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2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k

42 Ranked Colleges
5,493 Degrees Awarded
$16,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $75-$110k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Liberal Arts is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 2nd of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 365,980 degrees were awarded to students with this major.

Across California, there were 94,556 liberal arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 5,493 liberal arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking analyzed 42 colleges that offered a degree in liberal arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great liberal arts 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 liberal arts program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Liberal Arts Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts (Income $75-$110k) in California

#1

Soka University of America

Aliso Viejo, California
#8 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Soka University of America. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k. Soka University of America is a small school located in Aliso Viejo, California that handed out 93 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Soka University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Soka University of America is $14,519 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 92%, 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%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Liberal Arts at Soka University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. California State University - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 180 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $9,576 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 full report on Liberal Arts at California State University - Los Angeles

#17 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Stanislaus. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k. Stan State is a public institution located in Turlock, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 235 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Stan State also took the #17 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stan State is $12,381 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts at California State University - Stanislaus

#21 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 485 students in 2019-2020.

Fresno State also took the #21 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,819 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend California State University - Fresno.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, 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 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts at California State University - Fresno

Out of the 42 schools in the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #5 spot on the list. CSUDH is located in Carson, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 129 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend CSUDH is $10,904 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full CSUDH Liberal Arts Report

#11 in overall quality

California State University - Northridge ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. California State University - Northridge is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 320 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUN also made our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $15,346 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend California State University - Northridge.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full CSUN Liberal Arts Report

#13 in overall quality

California State University - Long Beach landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 240 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.

CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $14,544 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

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

Read more about Liberal Arts at CSULB

California State University - Fullerton came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 125 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $12,916 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Liberal Arts at California State University - Fullerton

With a ranking of #9, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. CSUSB is located in San Bernardino, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 315 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $13,611 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend CSUSB.

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

Full California State University - San Bernardino Liberal Arts Report

California State University - Bakersfield did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #10. California State University - Bakersfield is located in Bakersfield, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 265 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Bakersfield is $11,743 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts at California State University - Bakersfield

#1 in overall quality

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is located in San Luis Obispo, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 78 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $22,585 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

#12

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#10 in overall quality

San Diego State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. SDSU is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 206 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.

SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $18,766 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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 Liberal Arts at San Diego State University

#13

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
#23 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school awarded 142 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $75-$110k list, UCR has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCR is $18,395 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

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

Full UCR Liberal Arts Report

California State University - Sacramento ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school awarded 177 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Sac State is $15,812 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 Liberal Arts at Sac State

#15 in overall quality

California State University - Monterey Bay came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. California State University - Monterey Bay is a medium-sized public school situated in Seaside, California. It awarded 138 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $75-$110k list, CSUMB has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Monterey Bay is $17,719 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%.

Full CSUMB Liberal Arts Report

#24 in overall quality

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #16. This large school is located in Pomona, California, and it awarded 130 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly Pomona, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly Pomona is $17,944 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Liberal Arts at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

#20 in overall quality

With a ranking of #17, California State University - San Marcos did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. California State University - San Marcos is a fairly large school located in San Marcos, California that handed out 185 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUSM, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - San Marcos is $18,620 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 California State University - San Marcos Liberal Arts Report

#18

Thomas Aquinas College

Santa Paula, California
#7 in overall quality

Thomas Aquinas College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #18. Thomas Aquinas College is a small school located in Santa Paula, California that handed out 95 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

TAC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Thomas Aquinas College is $23,413 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 Liberal Arts at TAC

California State University - East Bay landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Cal State East Bay is a public institution located in Hayward, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 95 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - East Bay is $17,710 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full California State University - East Bay Liberal Arts Report

#20

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#19 in overall quality

San Francisco State University landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 115 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFSU, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Francisco State University is $21,027 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts at San Francisco State University

#21

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#18 in overall quality

San Jose State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #21. San Jose State University is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 47 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $75-$110k list, San Jose State has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State is $19,805 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full San Jose State University Liberal Arts Report

#25 in overall quality

California State University - Chico ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. California State University - Chico is a fairly large public school situated in Chico, California. It awarded 205 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Chico State also made our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #25. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Chico is $19,444 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low 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 Liberal Arts at Chico State

#23

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, California
#14 in overall quality

Sonoma State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #23. SSU is a medium-sized public school situated in Rohnert Park, California. It awarded 148 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SSU, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SSU is $21,753 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Sonoma State University Liberal Arts Report

California State University - Channel Islands landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. CSUCI is a medium-sized school located in Camarillo, California that handed out 126 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Channel Islands is $18,919 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts at CSUCI

#25

Simpson University

Redding, California

Simpson University landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This small school is located in Redding, California, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Simpson U is $18,994 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 Liberal Arts at Simpson U

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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