2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Science, Technology & Society (Income $0-$30k) in California

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Science, Tech & Society Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Science, Technology & Society is the 396th most popular major in the country with 1,072 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across California, there were 60 science, technology and society graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 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. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent science, technology and society programs, but they also cost less that 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 the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Science, Tech & Society Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

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

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Science, Tech & Society Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 44 bachelors’s science, tech and society degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford also took the #1 spot 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. The negative number means the student will receive more financial aid on average than it costs to attend the school.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 more about Science, Technology & Society at Stanford

#2

University of California - Davis

Davis, California

#2 in overall quality

$9,842 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Davis. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Science, Tech & Society Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s science, tech and society degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Science, Technology & Society Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $9,842 for California Bachelor’s Degree Science, Tech & Society students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Davis.

The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%. 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

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Science, Tech & Society Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Pomona, California, this large public school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s science, tech and society students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree science, tech & society students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal Poly Pomona has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Science, Technology & Society Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. 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.

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 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal Poly 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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