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

76 Ranked Colleges
17,900 Degrees Awarded
$12,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor's in California

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” ranking.

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” ranking looked at 76 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in psychology. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great psychology programs and 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 psychology program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Psychology Schools

The psychology school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California”.

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. 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 Psychology in California

#19 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. CSULB 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.

CSULB also took the #19 spot in our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $9,622 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students.

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 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 more about Psychology at California State University - Long Beach

Out of the 76 schools in the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Northridge landed the #2 spot on the 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.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Northridge is $8,414 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students.

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 full report on Psychology at CSUN

#3

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#12 in overall quality

Out of the 76 schools in the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jose State University landed the #3 spot on the list. San Jose State University 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.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree psychology students list, San Jose State has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $14,928 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full San Jose State Psychology Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Monterey Bay. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. California State University - Monterey Bay is a medium-sized public school situated in Seaside, California. It awarded 242 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUMB is $12,212 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students.

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

Out of the 76 schools in the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - San Marcos landed the #5 spot on the list. San Marcos, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s psychology degrees to 307 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Marcos is $13,399 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%.

Read more about Psychology at CSUSM

With a ranking of #6, California State University - East Bay did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Located in Hayward, California, this fairly large public school awarded 345 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s psychology students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Cal State East Bay is $11,116 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students.

Full California State University - East Bay Psychology Report

California State University - Fresno came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. California State University - Fresno 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 $5,464 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students per year to attend California State University - Fresno.

The low student loan default rate of 4.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full California State University - Fresno Psychology Report

#16 in overall quality

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #9. San Luis Obispo, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s psychology degrees to 124 students in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also made our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #16. The estimated yearly cost for California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $21,595 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, 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.

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

California State University - Fullerton ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Cal State Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 723 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $7,991 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students.

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

Read full report on Psychology at Cal State Fullerton

#11

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#8 in overall quality

University of California - Los Angeles ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s psychology degrees to 1,020 students in 2019-2020.

UCLA also took the #8 spot in our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,279 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.

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

Read full report on Psychology at UCLA

#12

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California
#4 in overall quality

University of California - Berkeley ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 275 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree psychology students list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $15,329 for california bachelor’s degree psychology 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Psychology at University of California - Berkeley

California State University - Chico landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. This fairly large school is located in Chico, California, and it awarded 342 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Chico is $15,017 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students.

The low student loan default rate of 3.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Psychology at California State University - Chico

#14

Palo Alto University

Palo Alto, California
#5 in overall quality

Palo Alto University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Palo Alto University is a small school located in Palo Alto, California that handed out 36 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree psychology students list, Pacific Graduate School of Psychology has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.

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%.

Full Palo Alto University Psychology Report

California State University - Sacramento 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 - Sacramento is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 489 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $9,979 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students.

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

Read full report on Psychology at Sac State

With a ranking of #16, California State University - Stanislaus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. California State University - Stanislaus is a fairly large school located in Turlock, California that handed out 373 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Stan State is $6,019 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 student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Stan State Psychology Report

#17

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. San Bernardino, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s psychology degrees to 687 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,342 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students per year to attend CSUSB.

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

Full CSUSB Psychology Report

#18

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, California

With a ranking of #18, Sonoma State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Located in Rohnert Park, California, this medium-sized public school awarded 213 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s psychology students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $17,478 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students per year to attend Sonoma State University.

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%.

Read more about Psychology at SSU

#19

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Located in San Francisco, California, this large public school awarded 408 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s psychology students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,113 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students per year to attend San Francisco State University.

Full San Francisco State University Psychology Report

California State University - Channel Islands ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. California State University - Channel Islands is a medium-sized public school situated in Camarillo, California. It awarded 327 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,558 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students per year to attend California State University - Channel Islands.

The low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%.

Full CSUCI Psychology Report

#21

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #21, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 579 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCSB is $15,884 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students.

The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Psychology at University of California - Santa Barbara

With a ranking of #22, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. CSUDH is a fairly large public school situated in Carson, California. It awarded 499 bachelors’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUDH is $4,215 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students.

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%.

Full California State University - Dominguez Hills Psychology Report

#15 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #23. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school awarded 1,004 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s psychology students in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also made our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $14,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Psychology at University of California - Irvine

#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #24, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Located in Davis, California, this large public school awarded 806 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s psychology students in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also took the #9 spot in our “Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $14,669 for California Bachelor’s Degree Psychology students.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - Davis Psychology Report

#25

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

With a ranking of #25, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. 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.

It costs about $14,788 for california bachelor’s degree psychology students per year to attend San Diego State University.

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%.

Full San Diego State University 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.

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