2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Area Studies is the 106th most popular major in the country with 6,820 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, area studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $33,734 and had an average of $23,024 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 1,008 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,743 and $17,480 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 651 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 20 colleges that offer a degree in area studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great area studies programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the area studies program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.
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Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 20 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $0-$30k) in California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Stanford University is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $-1,387 for California Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k. A negative average net price may seem strange, but it generally means that financial aid will more than cover the cost to attend the school.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 103 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $8,392 for California Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 20 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #3 spot on the list. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 19 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Irvine also took the #6 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,558 for California Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Irvine.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fullerton. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 68 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal State Fullerton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $4,291 for California Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Fullerton.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, 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 89%.
Full California State University - Fullerton Area Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 99 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCLA has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $8,553 for California Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Area Studies at University of California - Los Angeles
California State University - Long Beach ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. CSULB is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 65 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, CSULB has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $6,364 for california bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Area Studies at California State University - Long Beach
University of California - Riverside landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UCR is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 20 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
UCR not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCR is $8,366 for california bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
California State University - Los Angeles ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal State LA also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #20. The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $1,379 for california bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at California State University - Los Angeles
University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
UCSD also took the #7 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $9,280 for California Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.
Read more about Area Studies at University of California - San Diego
San Diego State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. SDSU is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 12 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, SDSU has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $8,870 for california bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
California State University - Northridge ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northridge, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.
CSUN did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $5,945 for California Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.
University of California - Davis landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of California - Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 28 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Davis has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $9,842 for California Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, 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 93%.
With a ranking of #13, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Sacramento is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 8 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Sac State, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $6,819 for california bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
With a ranking of #14, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Santa Barbara is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 27 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
UCSB also took the #11 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,316 for California Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCSB.
The low 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. San Francisco State University is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 4 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
SFSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend San Francisco State University is $11,123 for california bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
University of Southern California ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Southern California is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 22 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend USC is $14,668 for California Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive 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.
University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school situated in Santa Cruz, California. It awarded 2 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Santa Cruz did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Cruz is $10,872 for California Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Full University of California - Santa Cruz Area Studies Report
California State University - Chico came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Chico State is a fairly large public school situated in Chico, California. It awarded 17 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Chico State also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #17. It costs about $10,260 for california bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Chico.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of San Francisco landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. USFCA is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 16 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, USFCA has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for USFCA is $27,690 for california bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #20, Loyola Marymount University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 6 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Loyola Marymount, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Loyola Marymount University is $32,367 for California Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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%.
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- Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $0-$30k)
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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.
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- Credit for the banner image above goes to Karl Udo Gerth.
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