College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Value Colleges for Philosophy in California

15 Ranked Colleges
1,878 Degrees Awarded
$16,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Philosophy Schools in California

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Philosophy Schools in California” ranking.

Philosophy is the 83rd most popular major in the country with 10,054 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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” 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.

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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Philosophy Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. 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 in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for california philosophy students.

Top 15 Best Value Colleges for Philosophy in California

1

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 large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 58 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Davis also took the #2 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $15,768 for California Philosophy students.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Read more about Philosophy at UC Davis

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Barbara. It ranked #2 on our 2024 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 144 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.

UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCSB is $16,252 for california philosophy students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UCSB Philosophy Report

3

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 large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 106 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california philosophy students 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 per year to attend UC Berkeley.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 University of California - Berkeley Philosophy Report

4
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Francisco State University. It ranked #4 on our 2024 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California list. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s philosophy degrees to 56 students in 2020-2021.

SFSU also took the #9 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SFSU is $14,459 for California Philosophy students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Philosophy at SFSU

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Riverside. It ranked #5 on our 2024 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California list. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s philosophy degrees to 67 students in 2020-2021.

UCR did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” list. It costs about $11,822 for California Philosophy students per year to attend UCR.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Philosophy at UCR

6

California State University - Northridge came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Philosophy Schools in California ranking. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school handed out 22 diplomas to qualified ’s philosophy students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california philosophy students 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 per year to attend CSUN.

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%.

Read more about Philosophy at CSUN

7

University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #7 spot on the 2024 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California ranking. University of California - 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 took the #6 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Santa Cruz is $17,930 for California Philosophy students.

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 low undergrad 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%.

Read more about Philosophy at University of California - Santa Cruz

8

California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California ranking, coming in at #8. California State University - 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 list, Cal State Fullerton has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,003 for California Philosophy students per year to attend Cal State Fullerton.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Philosophy at California State University - Fullerton

9
Biola crest
Biola University
La Mirada, California

Biola University landed the #9 spot on the 2024 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California ranking. 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 took the #8 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Biola University is $33,269 for california philosophy students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 more about Philosophy at Biola University

10

California State University - Fresno did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California ranking, coming in at #10. California State University - Fresno is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 15 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.

Fresno State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” list. It costs about $6,230 for California Philosophy students per year to attend California State University - Fresno.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Philosophy at California State University - Fresno

11

California State University - Sacramento landed the #11 spot on the 2024 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California ranking. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s philosophy degrees to 32 students in 2020-2021.

Sac State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Sac State is $11,178 for california philosophy students.

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 more about Philosophy at Sac State

12

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.

In addition to being on our california philosophy students list, Cal State LA has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $3,302 for California Philosophy students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Philosophy at California State University - Los Angeles

13

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California ranking, coming in at #13. Pomona, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s philosophy degrees to 24 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly Pomona, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,304 for California Philosophy students per year to attend Cal Poly Pomona.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Philosophy at Cal Poly Pomona

14
Chapman crest
Chapman University
Orange, California

Chapman University ranked #14 on this year’s 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.

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 yearly cost to attend Chapman is $44,198 for California Philosophy students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Philosophy at Chapman University

15
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California landed the #15 spot on the 2024 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s philosophy degrees to 75 students in 2020-2021.

USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend USC is $32,569 for California Philosophy students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full USC Philosophy Report

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options