by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in California” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 7,368 people earned their degree in international studies, making the major the 100th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, international studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $34,198 and had an average of $21,594 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 1,569 international studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,635 and $16,885 respectively.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in California” ranking looked at 36 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in international studies. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their international studies program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in California”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University Maritime Academy. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in California list. California State University Maritime Academy is a small school located in Vallejo, California that handed out 30 ’s international studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 36 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #2 spot on the list. UCSD is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 585 ’s international studies degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, 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.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Barbara. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in California list. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 293 ’s international studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 36 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Pitzer College landed the #4 spot on the list. Pitzer College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Claremont, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pepperdine University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in California list. Malibu, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s international studies degrees to 46 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about International Studies at Pepperdine University
University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in California ranking, coming in at #6. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 172 ’s international studies degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Pacific Union College ranked #7 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in California list. PUC is a small school located in Angwin, California that handed out 3 ’s international studies degrees in 2020-2021.
California State University - Channel Islands landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in California ranking. CSUCI is a medium-sized school located in Camarillo, California that handed out 22 ’s international studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Concordia University, Irvine landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in California ranking. Concordia University, Irvine is a small school located in Irvine, California that handed out 15 ’s international studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 Concordia University, Irvine International Studies Report
University of California - Berkeley came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in California ranking. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 135 ’s international studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, 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 96%.
Full University of California - Berkeley International Studies Report
Humboldt State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in California ranking. Humboldt State University is a public institution located in Arcata, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 17 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about International Studies at Humboldt State University
California State University - Monterey Bay landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in California ranking. Seaside, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s international studies degrees to 16 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Whittier College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in California ranking. This small school is located in Whittier, California, and it awarded 3 ’s international studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 International Studies at Whittier College
Point Loma Nazarene University ranked #14 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in California list. PLNU is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
University of the Pacific came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in California ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Stockton, California, and it awarded 9 ’s international studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
La Sierra University ranked #16 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in California list. Located in Riverside, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 2 diplomas to qualified ’s international studies students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 International Studies at La Sierra University
California State University - Long Beach came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in California ranking. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 44 ’s international studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Long Beach International Studies Report
University of California - Riverside landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in California ranking. UCR is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 27 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, 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 undergraduate students.
University of San Francisco came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in California ranking. Located in San Francisco, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 11 degrees to qualified ’s international studies students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in California ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 42 degrees to qualified ’s international studies students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about International Studies at University of California - Los Angeles
Westmont College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in California ranking. Westmont is a small school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 1 ’s international studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%.
With a ranking of #22, California State University - East Bay did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in California list. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large public school situated in Hayward, California. It awarded 15 ’s international studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.
Read full report on International Studies at California State University - East Bay
Sonoma State University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in California ranking. Located in Rohnert Park, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 5 degrees to qualified ’s international studies students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Chapman University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in California ranking. Chapman is located in Orange, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 ’s international studies degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #25, California State University - San Marcos did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in California list. This fairly large school is located in San Marcos, California, and it awarded 8 ’s international studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about International Studies at California State University - San Marcos
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