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2023 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Early Childhood Education in California

25 Ranked Colleges
4,370 Degrees Awarded
$26,700 Avg Cost*
Schools for a Bachelor's Highly Focused on Child development Major in California

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 “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major in California” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2020-2021, 32,920 people earned their degree in early childhood education, making the major the 34th most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 4,885 early childhood education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,370 early childhood education graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,566 and $21,995 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major in California” ranking looked at 25 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in early childhood education. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their early childhood education program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree child development students.

Top 25 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Early Childhood Education in California

1
AJU crest
American Jewish University
Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend American Jewish University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major in California list. AJU is a small school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 11 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at American Jewish University

2
Pacific Oaks College crest
Pacific Oaks College
Pasadena, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pacific Oaks College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major in California list. Pacific Oaks College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Pasadena, California. It awarded 51 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 Early Childhood Education at Pacific Oaks College

3
4

Out of the 25 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Sacramento landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 477 bachelors’s child development 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 full report on Early Childhood Education at Sac State

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major in California list. California State University - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 372 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at Cal State LA

6

California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major in California ranking. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a fairly large public school situated in Carson, California. It awarded 226 bachelors’s child development 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%.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at California State University - Dominguez Hills

7

California State University - Bakersfield came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major in California ranking. CSUB is located in Bakersfield, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 142 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.

Full California State University - Bakersfield Early Childhood Education Report

8

With a ranking of #8, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major in California list. Cal State Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 511 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal State Fullerton Early Childhood Education Report

9

Humphreys University - Stockton and Modesto Campuses did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major in California ranking, coming in at #9. Humphreys University - Stockton and Modesto Campuses is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Stockton, California. It awarded 10 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. 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%.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Humphreys University

10

California State University - Northridge ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major in California list. CSUN is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 400 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at CSUN

11
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

With a ranking of #11, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major in California list. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 252 students 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%.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at San Francisco State University

12

California State University - San Marcos came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major in California ranking. CSUSM is located in San Marcos, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 118 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.

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%.

Full California State University - San Marcos Early Childhood Education Report

13

California State University - Stanislaus landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major in California ranking. Located in Turlock, California, this fairly large public school awarded 73 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s child development students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at Stan State

14
Cal Baptist crest
California Baptist University
Riverside, California

California Baptist University ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major in California list. This fairly large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 76 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal Baptist Early Childhood Education Report

15
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major in California ranking. San Jose, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 221 students 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at San Jose State University

16
National University crest
National University
La Jolla, California

National University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major in California ranking. Located in La Jolla, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 149 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s child development 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%.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at National University

17
Brandman crest
Brandman University
Irvine, California

Brandman University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major in California ranking. Irvine, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 62 students 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%.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Brandman University

18

With a ranking of #18, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major in California list. Chico State is located in Chico, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 76 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Chico State Early Childhood Education Report

19
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major in California ranking. San Diego State University is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 166 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at SDSU

20

California State University - Fresno landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major in California ranking. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 83 bachelors’s child development degrees 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.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at California State University - Fresno

21
Bethesda crest
Bethesda University
Anaheim, California

Bethesda University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major in California ranking. Bethesda is located in Anaheim, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Bethesda University Early Childhood Education Report

22

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major in California ranking. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is located in San Luis Obispo, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 70 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

23
PUC crest
Pacific Union College
Angwin, California

Pacific Union College landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major in California ranking. Pacific Union College is located in Angwin, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.

Full Pacific Union College Early Childhood Education Report

24

Vanguard University of Southern California landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major in California ranking. Vanguard University of Southern California is a small school located in Costa Mesa, California that handed out 4 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Vanguard

25
Fresno Pacific crest
Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, California

Fresno Pacific University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major in California ranking. Fresno Pacific University is a small school located in Fresno, California that handed out 0 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 Fresno Pacific University Early Childhood Education Report

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