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2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

23 Ranked Colleges
1,188 Degrees Awarded
$17,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Getting Aid

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Philosophy is the 82nd most popular major in the country with 9,456 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across California, there were 1,723 philosophy graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,188 philosophy graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 23 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in philosophy. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent philosophy 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 philosophy 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 philosophy 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 Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid”.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to 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 Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid.

Top 23 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Philosophy in California (With Aid)

#9 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. CSUN is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 29 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree philosophy students with aid list, CSUN has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $8,414 for california bachelor’s degree philosophy students with aid.

The low 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%.

Read more about Philosophy at CSUN

#8 in overall quality

Out of the 23 schools in the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school awarded 32 degrees to qualified bachelors’s philosophy students in 2019-2020.

CSULB also took the #8 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $9,622 for california bachelor’s degree philosophy students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read more about Philosophy at California State University - Long Beach

#3

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 23 schools in the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #3 spot on the list. UCLA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 127 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree philosophy students with aid list, UCLA has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $14,279 for California Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Philosophy at University of California - Los Angeles

#7 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 42 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree philosophy students with aid list, UC Irvine has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $14,783 for california bachelor’s degree philosophy students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of California - Irvine Philosophy Report

#18 in overall quality

Out of the 23 schools in the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #5 spot on the list. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s philosophy degrees to 22 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State Fullerton, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fullerton is $7,991 for california bachelor’s degree philosophy students with aid.

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 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Philosophy at Cal State Fullerton

#10 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 40 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $12,871 for california bachelor’s degree philosophy students with aid per year to attend University of California - Riverside.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Philosophy at University of California - Riverside

#22 in overall quality

California State University - Fresno ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Fresno State is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Fresno State also took the #22 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $5,464 for california bachelor’s degree philosophy students with aid per year to attend California State University - Fresno.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Fresno State Philosophy Report

#8

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#3 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s philosophy degrees to 139 students in 2019-2020.

UCSB also made our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $15,884 for california bachelor’s degree philosophy students with aid per year to attend University of California - Santa Barbara.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Philosophy at UCSB

#4 in overall quality

University of California - Davis ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s philosophy degrees to 58 students in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also took the #4 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $14,669 for California Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students with aid.

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%.

Full University of California - Davis Philosophy Report

#10

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#17 in overall quality

San Diego State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,788 for California Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students with aid per year to attend SDSU.

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

Read more about Philosophy at San Diego State University

#11

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#14 in overall quality

San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. San Francisco State University is a large public school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 35 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

SFSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $15,113 for California Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students with aid per year to attend San Francisco State University.

Read more about Philosophy at San Francisco State University

#19 in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s philosophy degrees to 46 students in 2019-2020.

Sac State also made our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #19. It costs about $9,979 for california bachelor’s degree philosophy students with aid per year to attend California State University - Sacramento.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 Sac State Philosophy Report

#13

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California
#5 in overall quality

University of California - Berkeley ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 97 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $15,329 for California Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students with aid.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - Berkeley Philosophy Report

#14

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#11 in overall quality

San Jose State University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school awarded 14 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s philosophy students in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also took the #11 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $14,928 for california bachelor’s degree philosophy students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Philosophy at San Jose State

#20 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Pomona, California, this large public school awarded 23 degrees to qualified bachelors’s philosophy students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly Pomona, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $12,734 for California Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students with aid per year to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona.

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

#16

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#16 in overall quality

With a ranking of #16, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Santa Cruz, California, this fairly large public school handed out 54 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s philosophy students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree philosophy students with aid list, UC Santa Cruz has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Santa Cruz is $18,186 for California Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Santa Cruz Philosophy Report

#23 in overall quality

With a ranking of #17, California State University - East Bay did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Hayward, California, this fairly large public school handed out 6 degrees to qualified bachelors’s philosophy students in 2019-2020.

Cal State East Bay also took the #23 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - East Bay is $11,116 for California Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students with aid.

Read more about Philosophy at Cal State East Bay

#18

Westmont College

Santa Barbara, California
#6 in overall quality

Westmont College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Westmont College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 4 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

Westmont did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Westmont College is $31,145 for california bachelor’s degree philosophy students with aid.

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%.

Read more about Philosophy at Westmont

#19

California Baptist University

Riverside, California
#21 in overall quality

California Baptist University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #19. California Baptist University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 5 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Baptist, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Baptist is $24,707 for california bachelor’s degree philosophy students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California Baptist University Philosophy Report

#20

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#1 in overall quality

University of Southern California ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. USC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

USC also took the #1 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Southern California is $29,528 for california bachelor’s degree philosophy students with aid.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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%.

Read full report on Philosophy at University of Southern California

#21

Biola University

La Mirada, California
#12 in overall quality

Biola University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in La Mirada, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 6 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s philosophy students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Biola, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Biola is $31,859 for california bachelor’s degree philosophy students with aid.

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%.

Full Biola University Philosophy Report

#22

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, California
#15 in overall quality

University of San Francisco ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of San Francisco is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 15 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

USFCA also made our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #15. The estimated yearly cost for USFCA is $36,424 for California Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Philosophy at University of San Francisco

#23

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, California
#13 in overall quality

Loyola Marymount University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 17 degrees to qualified bachelors’s philosophy students in 2019-2020.

Loyola Marymount did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $42,861 for California Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students with aid per year to attend Loyola Marymount University.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%.

Read more about Philosophy at Loyola Marymount University

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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