College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Best Value Colleges for Human Development & Family Studies (Income $0-$30k) in California

18 Ranked Colleges
13,989 Degrees Awarded
$12,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Human Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 Human Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Human Development & Family Studies is the 44th most popular major in the country with 42,112 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, human development and family studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $28,862 and had an average of $22,387 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 13,989 human development and family studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,495 and $15,655 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Human Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 18 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in human development and family studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent human development and family studies programs, but they also 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 human development and family studies program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Human Development & Family Studies Schools

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Human Development Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 Human Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Human Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Human Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 18 Best Value Colleges for Human Development & Family Studies (Income $0-$30k) in California

1
Fresno City College crest
Fresno City College
Fresno, California

Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Human Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Fresno City College landed the #1 spot on the list. Fresno City College is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 291 ’s human development degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Fresno City College, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $2,556 for California Human Development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Fresno City College.

Full Fresno City College Human Development & Family Studies Report

2
SAC crest
Santa Ana College
Santa Ana, California

Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Human Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Santa Ana College landed the #2 spot on the list. SAC is a large school located in Santa Ana, California that handed out 232 ’s human development degrees in 2020-2021.

SAC also took the #13 spot in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $3,975 for California Human Development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SAC.

Full Santa Ana College Human Development & Family Studies Report

3

Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Human Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #3 spot on the list. CSULB is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 150 ’s human development 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 Human Development & Family Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $6,663 for california human development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSULB.

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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 Human Development & Family Studies at CSULB

4
College of the Sequoias crest
College of the Sequoias
Visalia, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend College of the Sequoias. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Human Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. College of the Sequoias is a public institution located in Visalia, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 338 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

College of the Sequoias also made our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools in California” list, coming in at #20. The estimated yearly cost for College of the Sequoias is $501 for california human development students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Human Development & Family Studies at College of the Sequoias

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Human Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school handed out 87 diplomas to qualified ’s human development students in 2020-2021.

UCSD also took the #2 spot in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,823 for california human development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCSD.

The undergrad 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 94%.

Read full report on Human Development & Family Studies at University of California - San Diego

6

California State University - East Bay came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Human Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Hayward, California, and it awarded 292 ’s human development degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal State East Bay also made our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend Cal State East Bay is $9,975 for california human development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 Human Development & Family Studies at Cal State East Bay

7
Cabrillo College crest
Cabrillo College
Aptos, California

Cabrillo College landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Human Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cabrillo College is a public institution located in Aptos, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 117 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Cabrillo College also took the #10 spot in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cabrillo College is $9,823 for california human development students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Cabrillo College Human Development & Family Studies Report

8

California State University - San Bernardino landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Human Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in San Bernardino, California, this fairly large public school handed out 112 diplomas to qualified ’s human development students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california human development students whose families make $0-$30k list, CSUSB has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Bernardino is $5,985 for california human development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Human Development & Family Studies at California State University - San Bernardino

9
Delta crest
San Joaquin Delta College
Stockton, California

San Joaquin Delta College landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Human Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Stockton, California, and it awarded 83 ’s human development degrees in 2020-2021.

Delta did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Joaquin Delta College is $14,087 for California Human Development students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Human Development & Family Studies at San Joaquin Delta College

10

California State University - San Marcos came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Human Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - San Marcos is located in San Marcos, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 223 ’s human development degrees to qualified students.

CSUSM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for CSUSM is $9,397 for California Human Development students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Read full report on Human Development & Family Studies at California State University - San Marcos

11
El Camino College crest
El Camino College
Torrance, California

With a ranking of #11, El Camino College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Human Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. El Camino College is a public institution located in Torrance, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 204 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

El Camino College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools in California” list. It costs about $10,288 for california human development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend El Camino College.

Full El Camino College Human Development & Family Studies Report

12
Fresno Pacific crest
Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, California

With a ranking of #12, Fresno Pacific University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Human Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 167 ’s human development degrees in 2020-2021.

Fresno Pacific did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Fresno Pacific is $17,544 for california human development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.

Read full report on Human Development & Family Studies at Fresno Pacific

13
SSU crest
Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, California

With a ranking of #13, Sonoma State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Human Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. SSU is a medium-sized school located in Rohnert Park, California that handed out 32 ’s human development degrees in 2020-2021.

SSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for SSU is $12,803 for california human development students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Read full report on Human Development & Family Studies at SSU

14
15
ULV crest
University of La Verne
La Verne, California

University of La Verne came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Human Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in La Verne, California, and it awarded 76 ’s human development degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california human development students whose families make $0-$30k list, ULV has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $28,256 for California Human Development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of La Verne.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Human Development & Family Studies at ULV

16
Hope crest
Hope International University
Fullerton, California

Hope International University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Human Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Fullerton, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 18 diplomas to qualified ’s human development students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california human development students whose families make $0-$30k list, Hope has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Hope International University is $16,326 for California Human Development students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Hope International University Human Development & Family Studies Report

17
PLNU crest
Point Loma Nazarene University
San Diego, California

Point Loma Nazarene University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Human Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #17. This small school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 83 ’s human development degrees in 2020-2021.

PLNU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for PLNU is $24,604 for California Human Development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad 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%.

Read more about Human Development & Family Studies at Point Loma Nazarene University

18
MSMU crest
Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, California

Mount Saint Mary’s University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Human Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Los Angeles, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 18 diplomas to qualified ’s human development students in 2020-2021.

MSMU also took the #19 spot in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend MSMU is $29,531 for california human development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Mount Saint Mary’s University Human Development & Family Studies Report

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Credits

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options