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2026 Best Value Social Psychology Schools in California

[Social Psychology](/majors/psychology/child-development-psychology/social-psychology/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 2 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for social psychology students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Social Psychology Schools in California

2026 Best Value Social Psychology Schools in California

If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the social psychology degrees they offer, see the list below.

Best Value Social Psychology Schools

1

University Of California San Diego
La Jolla, CA

$15,788 In-State Tuition & Fees

$15,500 Avg Student Debt

$84,943 Median Earnings (10yr)

For return on investment in social psychology, no school beat University Of California San Diego this year. Set in the city of La Jolla, University Of California San Diego is a very large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $15,788, with out-of-state students paying around $47,676. Students borrow a median of $15,500 to complete the social psychology program here. Social Psychology graduates of University Of California San Diego earn a median of $23,420 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $15,500 median debt. Roughly 27% of applicants are accepted.

2

University Of California Irvine
Irvine, CA

$14,752 In-State Tuition & Fees

$13,000 Avg Student Debt

$80,735 Median Earnings (10yr)

Students looking for strong value in social psychology will find it at University Of California Irvine, which ranked #2. Set in the city of Irvine, University Of California Irvine is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $14,752, compared with $46,640 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for social psychology graduates is $13,000. Social Psychology graduates of University Of California Irvine earn a median of $50,958 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $13,000 median debt. The acceptance rate is 29%.

View All Social Psychology Rankings >

Notes and References

This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 2 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked schools only.

• 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.