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2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

68 Ranked Colleges
17,900 Degrees Awarded
$7,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 183,889 psychology students received their degree, making the major the 7th most popular in the country. In 2017-2018, psychology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $33,496 and had an average of $36,227 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 37,071 psychology graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,748 and $53,340 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 17,900 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 $0-$30k” ranking looked at 68 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in psychology. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality psychology programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the psychology program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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 Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Psychology (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 52 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $-1,387 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $0-$30k. When an average net price is negative, it usually means that the student will receive more financial aid than it costs to attend the school.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Psychology at Stanford University

#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 275 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also took the #4 spot in our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $8,392 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Psychology at UC Berkeley

#3

Pomona College

Claremont, California
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pomona College. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Pomona is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California. It awarded 16 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

Pomona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $6,945 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Pomona College.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Psychology at Pomona College

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fullerton. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school awarded 723 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s psychology students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $4,291 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 89%.

Read full report on Psychology at California State University - Fullerton

#15 in overall quality

Out of the 68 schools in the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 1,004 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also made our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $9,558 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Irvine.

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

Read full report on Psychology at UC Irvine

#6

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#8 in overall quality

University of California - Los Angeles landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 1,020 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s psychology students in 2019-2020.

UCLA also made our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $8,553 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 Psychology at UCLA

With a ranking of #7, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. 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.

It costs about $2,455 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills.

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%.

Full California State University - Dominguez Hills Psychology Report

#19 in overall quality

California State University - Long Beach landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - Long Beach is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 503 bachelors’s psychology degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $6,364 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Psychology at CSULB

California State University - Fresno came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Fresno State is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 456 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,264 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Fresno.

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 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Fresno Psychology Report

#10

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
#20 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Riverside is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 600 bachelors’s psychology degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCR has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCR is $8,366 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Psychology at UCR

California State University - Stanislaus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. Turlock, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s psychology degrees to 373 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Stan State is $3,410 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Read more about Psychology at California State University - Stanislaus

California State University - Northridge landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. CSUN is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 804 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUN is $5,945 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 Psychology at CSUN

#9 in overall quality

University of California - Davis came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s psychology degrees to 806 students in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also made our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $9,842 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, 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 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Psychology at University of California - Davis

#14

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s psychology degrees to 524 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $8,870 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Psychology at SDSU

#15

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - San Bernardino is a fairly large school located in San Bernardino, California that handed out 687 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUSB is $5,077 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Read full report on Psychology at California State University - San Bernardino

With a ranking of #16, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. 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.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $6,819 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Sacramento Psychology Report

#17

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#13 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UCSB is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 579 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Barbara is $10,316 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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%.

Full University of California - Santa Barbara Psychology Report

#18 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 463 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD also took the #18 spot in our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $9,280 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 University of California - San Diego Psychology Report

California State University - Bakersfield ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. 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.

It costs about $3,423 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Bakersfield.

Full California State University - Bakersfield Psychology Report

#20

Scripps College

Claremont, California
#2 in overall quality

Scripps College landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Scripps is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California. It awarded 21 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

Scripps also took the #2 spot in our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Scripps College is $13,300 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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. 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%.

Read more about Psychology at Scripps College

#21

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#17 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of California - Santa Cruz is a fairly large school located in Santa Cruz, California that handed out 514 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz also made our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #17. The yearly cost to attend UC Santa Cruz is $10,872 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read full report on Psychology at University of California - Santa Cruz

California State University - San Marcos landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - San Marcos is located in San Marcos, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 307 bachelors’s psychology degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Marcos is $9,517 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

#23

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#12 in overall quality

San Jose State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. San Jose State is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 428 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,940 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Jose State.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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%.

Full San Jose State Psychology Report

California State University - East Bay landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large school located in Hayward, California that handed out 345 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $8,036 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - East Bay.

Read full report on Psychology at California State University - East Bay

California State University - Monterey Bay ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k 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 $7,688 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Psychology at CSUMB

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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