2023 Best Value Colleges for American U.S. Studies (Income $0-$30k) in California
7
Ranked Colleges
346
Degrees Awarded
$7,500
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value United States Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 1,419 people earned their degree in American U.S. studies, making the major the 350th most popular in the United States.
Across California, there were 346 American U.S. studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value United States Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 7 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in American U.S. studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality American U.S. studies programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the American U.S. studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank American U.S. Studies Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value United States Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” 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 United States Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value United States Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 7 Best Value Colleges for American U.S. Studies (Income $0-$30k) in California
Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value United States Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best American U.S. Studies Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $1,233 for california united states studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Stanford American U.S. Studies Report
Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value United States Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 80 ’s United States studies degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley also made our “Best American U.S. Studies Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $8,450 for California United States Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on American U.S. Studies at UC Berkeley
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value United States Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. CSULB is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 21 ’s United States studies degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best American U.S. Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $6,663 for california united states studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSULB.
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 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on American U.S. Studies at CSULB
Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value United States Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #4 spot on the list. University of California - Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 17 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Davis also made our “Best American U.S. Studies Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend UC Davis is $10,006 for California United States Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Full UC Davis American U.S. Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fullerton. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value United States Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 59 ’s United States studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal State Fullerton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best American U.S. Studies Schools in California” list. It costs about $4,590 for california united states studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Fullerton.
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 American U.S. Studies Report
University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value United States Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Santa Cruz, California, this fairly large public school awarded 2 degrees to qualified ’s United States studies students in 2020-2021.
UC Santa Cruz also made our “Best American U.S. Studies Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend UC Santa Cruz is $11,038 for california united states studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Full University of California - Santa Cruz American U.S. Studies Report
San Francisco State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value United States Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Francisco State University is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california united states studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, SFSU has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best American U.S. Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,705 for california united states studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SFSU.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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 American U.S. Studies at SFSU
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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
- *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.
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