2023 Best Value Colleges for Philosophy in California (With Aid)
15
Ranked Colleges
1,878
Degrees Awarded
$16,900
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 10,054 people earned their degree in philosophy, making the major the 83rd most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, philosophy graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $30,510 and had an average of $21,514 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 1,878 philosophy graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,527 and $16,062 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 15 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.
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. 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 Philosophy Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” 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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Getting Aid.
Top 15 Best Value Colleges for Philosophy in California (With Aid)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Davis. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 58 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california philosophy students with aid list, UC Davis has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $15,768 for California Philosophy students with aid.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Philosophy at University of California - Davis
Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #2 spot on the list. Cal State LA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 17 ’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
Cal State LA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $3,302 for california philosophy students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Los Angeles Philosophy Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Riverside. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - Riverside is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 67 ’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCR, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,822 for California Philosophy students with aid per year to attend University of California - Riverside.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Full University of California - Riverside Philosophy Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s philosophy degrees to 15 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california philosophy students with aid list, Fresno State has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $6,230 for california philosophy students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, 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 87%.
Read more about Philosophy at Fresno State
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fullerton. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Cal State Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 37 ’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our california philosophy students with aid list, Cal State Fullerton has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $8,003 for california philosophy students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, 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 89%.
Read full report on Philosophy at California State University - Fullerton
University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s philosophy degrees to 144 students in 2020-2021.
UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Barbara is $16,252 for California Philosophy students with aid.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Philosophy at University of California - Santa Barbara
University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school handed out 106 diplomas to qualified ’s philosophy students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california philosophy students with aid list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $16,032 for california philosophy students with aid per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.
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 more about Philosophy at UC Berkeley
California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. This large school is located in Northridge, California, and it awarded 22 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california philosophy students with aid list, CSUN has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,523 for california philosophy students with aid per year to attend California State University - Northridge.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 CSUN Philosophy Report
University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Getting Aid 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 also made our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $17,930 for California Philosophy students with aid per year to attend UC Santa Cruz.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Santa Cruz Philosophy Report
With a ranking of #10, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. SFSU is a large public school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 56 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
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 estimated yearly cost for SFSU is $14,459 for california philosophy students with aid.
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 SFSU
With a ranking of #11, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. 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.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Sac State, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,178 for California Philosophy students with aid per year to attend Sac State.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Philosophy at California State University - Sacramento
With a ranking of #12, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is located in Pomona, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 24 ’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
Cal Poly Pomona also took the #15 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $14,304 for california philosophy students with aid.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Philosophy at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
University of Southern California landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Southern California is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 75 ’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at USC, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $32,569 for california philosophy students with aid 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 undergrad 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 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full USC Philosophy Report
Biola University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. Biola University is located in La Mirada, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 ’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
Biola also made our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend Biola is $33,269 for California Philosophy students with aid.
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 University
Chapman University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Orange, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 16 degrees to qualified ’s philosophy students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Chapman, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Chapman University is $44,198 for California Philosophy students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Philosophy at Chapman
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