College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Best Value Child Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k

14 Ranked Colleges
4,035 Degrees Awarded
$12,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Child Development Schools 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 Child Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Child Development & Psychology is the 57th most popular major in the country with 17,542 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, child development and psychology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $34,186 and had an average of $22,623 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 4,035 child development and psychology graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,767 and $17,012 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Child Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 14 colleges that offer 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the child development and psychology program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Child Development 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 Child Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Child Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k

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

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

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 63 diplomas to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.

Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $1,233 for california child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Stanford University Child Development & Psychology Report

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 326 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california child development students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $8,450 for California Child Development students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at UC Berkeley

3

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Child Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 800 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $6,540 for California Child Development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at UC Irvine

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Child Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 432 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in California” list. It costs about $9,037 for California Child Development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCLA.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at UCLA

5

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Child Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #5 spot on the list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 578 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UCSB also took the #3 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,568 for california child development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCSB.

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

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

6

University of California - San Diego landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s child development degrees to 85 students in 2020-2021.

UCSD also took the #8 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,823 for California Child Development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCSD.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UCSD Child Development & Psychology Report

7

University of California - Davis ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Child Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. UC Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 879 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Davis is $10,006 for California Child Development students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 93%.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at UC Davis

8

University of California - Riverside landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school awarded 624 diplomas to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.

UCR not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in California” list. It costs about $6,810 for California Child Development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCR.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, 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 Child Development & Psychology at UCR

9

California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. CSUN is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUN, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $6,266 for California Child Development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full CSUN Child Development & Psychology Report

10
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Child Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Southern California is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 9 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in California” list. It costs about $17,287 for California Child Development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Southern California.

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 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at USC

11

California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. CSUSB is a fairly large public school situated in San Bernardino, California. It awarded 3 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUSB, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - San Bernardino is $5,985 for California Child Development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, 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 85%.

Full CSUSB Child Development & Psychology Report

12
Azusa Pacific crest
Azusa Pacific University
Azusa, California

Azusa Pacific University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Child Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Azusa, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s child development degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Azusa Pacific, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Azusa Pacific is $26,548 for california child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate 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.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at Azusa Pacific University

13

With a ranking of #13, Saint Mary’s College of California did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Child Development Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Saint Mary’s College of California is a private not-for-profit institution located in Moraga, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

SMC also took the #10 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $28,783 for california child development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SMC.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

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

14
MSMU crest
Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, California

Mount Saint Mary’s University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Child Development Schools 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 6 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

MSMU also made our “Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in California” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend MSMU is $29,531 for California Child Development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Mount Saint Mary’s University

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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