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2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k

59 Ranked Colleges
13,973 Degrees Awarded
$9,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $30-$48k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

General Psychology is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 4th of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 134,326 degrees were awarded to students with this major.

Across California, there were 27,163 general psychology graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 13,973 general psychology graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 59 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general psychology. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general 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 general 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 Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Psychology (Income $30-$48k) in California

#1

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 622 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also took the #3 spot in our “Best General Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $9,254 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about General Psychology at UCLA

#19 in overall quality

Out of the 59 schools in the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #2 spot on the list. California State University - Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 723 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton also took the #19 spot in our “Best General Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $6,100 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Cal State Fullerton.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Fullerton General Psychology Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 499 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Dominguez Hills is $3,115 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Psychology at California State University - Dominguez Hills

#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. UC Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 306 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $30-$48k list, UC Irvine has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best General Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $10,373 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low 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 freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about General Psychology at University of California - Irvine

#13 in overall quality

Out of the 59 schools in the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #5 spot on the list. CSULB is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 503 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best General Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $7,595 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Psychology at California State University - Long Beach

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - Fresno is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 443 bachelors’s psychology degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $3,731 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full California State University - Fresno General Psychology Report

California State University - Stanislaus landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Stanislaus is located in Turlock, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 373 bachelors’s psychology degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Stan State is $3,958 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, 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 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Stanislaus General Psychology Report

#25 in overall quality

California State University - Northridge ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - Northridge is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 804 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUN not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best General Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $6,883 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend CSUN.

The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.

Read full report on General Psychology at CSUN

California State University - San Bernardino ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - San Bernardino is a fairly large public school situated in San Bernardino, California. It awarded 687 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUSB is $5,869 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about General Psychology at California State University - San Bernardino

#10 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s psychology degrees to 200 students in 2019-2020.

UCSD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best General Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $9,974 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - San Diego.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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.

Full UCSD General Psychology Report

#24 in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Sacramento is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 489 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Sac State, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best General Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $7,823 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Sac State General Psychology Report

California State University - Bakersfield came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Bakersfield, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s psychology degrees to 234 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Bakersfield is $3,880 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on General Psychology at CSUB

#13

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. SDSU is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 524 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $10,594 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about General Psychology at San Diego State University

#14

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#12 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #14. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s psychology degrees to 514 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Santa Cruz, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best General Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Santa Cruz is $11,793 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on General Psychology at UC Santa Cruz

California State University - San Marcos ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. San Marcos, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s psychology degrees to 307 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Marcos is $10,347 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Psychology at California State University - San Marcos

#16

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#7 in overall quality

San Jose State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. San Jose State is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 428 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best General Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $11,752 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, 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 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Psychology at San Jose State

#22 in overall quality

California State University - East Bay landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Hayward, California, this fairly large public school awarded 345 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s psychology students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State East Bay, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best General Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal State East Bay is $8,891 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on General Psychology at Cal State East Bay

#18

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#1 in overall quality

With a ranking of #18, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. USC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 156 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best General Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern California is $16,252 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 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. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about General Psychology at USC

#11 in overall quality

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a large public school situated in San Luis Obispo, California. It awarded 124 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $30-$48k list, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best General Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $14,680 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Psychology at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

With a ranking of #20, California State University - Monterey Bay did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. CSUMB is a public institution located in Seaside, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 242 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,567 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend CSUMB.

The student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Psychology at CSUMB

#21

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. San Francisco State University is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 408 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,517 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend SFSU.

Read more about General Psychology at SFSU

#22

Occidental College

Los Angeles, California

Occidental College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 25 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s psychology students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $17,662 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Occidental College.

The 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 impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 General Psychology at Oxy

California State University - Chico did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #23. Chico State is a fairly large school located in Chico, California that handed out 342 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Chico State is $11,576 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Read full report on General Psychology at California State University - Chico

With a ranking of #24, California State University - Channel Islands did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. CSUCI is a medium-sized school located in Camarillo, California that handed out 327 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,497 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Channel Islands.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Psychology at California State University - Channel Islands

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #25. Pomona, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s psychology degrees to 269 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly Pomona is $9,630 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Read full report on General Psychology at Cal Poly Pomona

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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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to BruceBlaus.

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