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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Psychology in California

69 Ranked Colleges
13,973 Degrees Awarded
$12,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor's in California

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 134,326 general psychology students received their degree, making the major the 4th most popular in the country.

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” ranking looked at 69 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank General Psychology Schools

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” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Psychology in California

#13 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 503 bachelors’s psychology 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. It costs about $9,622 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students per year to attend California State University - Long Beach.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%.

Read more about General Psychology at CSULB

#25 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Northridge, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s psychology degrees to 804 students in 2019-2020.

CSUN also took the #25 spot in our “Best General Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,414 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students per year to attend California State University - Northridge.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Psychology at California State University - Northridge

#3

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#7 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Jose State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 428 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also made our “Best General Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $14,928 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students.

The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on General Psychology at San Jose State

#4

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 622 bachelors’s psychology degrees to qualified students.

UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best General Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,279 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students per year to attend UCLA.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read more about General Psychology at UCLA

Out of the 69 schools in the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Monterey Bay landed the #5 spot on the list. Seaside, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s psychology degrees to 242 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Monterey Bay is $12,212 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students.

The low student loan default rate of 5.0% 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 CSUMB

California State University - San Marcos came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. California State University - San Marcos is a fairly large public school situated in San Marcos, California. It awarded 307 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,399 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students per year to attend California State University - San Marcos.

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

With a ranking of #7, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Fresno State is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 443 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,464 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students per year to attend California State University - Fresno.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Fresno State General Psychology Report

#22 in overall quality

California State University - East Bay did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #8. California State University - East Bay is a public institution located in Hayward, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 345 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State East Bay also took the #22 spot in our “Best General Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal State East Bay is $11,116 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students.

Read more about General Psychology at California State University - East Bay

#11 in overall quality

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This large school is located in San Luis Obispo, California, and it awarded 124 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree psychology students 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 estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $21,595 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students.

The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about General Psychology at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

#19 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school handed out 723 degrees to qualified bachelors’s psychology students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree psychology students list, Cal State Fullerton has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best General Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fullerton is $7,991 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Psychology at Cal State Fullerton

With a ranking of #12, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. California State University - Chico is located in Chico, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 342 bachelors’s psychology degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $15,017 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students per year to attend Chico State.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Psychology at Chico State

#13

Palo Alto University

Palo Alto, California
#2 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, Palo Alto University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This small school is located in Palo Alto, California, and it awarded 24 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

Pacific Graduate School of Psychology did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best General Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list.

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%.

Read full report on General Psychology at Palo Alto University

#24 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Sac State is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 489 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

Sac State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best General Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $9,979 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students per year to attend Sac State.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.

Full Sac State General Psychology Report

California State University - Stanislaus came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California 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 $6,019 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about General Psychology at Stan State

#16

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Located in San Bernardino, California, this fairly large public school awarded 687 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s psychology students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUSB is $7,342 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students.

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

#17

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, California

Sonoma State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Rohnert Park, California, and it awarded 213 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Sonoma State University is $17,478 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students.

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%.

Full Sonoma State University General Psychology Report

#18

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

With a ranking of #18, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. 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 $15,113 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students per year to attend SFSU.

Read more about General Psychology at SFSU

California State University - Channel Islands came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Camarillo, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s psychology degrees to 327 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,558 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students per year to attend CSUCI.

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%.

Full CSUCI General Psychology Report

#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #20, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. UCSD is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 200 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD also made our “Best General Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. It costs about $14,232 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students per year to attend UCSD.

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 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 General Psychology at UCSD

#8 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. UC Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 306 bachelors’s psychology degrees to qualified students.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best General Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,783 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students per year to attend UC Irvine.

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 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 full report on General Psychology at UC Irvine

California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Carson, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s psychology degrees to 499 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Dominguez Hills is $4,215 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.

Read more about General Psychology at CSUDH

#23

Brandman University

Irvine, California
#21 in overall quality

With a ranking of #23, Brandman University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Brandman University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 199 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree psychology students list, Brandman has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best General Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $21,604 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students per year to attend Brandman University.

Read more about General Psychology at Brandman

#24

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. San Diego State University is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 524 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $14,788 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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 SDSU

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a large school located in Pomona, California that handed out 269 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly Pomona is $12,734 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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%.

Full Cal Poly Pomona General 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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to BruceBlaus.

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