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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for History in California (With Aid)

37 Ranked Colleges
3,115 Degrees Awarded
$11,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Getting Aid

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 History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

History is the 22nd most popular major in the country with 32,905 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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 Getting Aid” ranking looked at 37 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in history. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality history 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 history program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” 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. 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 History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree history students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for History in California (With Aid)

Out of the 37 schools in the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #1 spot on the list. California State University - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 61 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Los Angeles is $2,768 for california bachelor’s degree history students with aid.

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%.

Full Cal State LA History Report

#23 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school awarded 97 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s history students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree history students with aid list, Fresno State has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $5,464 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students with aid.

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 California State University - Fresno

Out of the 37 schools in the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #3 spot on the list. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a fairly large school located in Carson, California that handed out 21 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $4,215 for california bachelor’s degree history students with aid per year to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills.

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%.

Full CSUDH History Report

#19 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fullerton. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 103 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fullerton is $7,991 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students with aid.

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 student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.

Read full report on History at California State University - Fullerton

#5

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 35 students in 2019-2020.

Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $11,496 for california bachelor’s degree history students with aid per year to attend Stanford University.

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 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 freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Stanford History Report

California State University - Stanislaus landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Stanislaus is located in Turlock, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 58 bachelors’s history degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $6,019 for california bachelor’s degree history students with aid per year to attend Stan State.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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 Stan State History Report

#22 in overall quality

California State University - Northridge came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Northridge, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 75 students in 2019-2020.

CSUN also took the #22 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,414 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students with aid per year to attend California State University - Northridge.

The low 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 History at CSUN

#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 73 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also made our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $14,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, 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.

Read more about History at University of California - Irvine

#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 143 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s history students in 2019-2020.

CSULB also took the #14 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $9,622 for california bachelor’s degree history students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national 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 History Report

#10

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#4 in overall quality

University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 319 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree history students with aid list, UCLA has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $14,279 for california bachelor’s degree history students with aid.

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 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on History at UCLA

#11

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
#13 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. UCR is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 97 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR also took the #13 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCR is $12,871 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students with aid.

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 low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 UCR History Report

California State University - Bakersfield ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Bakersfield, California, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Bakersfield is $5,318 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students with aid.

Read full report on History at California State University - Bakersfield

#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 90 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSD, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,232 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students with aid per year to attend UCSD.

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

Read more about History at University of California - San Diego

#14

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#5 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school awarded 174 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s history students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree history students with aid list, UCSB has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Barbara is $15,884 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students with aid.

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

Full University of California - Santa Barbara History Report

#6 in overall quality

University of California - Davis came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. UC Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 113 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $14,669 for california bachelor’s degree history students with aid.

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

Read more about History at UC Davis

California State University - Sacramento came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school awarded 111 degrees to qualified bachelors’s history students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,979 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students with aid 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 full report on History at California State University - Sacramento

#17

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California
#3 in overall quality

With a ranking of #17, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 119 degrees to qualified bachelors’s history students in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also made our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $15,329 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students with aid per year to attend UC Berkeley.

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 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about History at University of California - Berkeley

#18

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#17 in overall quality

San Diego State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #18. San Diego State University is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 64 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $14,788 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students with aid.

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%. 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 History at SDSU

#19

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. 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 $7,342 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students with aid per year to attend California State University - San Bernardino.

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 CSUSB History Report

#20 in overall quality

California State University - San Marcos came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - San Marcos is a fairly large public school situated in San Marcos, California. It awarded 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 $13,399 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students with aid.

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%.

Full CSUSM History Report

#21

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#12 in overall quality

San Jose State University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 48 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also took the #12 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,928 for california bachelor’s degree history students with aid per year to attend San Jose State.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about History at San Jose State

#22

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#18 in overall quality

San Francisco State University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. San Francisco State University is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 78 bachelors’s history degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree history students with aid list, SFSU has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Francisco State University is $15,113 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students with aid.

Read full report on History at San Francisco State University

#21 in overall quality

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #23. Cal Poly Pomona is located in Pomona, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 76 bachelors’s history degrees to qualified students.

Cal Poly Pomona also made our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #21. It costs about $12,734 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students with aid per year to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read full report on History at Cal Poly Pomona

#7 in overall quality

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. San Luis Obispo, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 64 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $21,595 for california bachelor’s degree history students with aid.

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%. 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 California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo History Report

#25

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#11 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of California - Santa Cruz is a fairly large school located in Santa Cruz, California that handed out 127 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Santa Cruz, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Santa Cruz is $18,186 for california bachelor’s degree history students with aid.

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

Read full report on History at UC Santa Cruz

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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