2023 Best Value Colleges for Individualized Studies (Income $0-$30k) in California
4
Ranked Colleges
204
Degrees Awarded
$17,000
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 Individualized Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Individualized Studies is the 38th most popular major in the country with 37,634 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
Across California, there were 204 individualized studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Individualized Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 4 colleges that offer a degree in individualized studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality individualized 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 individualized 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 individualized studies 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 Individualized Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k”.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Individualized Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Individualized Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 4 Best Value Colleges for Individualized Studies (Income $0-$30k) in California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Individualized Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a fairly large school located in Carson, California that handed out 18 ’s individualized studies degrees in 2020-2021.
CSUDH not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Individualized Studies Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for CSUDH is $2,657 for california individualized studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Individualized Studies at CSUDH
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Individualized Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is located in San Luis Obispo, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 22 ’s individualized studies degrees to qualified students.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also took the #1 spot in our “Best Individualized Studies Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $12,173 for california individualized studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Individualized Studies at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Saint Mary’s College of California. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Individualized Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Saint Mary’s College of California is a private not-for-profit institution located in Moraga, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
SMC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Individualized Studies Schools in California” list. It costs about $28,783 for california individualized studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Saint Mary’s College of California.
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%. The undergraduate 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.
Read full report on Individualized Studies at SMC
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Marymount California University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Individualized Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Marymount California University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 87 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
MCU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Individualized Studies Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for MCU is $24,510 for california individualized studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Individualized Studies at MCU
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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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