2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Social Sciences (Income $0-$30k) in California
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2019-2020, 19,742 people earned their degree in general social sciences, making the major the 51st most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, general social sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $31,665 and had an average of $22,423 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 9,920 general social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,740 and $19,771 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 490 general social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 19 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general social sciences. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general social sciences programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the general social sciences program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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One Size Does Not Fit All
The social sciences 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 Social Sciences 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. 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 Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 19 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Social Sciences (Income $0-$30k) in California
Out of the 19 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school handed out 29 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $9,558 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Stanislaus. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. This fairly large school is located in Turlock, California, and it awarded 63 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stan State, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Stanislaus is $3,410 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences 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 student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Social Sciences at California State University - Stanislaus
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Diego State University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Social Sciences 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 55 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,870 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SDSU.
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%.
Out of the 19 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - San Bernardino landed the #4 spot on the list. California State University - San Bernardino is a fairly large school located in San Bernardino, California that handed out 11 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
CSUSB also took the #16 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Bernardino is $5,077 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Out of the 19 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Monterey Bay landed the #5 spot on the list. Seaside, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 84 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, CSUMB has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSUMB is $7,688 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Sacramento came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Sac State is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 31 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, Sac State has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $6,819 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Sacramento.
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%.
Full California State University - Sacramento General Social Sciences Report
California State University - San Marcos ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Marcos, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 21 students in 2019-2020.
CSUSM also took the #13 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Marcos is $9,517 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
Full California State University - San Marcos General Social Sciences Report
With a ranking of #8, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
San Jose State also took the #4 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State is $10,940 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about General Social Sciences at San Jose State University
With a ranking of #9, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. USC is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 26 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend USC is $14,668 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Chico ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Chico State is a fairly large school located in Chico, California that handed out 43 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Chico State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Chico is $10,260 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Hope International University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Hope is located in Fullerton, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 18 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
Hope did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Hope is $15,847 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 full report on General Social Sciences at Hope International University
Whittier College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Whittier is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Whittier, California. It awarded 30 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Whittier not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Whittier is $18,718 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of the Pacific did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. Pacific is a medium-sized school located in Stockton, California that handed out 5 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Pacific, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Pacific is $21,972 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences 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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
National University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. La Jolla, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, National University has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #15, Brandman University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Brandman is a private not-for-profit institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Brandman did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Brandman University is $19,981 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The University of Arizona Global Campus came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in San Diego, California, this large private for-profit school handed out 34 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.
UAGC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UAGC is $20,283 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
Biola University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in La Mirada, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.
Biola also made our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for Biola is $25,135 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
With a ranking of #18, Azusa Pacific University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Azusa Pacific is located in Azusa, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
Azusa Pacific not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Azusa Pacific University is $21,179 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on General Social Sciences at Azusa Pacific
University of La Verne ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. ULV is a private not-for-profit institution located in La Verne, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
ULV also made our “Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #15. The estimated yearly cost for ULV is $21,297 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 3.2% 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 full report on General Social Sciences at University of La Verne
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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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Manfred Werner (Tsui).
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