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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for English Language & Literature in California

50 Ranked Colleges
4,441 Degrees Awarded
$12,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor's in California

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 56,860 people earned their degree in English language and literature, making the major the 16th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, English language and literature graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $27,873 and had an average of $24,681 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 8,031 English language and literature graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,517 and $22,790 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,441 English language and literature graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking analyzed 50 colleges that offered a degree in English language and literature. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great English language and literature programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

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

More Ways to Rank English Language & Literature Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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 English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in California.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for English Language & Literature in California

#15 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. CSULB is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 262 bachelors’s English language and literature degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree english language & literature students list, CSULB has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $9,622 for California Bachelor’s Degree English Language & Literature students.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on English Language & Literature at CSULB

#8 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. Located in San Luis Obispo, California, this large public school handed out 56 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s English language and literature students in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $21,595 for california bachelor’s degree english language & literature students per year to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

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

Read full report on English Language & Literature at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

#22 in overall quality

Out of the 50 schools in the Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Northridge landed the #3 spot on the list. California State University - Northridge is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 165 bachelors’s English language and literature degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUN not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,414 for California Bachelor’s Degree English Language & Literature students 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%.

Full California State University - Northridge English Language & Literature Report

#4

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 371 bachelors’s English language and literature degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also took the #4 spot in our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $14,279 for California Bachelor’s Degree English Language & Literature students.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 UCLA English Language & Literature Report

Out of the 50 schools in the Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the #5 spot on the list. Fresno State is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 95 bachelors’s English language and literature degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $5,464 for california bachelor’s degree english language & literature students.

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 student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Fresno English Language & Literature Report

#7 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. University of California - San Diego is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 79 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD also took the #7 spot in our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $14,232 for california bachelor’s degree english language & literature students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about English Language & Literature at University of California - San Diego

#7

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#17 in overall quality

San Jose State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. San Jose State University is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 89 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $14,928 for california bachelor’s degree english language & literature students.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full San Jose State University English Language & Literature Report

California State University - San Marcos landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. CSUSM is located in San Marcos, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 89 bachelors’s English language and literature degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - San Marcos is $13,399 for California Bachelor’s Degree English Language & Literature students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on English Language & Literature at California State University - San Marcos

#9

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#23 in overall quality

San Francisco State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. SFSU is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 172 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SFSU also took the #23 spot in our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SFSU is $15,113 for california bachelor’s degree english language & literature students.

Read full report on English Language & Literature at San Francisco State University

#10

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#11 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 200 bachelors’s English language and literature degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree english language & literature students list, UCSB has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCSB is $15,884 for california bachelor’s degree english language & literature students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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%.

Full University of California - Santa Barbara English Language & Literature Report

#24 in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school handed out 128 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s English language and literature students in 2019-2020.

Sac State also made our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #24. It costs about $9,979 for California Bachelor’s Degree English Language & Literature students per year to attend Sac State.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 more about English Language & Literature at Sac State

With a ranking of #12, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2022 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Chico, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s English language and literature degrees to 64 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Chico is $15,017 for California Bachelor’s Degree English Language & Literature students.

The low 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%.

Read full report on English Language & Literature at California State University - Chico

California State University - Fullerton ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Cal State Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 134 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $7,991 for California Bachelor’s Degree English Language & Literature students.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about English Language & Literature at Cal State Fullerton

California State University - Bakersfield landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. CSUB is located in Bakersfield, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 61 bachelors’s English language and literature degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUB is $5,318 for California Bachelor’s Degree English Language & Literature students.

Read more about English Language & Literature at California State University - Bakersfield

#9 in overall quality

University of California - Davis landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Located in Davis, California, this large public school awarded 199 degrees to qualified bachelors’s English language and literature students in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also made our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $14,669 for California Bachelor’s Degree English Language & Literature students per year to attend University of California - Davis.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%.

Read full report on English Language & Literature at University of California - Davis

California State University - Los Angeles ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. California State University - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 107 bachelors’s English language and literature degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $2,768 for california bachelor’s degree english language & literature students.

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%.

Read full report on English Language & Literature at Cal State LA

#17

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California
#3 in overall quality

University of California - Berkeley landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. University of California - Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 295 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $15,329 for California Bachelor’s Degree English Language & Literature students.

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 96%.

Read more about English Language & Literature at UC Berkeley

#14 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2022 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #18. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 122 bachelors’s English language and literature degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $14,783 for california bachelor’s degree english language & literature students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about English Language & Literature at University of California - Irvine

California State University - Channel Islands ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This medium-sized school is located in Camarillo, California, and it awarded 63 bachelors’s English language and literature degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,558 for California Bachelor’s Degree English Language & Literature students per year to attend California State University - Channel Islands.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full CSUCI English Language & Literature Report

California State University - Stanislaus came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Located in Turlock, California, this fairly large public school handed out 50 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s English language and literature students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Stanislaus is $6,019 for california bachelor’s degree english language & literature students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, 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 students.

Read full report on English Language & Literature at California State University - Stanislaus

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in the 2022 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #21. Cal Poly Pomona is a large public school situated in Pomona, California. It awarded 75 bachelors’s English language and literature degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly Pomona is $12,734 for California Bachelor’s Degree English Language & Literature students.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about English Language & Literature at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

#21

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, California

Sonoma State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #21. Rohnert Park, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s English language and literature degrees to 80 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $17,478 for California Bachelor’s Degree English Language & Literature students per year to attend SSU.

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 full report on English Language & Literature at Sonoma State University

California State University - East Bay landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Located in Hayward, California, this fairly large public school handed out 40 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s English language and literature students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Cal State East Bay is $11,116 for California Bachelor’s Degree English Language & Literature students.

Read more about English Language & Literature at California State University - East Bay

#24

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

With a ranking of #24, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2022 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. San Bernardino, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s English language and literature degrees to 133 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - San Bernardino is $7,342 for california bachelor’s degree english language & literature students.

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 English Language & Literature at California State University - San Bernardino

#25

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. SDSU is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 109 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,788 for California Bachelor’s Degree English Language & Literature students per year to attend SDSU.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full SDSU English Language & Literature Report

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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 Mike Hazard.

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