2026 Best Value Demography & Population Studies Schools in California

[Demography & Population Studies](/majors/social-sciences/demography-population-studies/demography-and-population-studies/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 4 schools to find the best return on investment for demography & population studies students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Demography & Population Studies Schools in California
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the demography & population studies degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Demography & Population Studies Schools
Our analysis ranked University Of California Irvine the best value for a degree in demography & population studies in California. Set in the city of Irvine, University Of California Irvine is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $14,752 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $46,640. Demography & Population Studies graduates carry a median of $16,539 in student loans. Early-career demography & population studies graduates make about $50,958. That is a strong return on a $16,539 median debt. Roughly 29% of applicants are accepted.
University Of San Francisco is a great value for students pursuing a degree in demography & population studies, landing the #2 spot this year. Located in the city of San Francisco, University Of San Francisco is a large private not-for-profit university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $60,522. Students borrow a median of $23,935 to complete the demography & population studies program here. Soon after graduation, demography & population studies degree recipients from University Of San Francisco generally make around $65,223. Set against $23,935 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 62%.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 4 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.