2022 Best Value Science, Tech & Society Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Science, Tech & Society Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Science, Technology & Society is the 225th most popular major in the country with 1,072 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, science, technology and society graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $52,000 and had an average of $27,321 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 60 science, technology and society graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,900 and $12,000 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 59 science, technology and society graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Science, Tech & Society Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 3 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in science, technology and society. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality science, technology and society 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 science, technology and society program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Science, Tech & Society Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Science, Tech & Society Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree science, tech & society students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 3 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Science, Technology & Society (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California

#1 in overall quality

$-1,387 Average Net Price

$55,964 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Science, Tech & Society Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford University is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 44 bachelors’s science, tech and society degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree science, tech & society students whose families make $0-$30k list, Stanford has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Science, Technology & Society Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $-1,387 for California Bachelor’s Degree Science, Tech & Society students whose families make $0-$30k. When an average net price is negative, it usually means that the student will receive more financial aid than it costs to attend the school.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, 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%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Science, Technology & Society at Stanford University

#2

University of California - Davis

Davis, California

#2 in overall quality

$9,842 Average Net Price

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Science, Tech & Society Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #2 spot on the list. University of California - Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Science, Technology & Society Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Davis is $9,842 for california bachelor’s degree science, tech & society students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, 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%.

Read more about Science, Technology & Society at University of California - Davis

#3

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

Pomona, California

#3 in overall quality

$8,596 Average Net Price

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Science, Tech & Society Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Pomona, California, this large public school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s science, tech and society students in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly Pomona also made our “Best Science, Technology & Society Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly Pomona is $8,596 for California Bachelor’s Degree Science, Tech & Society students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Science, Technology & Society Report

• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Science, Technology & Society (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Science, Technology & Society (Income $0-$30k)

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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