2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
With 559,661 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, liberal arts general studies is the 1st most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, liberal arts general studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $26,786 and had an average of $16,538 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 112,019 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $25,678 and $19,082 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 5,907 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 46 colleges that offer a degree in liberal arts general studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality liberal arts general studies 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 general studies 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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One Size Does Not Fit All
The liberal arts 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 Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k”.
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. 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 Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies (Income $48-$75k) in California
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k. Cal State LA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 180 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $5,644 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Cal State LA.
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%.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at California State University - Los Angeles
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Stanislaus. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - Stanislaus 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Stan State is $7,772 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Stanislaus Liberal Arts General Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Soka University of America. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Soka University of America is a private not-for-profit institution located in Aliso Viejo, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 93 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Soka University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Soka University is $15,583 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Soka University of America Liberal Arts General Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 485 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
Fresno State also took the #22 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $7,549 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Fresno State
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Carson, California, this fairly large public school handed out 150 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $6,907 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k 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 California State University - Dominguez Hills Liberal Arts General Studies Report
With a ranking of #6, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. CSUN is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 320 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUN, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,783 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k 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%.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at California State University - Northridge
California State University - Long Beach came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 240 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
CSULB also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $10,807 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts 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%.
California State University - San Bernardino ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in San Bernardino, California, and it awarded 315 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - San Bernardino is $8,924 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. 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 108 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $19,407 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #10. California State University - Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 125 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $9,427 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Fullerton.
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 more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Cal State Fullerton
University of California - Riverside ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of California - Riverside is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 142 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k list, UCR has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Riverside is $12,290 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts 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 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 more about Liberal Arts General Studies at University of California - Riverside
With a ranking of #12, California State University - Bakersfield did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Bakersfield, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 265 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $7,564 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Bakersfield.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at California State University - Bakersfield
San Diego State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #13. SDSU is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 214 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SDSU, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $14,730 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.
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.
California State University - Sacramento ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 189 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $11,413 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at California State University - Sacramento
With a ranking of #15, California State University - Monterey Bay did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. CSUMB is a medium-sized public school situated in Seaside, California. It awarded 282 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
CSUMB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Monterey Bay is $13,311 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at California State University - Monterey Bay
California State University - San Marcos ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in San Marcos, California, and it awarded 185 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
CSUSM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,582 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - San Marcos.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
San Francisco State University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. SFSU is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 125 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFSU, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Francisco State University is $16,661 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.
California State University - East Bay came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Hayward, California, this fairly large public school awarded 95 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Cal State East Bay is $13,048 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Cal State East Bay
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in Pomona, California, and it awarded 130 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal Poly Pomona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,012 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Cal Poly Pomona.
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 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%.
Full California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Liberal Arts General Studies Report
California State University - Channel Islands came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Camarillo, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 126 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Channel Islands is $15,108 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at California State University - Channel Islands
San Jose State University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. San Jose State University is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 56 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
San Jose State also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #19. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $16,397 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
California State University - Chico came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Chico State is a public institution located in Chico, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 210 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $16,116 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Chico.
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 General Studies at Chico State
Sonoma State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #23. This medium-sized school is located in Rohnert Park, California, and it awarded 148 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
SSU also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #15. The estimated yearly cost for Sonoma State University is $17,644 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%.
Thomas Aquinas College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #24. This small school is located in Santa Paula, California, and it awarded 95 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k list, TAC has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Thomas Aquinas College is $21,536 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full Thomas Aquinas College Liberal Arts General Studies Report
Humphreys University - Stockton and Modesto Campuses did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #25. Stockton, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $14,392 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Humphreys University - Stockton and Modesto Campuses.
With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full Humphreys University Liberal Arts General Studies Report
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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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