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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Anthropology (Income $0-$30k) in California

42 Ranked Colleges
1,804 Degrees Awarded
$7,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Anthropology Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Anthropology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

Anthropology is the 77th most popular major in the country with 12,008 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, anthropology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $24,661 and had an average of $23,289 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 2,956 anthropology graduates with average earnings and debt of $24,357 and $18,167 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,804 anthropology graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Anthropology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 42 colleges that offer a degree in anthropology. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality anthropology 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 anthropology 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 Anthropology Schools

The anthropology 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 Anthropology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k”.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

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

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Anthropology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k.

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

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Anthropology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford also made our “Best Anthropology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $-1,387 for California Bachelor’s Degree Anthropology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Stanford University. 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Anthropology at Stanford

#2

Pomona College

Claremont, California
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 42 schools in the Best Value Anthropology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Pomona College landed the #2 spot on the list. Pomona College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California. It awarded 2 bachelors’s anthropology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Pomona, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Anthropology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Pomona College is $6,945 for california bachelor’s degree anthropology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

#3

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Anthropology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 252 bachelors’s anthropology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree anthropology students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCLA has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Anthropology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $8,553 for California Bachelor’s Degree Anthropology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, 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 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UCLA Anthropology Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Anthropology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school handed out 91 degrees to qualified bachelors’s anthropology students in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Anthropology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,392 for California Bachelor’s Degree Anthropology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Berkeley.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, 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 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Berkeley Anthropology Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Anthropology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Cal State LA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 44 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State LA also made our “Best Anthropology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #22. The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $1,379 for california bachelor’s degree anthropology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal State LA Anthropology Report

With a ranking of #6, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Anthropology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school awarded 77 degrees to qualified bachelors’s anthropology students in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Anthropology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $9,558 for California Bachelor’s Degree Anthropology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about Anthropology at UC Irvine

California State University - Fullerton landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Anthropology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 37 bachelors’s anthropology degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State Fullerton, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Anthropology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $4,291 for California Bachelor’s Degree Anthropology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Anthropology at California State University - Fullerton

California State University - Fresno ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Anthropology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school handed out 22 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s anthropology students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $3,264 for California Bachelor’s Degree Anthropology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 Anthropology at Fresno State

#9

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Anthropology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 173 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Anthropology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Barbara is $10,316 for california bachelor’s degree anthropology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Read more about Anthropology at University of California - Santa Barbara

#10

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

University of California - Riverside came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Anthropology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s anthropology degrees to 105 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCR, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Anthropology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,366 for california bachelor’s degree anthropology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCR.

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 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Anthropology at University of California - Riverside

#11

Pitzer College

Claremont, California
#8 in overall quality

Pitzer College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Anthropology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s anthropology degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.

Pitzer also took the #8 spot in our “Best Anthropology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,922 for california bachelor’s degree anthropology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Pitzer College.

The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Anthropology at Pitzer

California State University - Stanislaus ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Anthropology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Stanislaus is a fairly large public school situated in Turlock, California. It awarded 12 bachelors’s anthropology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Stan State is $3,410 for California Bachelor’s Degree Anthropology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 4.3% 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 more about Anthropology at Stan State

California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Anthropology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Carson, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s anthropology degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Dominguez Hills is $2,455 for california bachelor’s degree anthropology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 Anthropology Report

University of California - San Diego came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Anthropology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UCSD is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 77 bachelors’s anthropology degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree anthropology students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCSD has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Anthropology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $9,280 for California Bachelor’s Degree Anthropology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.

Full UCSD Anthropology Report

#15

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Anthropology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. SDSU is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 59 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Anthropology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,870 for california bachelor’s degree anthropology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Diego State University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read more about Anthropology at San Diego State University

California State University - Long Beach landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Anthropology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s anthropology degrees to 78 students in 2019-2020.

CSULB also took the #23 spot in our “Best Anthropology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $6,364 for California Bachelor’s Degree Anthropology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSULB.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Long Beach Anthropology Report

University of California - Davis came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Anthropology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UC Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 70 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also made our “Best Anthropology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $9,842 for California Bachelor’s Degree Anthropology students whose families make $0-$30k 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Anthropology at University of California - Davis

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Anthropology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 60 bachelors’s anthropology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree anthropology students whose families make $0-$30k list, Sac State has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Anthropology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $6,819 for California Bachelor’s Degree Anthropology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Anthropology at California State University - Sacramento

California State University - Northridge landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Anthropology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - Northridge is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 64 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Northridge is $5,945 for California Bachelor’s Degree Anthropology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Full California State University - Northridge Anthropology Report

#20

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Anthropology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - San Bernardino is a public institution located in San Bernardino, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 30 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,077 for california bachelor’s degree anthropology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSUSB.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Anthropology at California State University - San Bernardino

#21

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Anthropology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large school located in Santa Cruz, California that handed out 140 bachelors’s anthropology degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Anthropology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Cruz is $10,872 for california bachelor’s degree anthropology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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 Anthropology at University of California - Santa Cruz

California State University - Bakersfield ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Anthropology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Bakersfield is located in Bakersfield, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s anthropology degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Bakersfield is $3,423 for California Bachelor’s Degree Anthropology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Anthropology at CSUB

#23

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Anthropology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Francisco State University is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 44 bachelors’s anthropology degrees in 2019-2020.

SFSU also made our “Best Anthropology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #18. The estimated yearly cost for San Francisco State University is $11,123 for california bachelor’s degree anthropology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full SFSU Anthropology Report

California State University - San Marcos did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Anthropology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #24. California State University - San Marcos is a public institution located in San Marcos, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 31 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUSM is $9,517 for california bachelor’s degree anthropology 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 Anthropology at CSUSM

California State University - East Bay did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Anthropology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. California State University - East Bay is a fairly large public school situated in Hayward, California. It awarded 17 bachelors’s anthropology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal State East Bay is $8,036 for california bachelor’s degree anthropology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Anthropology 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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Deror avi.

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