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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Philosophy (Income $0-$30k) in California

23 Ranked Colleges
1,233 Degrees Awarded
$12,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Philosophy is the 81st most popular major in the country with 10,015 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, philosophy graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $29,067 and had an average of $22,199 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 1,774 philosophy graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,175 and $17,728 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,233 philosophy graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 23 colleges that offer a degree 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.

More Ways to Rank Philosophy Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Philosophy 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.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 23 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Philosophy (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Out of the 23 schools in the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #1 spot on the list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 127 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,553 for California Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.

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 UCLA

Out of the 23 schools in the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #2 spot on the list. 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 whose families make $0-$30k 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 UC Irvine is $9,558 for California Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Philosophy at University of California - Irvine

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 97 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also took the #5 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $8,392 for california bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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%.

Full UC Berkeley Philosophy Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northridge, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s philosophy degrees to 29 students in 2019-2020.

CSUN not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $5,945 for California Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSUN.

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

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. California State University - Long Beach is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 32 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB also took the #8 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $6,364 for california bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Long Beach.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read more about Philosophy at California State University - Long Beach

University of California - Riverside came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s philosophy degrees to 47 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCR, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Riverside is $8,366 for california bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, 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 91%.

Read more about Philosophy at UCR

#7

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. UCSB is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 139 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB also took the #3 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Barbara is $10,316 for California Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 Philosophy at University of California - Santa Barbara

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. UC Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 58 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Davis is $9,842 for california bachelor’s degree philosophy 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full UC Davis Philosophy Report

With a ranking of #9, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school awarded 22 degrees to qualified bachelors’s philosophy students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal State Fullerton has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $4,291 for california bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Read full report on Philosophy at Cal State Fullerton

California State University - Fresno landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - Fresno is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 27 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

Fresno State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $3,264 for California Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%.

Read full report on Philosophy at Fresno State

#11

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

With a ranking of #11, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school handed out 26 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s philosophy students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SDSU, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,870 for California Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Diego State University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full San Diego State University Philosophy Report

#12

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 35 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k list, SFSU has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Francisco State University is $11,123 for California Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Philosophy at SFSU

California State University - Sacramento landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school handed out 46 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s philosophy students in 2019-2020.

Sac State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $6,819 for California Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Sacramento.

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%.

Read more about Philosophy at California State University - Sacramento

#14

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 54 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $10,872 for California Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Santa Cruz.

The low 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full UC Santa Cruz Philosophy Report

#15

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Southern California is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 55 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend USC is $14,668 for California Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%. 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 University of Southern California

#16

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

With a ranking of #16, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Jose State University is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 14 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also made our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $10,940 for California Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Jose State.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full San Jose State University Philosophy Report

With a ranking of #17, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Pomona, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s philosophy degrees to 23 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal Poly Pomona has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,596 for California Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona.

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

Read full report on Philosophy at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

California State University - East Bay came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Hayward, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s philosophy degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.

Cal State East Bay also made our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #23. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - East Bay is $8,036 for California Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Philosophy at Cal State East Bay

#19

Westmont College

Santa Barbara, California
#6 in overall quality

Westmont College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #19. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s philosophy degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

Westmont also made our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for Westmont College is $23,381 for California Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Full Westmont Philosophy Report

#20

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 Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #20. Cal Baptist is located in Riverside, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.

Cal Baptist also took the #21 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Baptist is $20,277 for California Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Read more about Philosophy at California Baptist University

#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 Making $0-$30k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in La Mirada, California, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k list, Biola has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Biola is $25,135 for california bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 full report on Philosophy at Biola

#22

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, California

University of San Francisco landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of San Francisco is located in San Francisco, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.

USFCA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $27,690 for California Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of San Francisco.

The low 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 more about Philosophy at USFCA

#23

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, California

Loyola Marymount University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s philosophy degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Loyola Marymount, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola Marymount University is $32,367 for california bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

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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