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2022 Best Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k

44 Ranked Colleges
5,907 Degrees Awarded
$21,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making Over $110k

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 Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 559,661 liberal arts general studies students received their degree, making the major the 1st most popular in the country. 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.

This year’s “Best Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k” ranking analyzed 44 colleges that offered 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k”.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools 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.

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Best Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies (Income Over $110k) 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 Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k. California State University - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 180 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $2,768 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.

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 Liberal Arts General Studies Report

Out of the 44 schools in the Best Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Stanislaus landed the #2 spot on the list. Turlock, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 235 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make more than $110k list, Stan State has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies 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 Arts students whose families make more than $110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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%.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at California State University - Stanislaus

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. Fresno State is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 485 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Fresno State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $5,464 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make more than $110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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 Fresno State Liberal Arts General Studies Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school awarded 320 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

CSUN also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Northridge is $8,414 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make more than $110k.

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 full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at CSUN

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Dominguez Hills. The school came in at #5 for the Best Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k. California State University - Dominguez Hills is located in Carson, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 150 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend CSUDH is $4,215 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make more than $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%.

Full California State University - Dominguez Hills Liberal Arts General Studies Report

California State University - Long Beach landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 240 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make more than $110k list, CSULB has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $9,622 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make more than $110k.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full CSULB Liberal Arts General Studies Report

California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2022 Best Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #7. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 125 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $7,991 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make more than $110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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 General Studies at Cal State Fullerton

With a ranking of #8, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $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 arts degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUSB is $7,342 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make more than $110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at California State University - San Bernardino

With a ranking of #9, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. San Luis Obispo, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 108 students in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $21,595 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 General Studies at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

#10

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. SDSU is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 214 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for SDSU is $14,788 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make more than $110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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%.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at SDSU

California State University - Bakersfield landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. CSUB is a fairly large school located in Bakersfield, California that handed out 265 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Bakersfield is $5,318 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make more than $110k.

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

With a ranking of #12, California State University - Monterey Bay did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. California State University - Monterey Bay is a public institution located in Seaside, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 282 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUMB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $12,212 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend CSUMB.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at CSUMB

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #13. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 189 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,979 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Sac State.

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

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #14 on this year’s Best Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a large school located in Pomona, California that handed out 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. The yearly cost to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $12,734 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make more than $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 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 Cal Poly Pomona Liberal Arts General Studies Report

California State University - San Marcos landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. CSUSM is a fairly large school located in San Marcos, California that handed out 185 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUSM, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSUSM is $13,399 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make more than $110k.

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%.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at California State University - San Marcos

California State University - East Bay did quite well in the 2022 Best Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #16. California State University - East Bay is a fairly large school located in Hayward, California that handed out 95 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,116 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend California State University - East Bay.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Cal State East Bay

#17

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. SFSU is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 125 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

SFSU also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #20. It costs about $15,113 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend San Francisco State University.

Full SFSU Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#18

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

With a ranking of #18, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. San Jose State is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 56 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also took the #19 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State University is $14,928 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make more than $110k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at San Jose State University

#19

Soka University of America

Aliso Viejo, California

Soka University of America did quite well in the 2022 Best Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #19. Soka University of America is a small school located in Aliso Viejo, California that handed out 93 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Soka University also took the #9 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $13,914 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Soka University of America.

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. 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Soka University of America

California State University - Chico ranked #20 on this year’s Best Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. Located in Chico, California, this fairly large public school awarded 210 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Chico is $15,017 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make more than $110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Chico State

#20

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, California

Sonoma State University landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend SSU is $17,478 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make more than $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%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Sonoma State University

California State University - Channel Islands came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. California State University - Channel Islands is a medium-sized public school situated in Camarillo, California. It awarded 126 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Channel Islands is $13,558 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make more than $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%.

Full CSUCI Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#23

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

University of California - Riverside came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. University of California - Riverside is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 142 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #24. The estimated yearly cost for UCR is $12,871 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make more than $110k.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UCR Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#24

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, California
#3 in overall quality

Mount Saint Mary’s University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. MSMU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make more than $110k list, MSMU has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for MSMU is $29,214 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make more than $110k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at MSMU

#25

Thomas Aquinas College

Santa Paula, California

Thomas Aquinas College ranked #25 on this year’s Best Vallue Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. Santa Paula, 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 95 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make more than $110k list, TAC has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Thomas Aquinas College is $25,526 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make more than $110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, 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 93%.

Full TAC 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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