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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Child Development & Psychology in California

14 Ranked Colleges
3,586 Degrees Awarded
$19,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor's in California

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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” ranking analyzed 14 colleges that offered a degree in child development and psychology. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great child development and psychology programs and 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree child development students.

Top 14 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Child Development & Psychology in California

#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. University of California - 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 University of California - Berkeley is $15,329 for California Bachelor’s Degree Child Development students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at UC Berkeley

#2

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #2 spot on the list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 579 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,884 for California Bachelor’s Degree Child Development students per year to attend University of California - Santa Barbara.

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 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. University of California - Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 698 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $14,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree Child Development students.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at UC Irvine

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 806 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $14,669 for California Bachelor’s Degree Child Development students.

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

Full UC Davis Child Development & Psychology Report

#5

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 398 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $14,279 for california bachelor’s degree child development students.

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%.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at UCLA

#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 600 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree child development students list, UCR has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Riverside is $12,871 for California Bachelor’s Degree Child Development students.

The low 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 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at UCR

With a ranking of #7, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 85 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD also took the #10 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $14,232 for California Bachelor’s Degree Child Development students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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 full report on Child Development & Psychology at UCSD

#8

Brandman University

Irvine, California
#14 in overall quality

Brandman University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Brandman University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 2 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

Brandman also made our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $21,604 for California Bachelor’s Degree Child Development students per year to attend Brandman University.

Full Brandman Child Development & Psychology Report

#9

Holy Names University

Oakland, California
#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Holy Names University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. HNU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Oakland, California. It awarded 1 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

HNU also took the #11 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $23,034 for California Bachelor’s Degree Child Development students per year to attend HNU.

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%.

Full Holy Names University Child Development & Psychology Report

#10

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, California

Mount Saint Mary’s University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at MSMU, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Mount Saint Mary’s University is $29,214 for California Bachelor’s Degree Child Development students.

The 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 student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

#12 in overall quality

Saint Mary’s College of California ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Saint Mary’s College of California is located in Moraga, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SMC, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Saint Mary’s College of California is $34,392 for california bachelor’s degree child development students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive 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.

Full SMC Child Development & Psychology Report

#12

Pomona College

Claremont, California
#3 in overall quality

Pomona College landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Pomona is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California. It awarded 16 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

Pomona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Pomona is $17,458 for california bachelor’s degree child development students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Pomona Child Development & Psychology Report

#13

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

Stanford University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #13. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 52 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree child development students list, Stanford has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $11,496 for california bachelor’s degree child development students.

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

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Stanford University

#14

Scripps College

Claremont, California
#2 in overall quality

Scripps College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Scripps College is located in Claremont, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.

Scripps also made our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for Scripps College is $32,709 for California Bachelor’s Degree Child Development students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.

Full Scripps Child Development & Psychology Report

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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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