended Education Major in California” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
With 327,871 degrees handed out in 2020-2021, education is the 4th most popular major in the United States. In 2019-2020, education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $46,202 and had an average of $24,437 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 26,792 education graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,949 and $23,652 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended Education Major in California” ranking, we looked at 145 colleges that offer a degree in education. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in education.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
The education 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 “Most Well Attended Education Major in California”.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Education Major in California”.
Out of the 145 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. Located in La Jolla, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 2,121 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Education Major in California. Cal State Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 982 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Read full report on Education at California State University - Fullerton
Out of the 145 schools in the Most Well Attended Education Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #4 spot on the list. USC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,019 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad 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 impressive undergraduate 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. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brandman University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Education Major in California. Brandman is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 917 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Sacramento ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in California list. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s education degrees to 843 students 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 full report on Education at California State University - Sacramento
California State University - Los Angeles landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in California ranking. Cal State LA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 829 ’s education 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%.
Read full report on Education at California State University - Los Angeles
California State University - Northridge came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in California ranking. California State University - Northridge is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 713 ’s degrees 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%.
Read more about Education at California State University - Northridge
Northcentral University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in California list. Northcentral University is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 785 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
San Diego State University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in California list. San Diego State University is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 630 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Redlands did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in California ranking, coming in at #11. Redlands, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 587 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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%.
San Jose State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in California ranking. San Jose, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s education degrees to 574 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%.
Concordia University, Irvine did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in California ranking, coming in at #13. This small school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 528 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Education at Concordia University, Irvine
California State University - Fresno did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in California ranking, coming in at #14. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s education degrees to 534 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
University of California - Irvine came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in California ranking. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school handed out 656 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, 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 undergraduate students.
Read more about Education at University of California - Irvine
San Francisco State University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in California ranking. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s education degrees to 565 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of La Verne landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in California ranking. Located in La Verne, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 456 diplomas to qualified ’s education 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%.
Loyola Marymount University ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in California list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 473 degrees to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%.
California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in California ranking. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a public institution located in Carson, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 457 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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%.
California Baptist University ranked #20 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in California list. Located in Riverside, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 375 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of California - Riverside came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in California ranking. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school awarded 348 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
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 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%.
Alliant International University ranked #22 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in California list. Alliant International University is a small school located in San Diego, California that handed out 514 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
California State University - Bakersfield ranked #23 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in California list. CSUB is located in Bakersfield, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 311 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
Full California State University - Bakersfield Education Report
California State University - East Bay did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in California ranking, coming in at #24. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large school located in Hayward, California that handed out 301 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Education at California State University - East Bay
University of San Francisco ranked #25 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in California list. This fairly large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 300 ’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%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
