2024 Best Value Psychology Schools in California
78
Ranked Colleges
29,992
Degrees Awarded
$12,700
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Psychology Schools in California” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 141,695 general psychology students received their degree, making the major the 4th most popular in the country. In 2019-2020, general psychology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $30,326 and had an average of $26,018 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 29,992 general psychology graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,807 and $22,757 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Psychology Schools in California” ranking, we looked at 78 colleges that offer a degree in general psychology. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great general psychology programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the general 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.
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 in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Psychology Schools in California
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Psychology Schools in California.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for General Psychology in California
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 in California. University of California - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 684 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UCLA also made our “Best General Psychology Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $15,023 for california psychology students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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%.
Read full report on General Psychology at UCLA
Out of the 78 schools in the Best Value Psychology Schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #2 spot on the list. California State University - Long Beach is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 535 ’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california psychology students list, CSULB has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best General Psychology Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $10,054 for california psychology students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on General Psychology at California State University - Long Beach
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #3 on our 2024 Best Value Psychology Schools in California list. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school handed out 881 degrees to qualified ’s psychology students in 2020-2021.
CSUN also took the #16 spot in our “Best General Psychology Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,523 for california psychology students per year to attend California State University - Northridge.
The low undergrad 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%.
Read more about General Psychology at CSUN
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Psychology Schools in California. Fresno State is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 483 ’s psychology degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $6,230 for California Psychology students per year to attend Fresno State.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Psychology at California State University - Fresno
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Jose State University. It ranked #5 on our 2024 Best Value Psychology Schools in California list. San Jose State is a large public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 515 ’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.
San Jose State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best General Psychology Schools in California” list. It costs about $16,542 for California Psychology students per year to attend San Jose State University.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Psychology at San Jose State
With a ranking of #6, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Psychology Schools in California list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s psychology degrees to 367 students in 2020-2021.
UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best General Psychology Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $12,209 for California Psychology students.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 UC Irvine
University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Psychology Schools in California ranking, coming in at #7. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school handed out 216 diplomas to qualified ’s psychology students in 2020-2021.
UCSD also took the #4 spot in our “Best General Psychology Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $15,240 for california psychology students.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about General Psychology at University of California - San Diego
California State University - San Marcos did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Psychology Schools in California ranking, coming in at #8. CSUSM is a fairly large school located in San Marcos, California that handed out 336 ’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $13,218 for California Psychology students per year to attend California State University - San Marcos.
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%.
Read more about General Psychology at CSUSM
California State University - Fullerton landed the #9 spot on the 2024 Best Value Psychology Schools in California ranking. Cal State Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 812 ’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal State Fullerton also made our “Best General Psychology Schools in California” list, coming in at #14. The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $8,003 for California Psychology students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, 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 87%.
Read full report on General Psychology at Cal State Fullerton
With a ranking of #10, California State University - East Bay did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Psychology Schools in California list. Hayward, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s psychology degrees to 430 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california psychology students list, Cal State East Bay has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best General Psychology Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $13,298 for California Psychology students per year to attend California State University - East Bay.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 California State University - East Bay
California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Psychology Schools in California ranking, coming in at #11. CSUSB is a fairly large public school situated in San Bernardino, California. It awarded 585 ’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for CSUSB is $8,107 for california psychology students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full CSUSB General Psychology Report
The University of Arizona Global Campus did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Psychology Schools in California ranking, coming in at #12. UAGC is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 769 ’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california psychology students list, UAGC has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best General Psychology Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UAGC is $20,987 for California Psychology students.
Full UAGC General Psychology Report
California State University - Stanislaus landed the #13 spot on the 2024 Best Value Psychology Schools in California ranking. Stan State is a fairly large public school situated in Turlock, California. It awarded 414 ’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $6,566 for California Psychology students per year to attend California State University - Stanislaus.
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 more about General Psychology at California State University - Stanislaus
California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Psychology Schools in California ranking, coming in at #14. Sac State is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 609 ’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.
Sac State also took the #20 spot in our “Best General Psychology Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $11,178 for california psychology students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Psychology at California State University - Sacramento
San Diego State University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Psychology Schools in California ranking, coming in at #15. San Diego State University is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 638 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best General Psychology Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $13,845 for california psychology students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, 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 90%.
Full SDSU General Psychology Report
University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools in California list. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large school located in Santa Cruz, California that handed out 520 ’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Santa Cruz also took the #6 spot in our “Best General Psychology Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Santa Cruz is $17,930 for california psychology students.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad 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%.
Read full report on General Psychology at UC Santa Cruz
San Francisco State University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools in California list. SFSU is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 474 ’s psychology degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend SFSU is $14,459 for california psychology students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Psychology at SFSU
California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #18 spot on the 2024 Best Value Psychology Schools in California ranking. Carson, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s psychology degrees to 511 students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $4,026 for california psychology students per year to attend CSUDH.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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%.
Read more about General Psychology at California State University - Dominguez Hills
Sonoma State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools in California ranking. SSU is a medium-sized school located in Rohnert Park, California that handed out 206 ’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $17,563 for California Psychology students per year to attend Sonoma State University.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Psychology at Sonoma State University
With a ranking of #20, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Psychology Schools in California list. This fairly large school is located in Chico, California, and it awarded 366 ’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Chico is $16,218 for California Psychology students.
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%.
Read full report on General Psychology at Chico State
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools in California ranking. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is located in San Luis Obispo, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 169 ’s psychology degrees to qualified students.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best General Psychology Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $20,677 for california psychology students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, 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 95%.
Read full report on General Psychology at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
With a ranking of #22, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Psychology Schools in California list. This large school is located in Pomona, California, and it awarded 374 ’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $14,304 for california psychology students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, 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 88%.
Read full report on General Psychology at Cal Poly Pomona
California State University - Monterey Bay ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools in California list. Seaside, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s psychology degrees to 252 students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for CSUMB is $13,597 for California Psychology students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Monterey Bay General Psychology Report
California State University - Channel Islands ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools in California list. Camarillo, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s psychology degrees to 356 students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Channel Islands is $14,928 for California Psychology students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Psychology at California State University - Channel Islands
College of the Canyons did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Psychology Schools in California ranking, coming in at #25. College of the Canyons is a fairly large school located in Santa Clarita, California that handed out 263 ’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend College of the Canyons is $5,094 for california psychology students.
Read full report on General Psychology at College of the Canyons
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