Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Human Development & Family Studies

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California

16 Ranked Colleges
1,816 Degrees Awarded
$19,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor's in California

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 41,651 people earned their degree in human development and family studies, making the major the 41st most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, human development and family studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $27,032 and had an average of $24,110 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 14,022 human development and family studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,904 and $24,994 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,816 human development and family studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking analyzed 16 colleges that offered a degree in human development and family studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality human development and family 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 human development and family 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 human development 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 Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California”.

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 when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California.

Top 16 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Human Development & Family Studies in California

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - East Bay landed the #1 spot on the list. Cal State East Bay is located in Hayward, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 213 bachelors’s human development degrees to qualified students.

Cal State East Bay also took the #2 spot in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal State East Bay is $11,116 for california bachelor’s degree human development students.

Read more about Human Development & Family Studies at Cal State East Bay

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. CSULB is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 175 bachelors’s human development degrees to qualified students.

CSULB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $9,622 for california bachelor’s degree human development students.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full California State University - Long Beach Human Development & Family Studies Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - San Marcos. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This fairly large school is located in San Marcos, California, and it awarded 306 bachelors’s human development degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUSM also took the #7 spot in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Marcos is $13,399 for California Bachelor’s Degree Human Development students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Human Development & Family Studies at CSUSM

#1 in overall quality

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California 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 322 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also took the #1 spot in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Davis is $14,669 for California Bachelor’s Degree Human Development 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 low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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 University of California - Davis

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - San Bernardino. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. California State University - San Bernardino is located in San Bernardino, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 130 bachelors’s human development degrees to qualified students.

CSUSB also made our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #13. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Bernardino is $7,342 for California Bachelor’s Degree Human Development students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full California State University - San Bernardino Human Development & Family Studies Report

University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #6. University of California - San Diego is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 71 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD also took the #3 spot in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $14,232 for california bachelor’s degree human development students.

The 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 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - San Diego Human Development & Family Studies Report

#7

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, California

Sonoma State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Sonoma State University is located in Rohnert Park, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 bachelors’s human development degrees to qualified students.

SSU also took the #11 spot in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $17,478 for California Bachelor’s Degree Human Development students per year to attend SSU.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Human Development & Family Studies at Sonoma State University

#8

Pacific Oaks College

Pasadena, California

With a ranking of #8, Pacific Oaks College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Pasadena, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s human development degrees to 96 students in 2019-2020.

Pacific Oaks College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list.

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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Pacific Oaks College Human Development & Family Studies Report

#10

Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, California

Fresno Pacific University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Fresno Pacific is located in Fresno, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 84 bachelors’s human development degrees to qualified students.

Fresno Pacific also took the #8 spot in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Fresno Pacific is $16,356 for California Bachelor’s Degree Human Development students.

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

#11

Hope International University

Fullerton, California

With a ranking of #11, Hope International University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Hope International University is located in Fullerton, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 18 bachelors’s human development degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Hope, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $20,318 for california bachelor’s degree human development students per year to attend Hope.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Human Development & Family Studies at Hope

#12

Point Loma Nazarene University

San Diego, California

Point Loma Nazarene University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #12. Point Loma Nazarene University is a small school located in San Diego, California that handed out 67 bachelors’s human development degrees in 2019-2020.

PLNU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for PLNU is $33,044 for california bachelor’s degree human development students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Point Loma Nazarene University Human Development & Family Studies Report

#13

San Diego Christian College

Santee, California

With a ranking of #13, San Diego Christian College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Located in Santee, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 3 degrees to qualified bachelors’s human development students in 2019-2020.

San Diego Christian also made our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #16. It costs about $34,609 for california bachelor’s degree human development students per year to attend San Diego Christian College.

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 San Diego Christian Human Development & Family Studies Report

#14

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, California

Mount Saint Mary’s University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #14. This small school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s human development degrees in 2019-2020.

MSMU also took the #6 spot in our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend MSMU is $29,214 for california bachelor’s degree human development students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

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

#15

University of La Verne

La Verne, California

With a ranking of #15, University of La Verne did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. University of La Verne is a private not-for-profit institution located in La Verne, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 40 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

ULV did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $25,780 for California Bachelor’s Degree Human Development students per year to attend ULV.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Human Development & Family Studies at University of La Verne

#16

Whittier College

Whittier, California

With a ranking of #16, Whittier College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Human Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Whittier is a small school located in Whittier, California that handed out 28 bachelors’s human development degrees in 2019-2020.

Whittier also made our “Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend Whittier College is $24,570 for California Bachelor’s Degree Human Development students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Human Development & Family Studies at Whittier College

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Jsonin.

Featured Child Development Schools

Find Schools Near You