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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Psychology (Income $48-$75k) in California

66 Ranked Colleges
17,900 Degrees Awarded
$28,225 Avg Salary
Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $48-$75k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

With 183,889 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, psychology is the 7th most popular major in the United States. 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 $48-$75k” ranking looked at 66 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in psychology. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent psychology programs, but they also cost less that 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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 $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.

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. 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 $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Psychology (Income $48-$75k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 66 schools in the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 52 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $1,959 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Stanford University.

The low student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Psychology at Stanford

#2

Pomona College

Claremont, California
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 66 schools in the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Pomona College landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Claremont, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 16 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s psychology students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $48-$75k list, Pomona has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Pomona College is $11,811 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $48-$75k.

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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Psychology at Pomona College

#4 in overall quality

Out of the 66 schools in the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #3 spot on the list. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s psychology degrees to 275 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $13,081 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.

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 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UC Berkeley Psychology Report

#4

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#8 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 For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 1,020 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $13,081 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, 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 96%.

Read full report on Psychology at UCLA

Out of the 66 schools in the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #5 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.

It costs about $9,427 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Cal State Fullerton.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read more about Psychology at California State University - Fullerton

California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #6. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 499 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills is $6,907 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Psychology at California State University - Dominguez Hills

#19 in overall quality

California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 503 degrees to qualified bachelors’s psychology students in 2019-2020.

CSULB also made our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #19. It costs about $10,807 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend CSULB.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Psychology at California State University - Long Beach

#20 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #8. University of California - Riverside is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 600 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCR, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCR is $12,290 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 University of California - Riverside

California State University - Stanislaus landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Turlock, California, this fairly large public school awarded 373 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s psychology students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,772 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Stanislaus.

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%. 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 - Stanislaus Psychology Report

California State University - Fresno did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #10. California State University - Fresno is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 456 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $7,549 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 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%.

Read more about Psychology at California State University - Fresno

#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of California - Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 806 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also made our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $13,578 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UC Davis.

The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Psychology at UC Davis

#15 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of California - Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,004 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also took the #15 spot in our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $13,648 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 more about Psychology at UC Irvine

California State University - Northridge landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. California State University - Northridge 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 estimated yearly cost for California State University - Northridge is $10,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%.

Full California State University - Northridge Psychology Report

#14

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 579 bachelors’s psychology 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 estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Barbara is $15,343 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%.

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

#15

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in San Bernardino, California, and it awarded 687 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $8,924 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend CSUSB.

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

Full California State University - San Bernardino Psychology Report

#18 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s psychology degrees to 463 students in 2019-2020.

UCSD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $14,071 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

Full University of California - San Diego Psychology Report

California State University - Sacramento landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school handed out 489 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s psychology students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $11,413 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%.

Read full report on Psychology at Sac State

California State University - Bakersfield came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k 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 estimated yearly cost for CSUB is $7,564 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Psychology at CSUB

#19

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#17 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 $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #19. 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Cruz is $15,253 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%.

Full University of California - Santa Cruz Psychology Report

#20

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #20, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school awarded 428 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s psychology students 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 $16,397 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend San Jose State University.

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

Full San Jose State University Psychology Report

California State University - San Marcos landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. CSUSM is a public institution located in San Marcos, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 307 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Marcos is $14,582 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%.

Full CSUSM Psychology Report

#22

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. San Diego State University is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 524 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $14,730 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 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 Psychology at SDSU

#16 in overall quality

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in San Luis Obispo, California, and it awarded 124 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also took the #16 spot in our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $19,407 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo.

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.

Full California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Psychology Report

#24

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#6 in overall quality

University of Southern California landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 156 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s psychology students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree psychology students whose families make $48-$75k list, USC has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Southern California is $20,050 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Psychology at University of Southern California

California State University - East Bay landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k 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 $13,048 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - East Bay.

Read more about Psychology at California State University - East Bay

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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