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

10 Ranked Colleges
177 Degrees Awarded
$33,400 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate 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. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Economics is the 18th most popular major in the country with 48,831 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, economics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $47,295 and had an average of $21,978 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 9,937 economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $47,367 and $16,994 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 177 economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,544 and $133,402 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 10 colleges that offer a degree in economics. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent economics programs, but they also 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 economics program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Economics Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k

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

Top 10 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Economics (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 Economics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Stanford is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 doctorate’s economics degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Economics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford are $55,011, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Economics at Stanford University

#3 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #2 spot on the list. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s economics degrees to 28 students in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Economics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Berkeley are $29,347, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Economics at University of California - Berkeley

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k. UCSD is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 22 doctorate’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD also made our “Best Economics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCSD are $28,631, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Economics at University of California - San Diego

#4

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 23 degrees to qualified doctorate’s economics students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCLA has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Economics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Los Angeles are $28,131.

Read full report on Economics at UCLA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s economics degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Economics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Irvine are $28,456, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Economics at University of California - Irvine

#6 in overall quality

University of California - Davis landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate 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 doctorate’s economics degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also took the #6 spot in our “Best Economics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Davis are $28,700, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of California - Davis Economics Report

#7

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#7 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. UCSB is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 doctorate’s economics degrees to qualified students.

UCSB also took the #7 spot in our “Best Economics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UCSB are $28,670.

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

#10 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 10 doctorate’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Economics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Riverside are $28,686.

Read full report on Economics at University of California - Riverside

#9

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#5 in overall quality

University of Southern California came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 4 degrees to qualified doctorate’s economics students in 2019-2020.

USC also took the #5 spot in our “Best Economics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Southern California are $48,715, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full USC Economics Report

#10

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#11 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. University of California - Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 doctorate’s economics degrees to qualified students.

UC Santa Cruz also took the #11 spot in our “Best Economics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Santa Cruz are $28,952.

Full UC Santa Cruz Economics Report

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 pixabay.

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