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2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k

37 Ranked Colleges
3,115 Degrees Awarded
$26,538 Avg Salary
Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $48-$75k

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 History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 32,905 people earned their degree in history, making the major the 22nd most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, history graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $29,593 and had an average of $23,490 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 5,424 history graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,877 and $19,249 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 3,115 history graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 37 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in history. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great history 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 history program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank History Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for History (Income $48-$75k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 35 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $1,959 for california bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Stanford.

The low student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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 excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Stanford University History Report

#2

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 37 schools in the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #2 spot on the list. UCLA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 319 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also made our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $13,081 for california bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UCLA.

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.

Full University of California - Los Angeles History Report

Out of the 37 schools in the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #3 spot on the list. California State University - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 61 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,644 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about History at California State University - Los Angeles

#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 119 students in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also took the #3 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $13,081 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UC Berkeley.

The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 History at UC Berkeley

#23 in overall quality

Out of the 37 schools in the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the #5 spot on the list. Fresno State is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 97 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

Fresno State also made our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #23. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $7,549 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 full report on History at Fresno State

#19 in overall quality

California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #6. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 103 students in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $9,427 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $48-$75k 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%.

Read more about History at Cal State Fullerton

California State University - Dominguez Hills ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $6,907 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend CSUDH.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about History at California State University - Dominguez Hills

#8

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#5 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 174 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCSB is $15,343 for california bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

Read full report on History at University of California - Santa Barbara

California State University - Stanislaus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #9. Turlock, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 58 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Stanislaus is $7,772 for california bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about History at California State University - Stanislaus

#6 in overall quality

University of California - Davis came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of California - Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 113 bachelors’s history degrees to qualified students.

UC Davis also made our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $13,578 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - Davis.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - Davis History Report

#9 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UC Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 73 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $13,648 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UC Irvine.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of California - Irvine History Report

#12

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
#13 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #12. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 97 students in 2019-2020.

UCR also made our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #13. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Riverside is $12,290 for california bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on History at UCR

#14 in overall quality

California State University - Long Beach ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - Long Beach is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 143 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB also took the #14 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,807 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend CSULB.

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

Read full report on History at CSULB

#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. UCSD is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 90 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD also made our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $14,071 for california bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Full UCSD History Report

#22 in overall quality

California State University - Northridge ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - Northridge is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 75 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $48-$75k list, CSUN has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Northridge.

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%.

Full CSUN History Report

California State University - Bakersfield came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Bakersfield, California, this fairly large public school handed out 37 degrees to qualified bachelors’s history students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Bakersfield is $7,564 for california bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on History at CSUB

#7 in overall quality

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in San Luis Obispo, California, and it awarded 64 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $19,407 for california bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, 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 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal Poly San Luis Obispo History Report

California State University - Sacramento came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. California State University - Sacramento is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 111 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,413 for california bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Sac State.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 History at California State University - Sacramento

#19

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. San Bernardino, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 83 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $8,924 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - San Bernardino.

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

Full CSUSB History Report

#20

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#11 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UC Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 127 bachelors’s history degrees to qualified students.

UC Santa Cruz also made our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $15,253 for california bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - Santa Cruz.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UC Santa Cruz History Report

#21

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#17 in overall quality

San Diego State University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. San Diego State University is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 64 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,730 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $48-$75k 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 History at San Diego State University

#20 in overall quality

California State University - San Marcos ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. CSUSM is a fairly large school located in San Marcos, California that handed out 78 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUSM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Marcos is $14,582 for california bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%.

Read more about History at CSUSM

#23

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#12 in overall quality

San Jose State University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. San Jose State University is a large public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 48 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $16,397 for california bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend San Jose State.

The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full San Jose State University History Report

#24

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#18 in overall quality

San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #24. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 78 students in 2019-2020.

SFSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $16,661 for california bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend San Francisco State University.

Full SFSU History Report

#21 in overall quality

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Pomona, California, this large public school awarded 76 degrees to qualified bachelors’s history students in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly Pomona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,012 for california bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Cal Poly Pomona.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about History at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

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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