2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts in California
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
With 365,980 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, liberal arts is the 2nd most popular major in the United States.
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” ranking analyzed 47 colleges that offered a degree in liberal arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality liberal arts programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the liberal arts program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California
The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts in California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a large school located in San Luis Obispo, California that handed out 78 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts 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 Liberal Studies students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, 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 full report on Liberal Arts at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Northridge, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 320 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students list, CSUN has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Northridge is $8,414 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students.
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%.
Read more about Liberal Arts at California State University - Northridge
Out of the 47 schools in the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Monterey Bay landed the #3 spot on the list. CSUMB is a public institution located in Seaside, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 138 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUMB, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Monterey Bay is $12,212 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Liberal Arts at California State University - Monterey Bay
Out of the 47 schools in the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the #4 spot on the list. California State University - Fresno is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 485 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees 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 $5,464 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students per year to attend California State University - Fresno.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Full California State University - Fresno Liberal Arts Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. California State University - Long Beach is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 240 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
CSULB also made our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #13. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $9,622 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students.
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%.
California State University - Stanislaus came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. California State University - Stanislaus is a fairly large public school situated in Turlock, California. It awarded 235 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students list, Stan State has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Stanislaus is $6,019 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Brandman University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Brandman is a fairly large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 170 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Brandman, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $21,604 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students per year to attend Brandman.
California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #8. This fairly large school is located in San Bernardino, California, and it awarded 315 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Bernardino is $7,342 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Liberal Arts at California State University - San Bernardino
Sonoma State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. SSU is a public institution located in Rohnert Park, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 148 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
SSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $17,478 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students per year to attend Sonoma State University.
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%.
California State University - San Marcos came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. 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.
CSUSM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for CSUSM is $13,399 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies 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%.
Full California State University - San Marcos Liberal Arts Report
California State University - Chico came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. California State University - Chico is located in Chico, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 205 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Chico State, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Chico State is $15,017 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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 ranking. San Diego State University 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 also made our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $14,788 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.
San Francisco State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. SFSU is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 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 $15,113 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students.
California State University - East Bay came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Hayward, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 95 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Cal State East Bay is $11,116 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students.
San Jose State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #15. San Jose, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 47 students in 2019-2020.
San Jose State also made our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #18. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State University is $14,928 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.
Read full report on Liberal Arts at San Jose State University
With a ranking of #16, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This large school is located in Pomona, California, and it awarded 130 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal Poly Pomona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly Pomona is $12,734 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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 full report on Liberal Arts at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
With a ranking of #17, California State University - Channel Islands did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. California State University - Channel Islands is a medium-sized public school situated in Camarillo, California. It awarded 126 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Channel Islands is $13,558 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students.
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 Liberal Arts at California State University - Channel Islands
California State University - Sacramento landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. California State University - Sacramento is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 177 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $9,979 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #19, California State University - Bakersfield did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. California State University - Bakersfield is a fairly large public school situated in Bakersfield, California. It awarded 265 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for CSUB is $5,318 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students.
California State University - Los Angeles came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Cal State LA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 180 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $2,768 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.
The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 ranking of #21, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school awarded 125 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $7,991 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students per year to attend Cal State Fullerton.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 129 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend CSUDH is $4,215 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students.
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 California State University - Dominguez Hills Liberal Arts Report
Thomas Aquinas College landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Thomas Aquinas College is a small school located in Santa Paula, California that handed out 95 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students list, TAC has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $25,526 for california bachelor’s degree liberal studies students per year to attend Thomas Aquinas College.
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 1.2% 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%.
Antioch University - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #25. Antioch University - Santa Barbara is a small school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 32 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
- Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts in the Far Western US Region
- Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts
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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
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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