Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k

20 Ranked Colleges
651 Degrees Awarded
$29,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making Over $110k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 6,820 people earned their degree in area studies, making the major the 106th most popular in the United States. 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.

This year’s “Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k” ranking looked at 20 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in area studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent area studies programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the area studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The area studies 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 “Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k”.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

1662018180131591826118922238923250422048287452780529841230392805829734456933122632720522714497549269

Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make more than $110k.

Top 20 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income Over $110k) in California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fullerton. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school awarded 68 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students 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 $7,991 for california bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make more than $110k 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 student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Fullerton Area Studies Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #2 for the Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k. California State University - Long Beach 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.

CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $9,622 for California Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make more than $110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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.

Read full report on Area Studies at CSULB

#20 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 5 degrees to qualified bachelors’s area studies students 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 $2,768 for california bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make more than $110k.

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

#19 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. California State University - Northridge is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 17 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUN, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $8,414 for California Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make more than $110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Area Studies at CSUN

#18 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Sacramento. The school came in at #5 for the Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k. Sac State is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 8 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make more than $110k list, Sac State has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Sac State is $9,979 for California Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make more than $110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area Studies at California State University - Sacramento

#5

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#14 in overall quality

Out of the 20 schools in the Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k that were part of this year’s ranking, San Francisco State University landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

SFSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $15,113 for California Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend SFSU.

Full San Francisco State University Area Studies Report

With a ranking of #7, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school handed out 103 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $15,329 for california bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make more than $110k.

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%.

Full University of California - Berkeley Area Studies Report

#8

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school awarded 12 degrees to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

SDSU also took the #16 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,788 for California Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend San Diego State University.

The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read more about Area Studies at San Diego State University

#9

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

University of California - Los Angeles ranked #9 on this year’s Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 99 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also took the #4 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,279 for California Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, 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%.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Area Studies Report

#10

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

University of California - Riverside landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. UCR is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 20 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make more than $110k list, UCR has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $12,871 for california bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend University of California - Riverside.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read more about Area Studies at University of California - Riverside

University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2022 Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school awarded 19 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also took the #6 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $14,783 for california bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make more than $110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 Area Studies at University of California - Irvine

California State University - Chico came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Chico, California, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make more than $110k list, Chico State has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,017 for california bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make more than $110k 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%.

Read more about Area Studies at California State University - Chico

University of California - San Diego landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. UCSD is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 22 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make more than $110k list, UCSD has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $14,232 for california bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make more than $110k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Full UCSD Area Studies Report

With a ranking of #14, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 28 students in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. It costs about $14,669 for California Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend University of California - Davis.

The 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 freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Area Studies at UC Davis

#15

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

Stanford University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Stanford University is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 21 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make more than $110k list, Stanford has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $11,496 for California Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make more than $110k.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The 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.

Read full report on Area Studies at Stanford University

#16

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 27 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCSB is $15,884 for California Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make more than $110k.

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

Read full report on Area Studies at University of California - Santa Barbara

#17

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#15 in overall quality

With a ranking of #17, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make more than $110k list, UC Santa Cruz has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Cruz is $18,186 for California Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make more than $110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Area Studies at UC Santa Cruz

#18

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. USC 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 also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend USC is $29,528 for california bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make more than $110k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full USC Area Studies Report

#19

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, California

University of San Francisco came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Located in San Francisco, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 16 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

USFCA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for USFCA is $36,424 for California Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make more than $110k.

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%.

Read more about Area Studies at University of San Francisco

#20

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, California
#8 in overall quality

Loyola Marymount University did quite well in the 2022 Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #20. Loyola Marymount is a medium-sized school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 6 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Marymount did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola Marymount is $42,861 for california bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make more than $110k.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area Studies at Loyola Marymount

Switch to a More Focused Major

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

Featured Political and Social Sciences Schools

Find Schools Near You