Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Child Development & Psychology

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Child Development & Psychology (Income $0-$30k) in California

14 Ranked Colleges
3,586 Degrees Awarded
$12,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Child Development 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. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 15,161 people earned their degree in child development and psychology, making the major the 72nd most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, child development and psychology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $32,673 and had an average of $25,889 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 3,820 child development and psychology graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,900 and $17,780 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 3,586 child development and psychology graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 14 colleges that offered a degree in child development and psychology. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent child development and psychology 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 child development and psychology program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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 Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” 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. 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 Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

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

Top 14 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Child Development & Psychology (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 52 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $0-$30k list, Stanford has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $-1,387 for California Bachelor’s Degree Child Development students whose families make $0-$30k. The negative number means the student will receive more financial aid on average than it costs to attend the school.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 full report on Child Development & Psychology at Stanford

#4 in overall quality

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #2 spot on the list. UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 275 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $8,392 for california bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of California - Berkeley Child Development & Psychology Report

#3

Pomona College

Claremont, California
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Pomona College landed the #3 spot on the list. Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $0-$30k list, Pomona has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $6,945 for california bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Pomona.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Pomona

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Child Development 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 #4 spot on the list. University of California - Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 698 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $9,558 for California Bachelor’s Degree Child Development students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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 Child Development & Psychology at University of California - Irvine

#9 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Riverside. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. University of California - Riverside is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 600 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCR, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Riverside is $8,366 for California Bachelor’s Degree Child Development 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at UCR

#6

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 398 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also took the #7 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,553 for California Bachelor’s Degree Child Development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.

The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Full UCLA Child Development & Psychology Report

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. University of California - Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 806 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $9,842 for california bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at UC Davis

#8

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school handed out 579 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s child development students in 2019-2020.

UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Barbara is $10,316 for california bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at University of California - Santa Barbara

#9

Scripps College

Claremont, California
#2 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Scripps College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Scripps is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California. It awarded 21 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $0-$30k list, Scripps has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $13,300 for california bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Scripps.

The 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 student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at Scripps

University of California - San Diego landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UCSD is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 85 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCSD has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - San Diego is $9,280 for California Bachelor’s Degree Child Development students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at University of California - San Diego

#11

Holy Names University

Oakland, California
#11 in overall quality

Holy Names University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. HNU is a small school located in Oakland, California that handed out 1 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

HNU also made our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for HNU is $18,048 for California Bachelor’s Degree Child Development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 full report on Child Development & Psychology at Holy Names University

#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, Saint Mary’s College of California did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Moraga, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 7 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s child development students in 2019-2020.

SMC also took the #12 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Saint Mary’s College of California is $25,057 for california bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low 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%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at Saint Mary’s College of California

#13

Brandman University

Irvine, California
#14 in overall quality

Brandman University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. Brandman is located in Irvine, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.

Brandman did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $19,981 for California Bachelor’s Degree Child Development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Brandman.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at Brandman University

#14

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, California

Mount Saint Mary’s University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Mount Saint Mary’s University is a small school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 17 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

MSMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend MSMU is $27,107 for california bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Mount Saint Mary’s University Child Development & Psychology Report

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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.

Featured Psychology Schools

Find Schools Near You