2024 Best Value Area Studies Schools in California
17
Ranked Colleges
880
Degrees Awarded
$16,000
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Area Studies Schools in California” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 6,966 people earned their degree in area studies, making the major the 115th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, area studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $33,127 and had an average of $20,927 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 880 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,544 and $17,829 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools in California” ranking looked at 17 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in area studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality area studies programs that also have a lower cost than 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Area Studies Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Area Studies Schools in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value Area Studies Schools in California
The colleges and universities below are the best for california area studies students.
Top 17 Best Value Colleges for Area Studies in California
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools in California. University of California - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 103 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UCLA also took the #3 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $15,023 for california area studies students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, 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 97%.
Read full report on Area Studies at UCLA
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools in California. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 105 degrees to qualified ’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in California” list. It costs about $16,032 for California Area Studies students per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at UC Berkeley
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools in California. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 48 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $10,054 for California Area Studies 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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at CSULB
Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #4 spot on the list. UCSB is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 38 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UCSB also made our “Best Area Studies Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for UCSB is $16,252 for California Area Studies 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Full University of California - Santa Barbara Area Studies Report
Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #5 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 35 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Davis also made our “Best Area Studies Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $15,768 for california area studies students.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad 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 UC Davis
San Diego State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools in California list. SDSU is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 13 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
SDSU also took the #8 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $13,845 for California Area Studies students per year to attend San Diego State University.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, 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 Area Studies at SDSU
University of California - San Diego ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools in California list. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 22 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california area studies students list, UCSD has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Area Studies Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - San Diego is $15,240 for california area studies students.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at UCSD
University of California - Irvine landed the #8 spot on the 2024 Best Value Area Studies Schools in California ranking. University of California - Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 35 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $12,209 for california area studies students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, 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 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at UC Irvine
California State University - Fullerton landed the #9 spot on the 2024 Best Value Area Studies Schools in California ranking. California State University - Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 59 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal State Fullerton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $8,003 for california area studies students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at Cal State Fullerton
California State University - Chico came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools in California ranking. California State University - Chico is located in Chico, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
Chico State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Chico is $16,218 for california area studies 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 California State University - Chico Area Studies Report
With a ranking of #11, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Area Studies Schools in California list. UCR is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 21 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCR, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,822 for California Area Studies students per year to attend UCR.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full UCR Area Studies Report
California State University - Northridge came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools in California ranking. CSUN is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california area studies students list, CSUN has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Area Studies Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Northridge is $8,523 for California Area Studies students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at CSUN
University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools in California ranking. Located in Santa Cruz, California, this fairly large public school handed out 5 diplomas to qualified ’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california area studies students list, UC Santa Cruz has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Area Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $17,930 for california area studies students per year to attend UC Santa Cruz.
The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Area Studies at UC Santa Cruz
With a ranking of #14, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Area Studies Schools in California list. Sac State is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 7 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Sac State also took the #17 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $11,178 for california area studies students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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 more about Area Studies at California State University - Sacramento
University of San Francisco ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools in California list. University of San Francisco is located in San Francisco, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 31 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at USFCA, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of San Francisco is $40,053 for california area studies students.
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%. 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 USFCA Area Studies Report
Azusa Pacific University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Area Studies Schools in California ranking, coming in at #16. Azusa Pacific University is located in Azusa, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
Azusa Pacific not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Azusa Pacific is $30,744 for California Area Studies students.
The impressive undergraduate 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 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 Azusa Pacific University Area Studies Report
Stanford University landed the #17 spot on the 2024 Best Value Area Studies Schools in California ranking. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 43 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $12,894 for california area studies students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Area Studies at Stanford
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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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