2024 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California
15
Ranked Colleges
1,814
Degrees Awarded
$16,900
Avg Net Price*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Philosophy Schools in California” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 9,487 people earned their degree in philosophy, making the major the 86th most popular in the United States.
Across California, there were 1,814 philosophy graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Philosophy Schools in California” ranking looked at 15 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.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the philosophy program at the school. 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 Philosophy Schools in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Philosophy Schools in California
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Philosophy Schools in California.
Top 15 Best Value Colleges for Philosophy in California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Davis. It ranked #1 on our 2024 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California list. UC Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 58 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Davis also made our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $15,768 for california philosophy students per year to attend UC Davis.
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%. 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 more about Philosophy at University of California - Davis
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Santa Barbara. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Philosophy Schools in California. University of California - Santa Barbara is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 144 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $16,252 for california philosophy students per year to attend University of California - Santa Barbara.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Santa Barbara Philosophy Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #3 on our 2024 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California list. University of California - Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 106 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $16,032 for california philosophy students.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Philosophy at UC Berkeley
Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Philosophy Schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Francisco State University landed the #4 spot on the list. San Francisco State University is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 56 ’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFSU, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Francisco State University is $14,459 for california philosophy students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Philosophy at San Francisco State University
Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Philosophy Schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Riverside landed the #5 spot on the list. UCR is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 59 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california philosophy students list, UCR has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,822 for California Philosophy students per year to attend UCR.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%.
Read more about Philosophy at UCR
California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California ranking, coming in at #6. California State University - Northridge is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 22 ’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
CSUN also took the #11 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $8,523 for California Philosophy students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Philosophy at CSUN
University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #7 spot on the 2024 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California ranking. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large school located in Santa Cruz, California that handed out 67 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Santa Cruz not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” list. It costs about $17,930 for California Philosophy students per year to attend UC Santa Cruz.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Philosophy at UC Santa Cruz
California State University - Fullerton came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Philosophy Schools in California ranking. California State University - Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 37 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal State Fullerton also made our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $8,003 for California Philosophy students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Philosophy at California State University - Fullerton
Biola University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California ranking, coming in at #9. Biola is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in La Mirada, California. It awarded 14 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
Biola also made our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $33,269 for california philosophy students per year to attend Biola.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad 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 more about Philosophy at Biola
With a ranking of #10, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California list. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school handed out 15 diplomas to qualified ’s philosophy students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california philosophy students list, Fresno State has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $6,230 for california philosophy students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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 California State University - Fresno
California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California ranking, coming in at #11. Sac State is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 32 ’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
Sac State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $11,178 for California Philosophy students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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%.
Read full report on Philosophy at Sac State
California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California ranking, coming in at #12. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s philosophy degrees to 17 students in 2020-2021.
Cal State LA also took the #13 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $3,302 for california philosophy students per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.
Read more about Philosophy at Cal State LA
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Philosophy Schools in California list. Cal Poly Pomona is a public institution located in Pomona, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 24 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal Poly Pomona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly Pomona is $14,304 for California Philosophy students.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Philosophy at Cal Poly Pomona
With a ranking of #14, Chapman University did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California list. Orange, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s philosophy degrees to 16 students in 2020-2021.
Chapman did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” list. It costs about $44,198 for California Philosophy students per year to attend Chapman University.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad 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 Chapman
University of Southern California came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Philosophy Schools in California ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 32 diplomas to qualified ’s philosophy students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california philosophy students list, USC has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $32,569 for california philosophy students per year to attend USC.
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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Philosophy at University of Southern California
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