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2023 Best Value Colleges for General Social Sciences (Income Over $110k) in California

17 Ranked Colleges
9,318 Degrees Awarded
$24,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Vallue Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Vallue Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2020-2021, 18,997 people earned their degree in general social sciences, making the major the 54th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, general social sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $32,991 and had an average of $24,438 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 9,318 general social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,123 and $15,766 respectively.

This year’s “Best Vallue Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k” ranking looked at 17 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general social sciences. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general social sciences programs that also have a lower cost than 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank General Social Sciences Schools

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Vallue Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k” list to help you make the college decision.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

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Best Vallue Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Vallue Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k.

Top 17 Best Value Colleges for General Social Sciences (Income Over $110k) in California

1
SRJC crest
Santa Rosa Junior College
Santa Rosa, California

Out of the 17 schools in the Best Vallue Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Santa Rosa Junior College landed the #1 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Santa Rosa, California, and it awarded 461 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SRJC, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $6,585 for california social sciences students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Santa Rosa Junior College.

Read full report on General Social Sciences at SRJC

2
American River crest
American River College
Sacramento, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend American River College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Vallue Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k. American River is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 451 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

American River also took the #14 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend American River is $5,561 for california social sciences students whose families make more than $110k.

Read full report on General Social Sciences at American River

3
Butte College crest
Butte College
Oroville, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Butte College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Vallue Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k. This medium-sized school is located in Oroville, California, and it awarded 372 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Butte College also made our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” list, coming in at #13. The yearly cost to attend Butte College is $6,315 for California Social Sciences students whose families make more than $110k.

Full Butte College General Social Sciences Report

4
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Diego State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Vallue Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school awarded 61 degrees to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.

SDSU also took the #4 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $13,845 for California Social Sciences students whose families make more than $110k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on General Social Sciences at San Diego State University

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - San Bernardino. The school came in at #5 for the Best Vallue Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k. California State University - San Bernardino is a fairly large public school situated in San Bernardino, California. It awarded 21 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

CSUSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend CSUSB is $8,107 for california social sciences students whose families make more than $110k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about General Social Sciences at CSUSB

6

California State University - Monterey Bay ranked #6 on this year’s Best Vallue Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k list. This medium-sized school is located in Seaside, California, and it awarded 87 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

CSUMB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Monterey Bay is $13,597 for california social sciences students whose families make more than $110k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Monterey Bay General Social Sciences Report

7

California State University - Stanislaus came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Turlock, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 66 students in 2020-2021.

Stan State also made our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” list, coming in at #16. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Stanislaus is $6,566 for California Social Sciences students whose families make more than $110k.

The low undergrad 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read full report on General Social Sciences at California State University - Stanislaus

8

California State University - Chico landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Vallue Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. California State University - Chico is located in Chico, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 74 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

Chico State also made our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Chico is $16,218 for California Social Sciences students whose families make more than $110k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Social Sciences at California State University - Chico

9
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

With a ranking of #9, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Vallue Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k list. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 11 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State University is $16,542 for california social sciences students whose families make more than $110k.

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 low undergrad 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 more about General Social Sciences at San Jose State University

10

California State University - Sacramento landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Vallue Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 27 students in 2020-2021.

Sac State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $11,178 for california social sciences students whose families make more than $110k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Social Sciences at Sac State

11

With a ranking of #11, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2023 Best Vallue Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k list. UC Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 22 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $12,209 for california social sciences students whose families make more than $110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Social Sciences at University of California - Irvine

12

California State University - San Marcos ranked #12 on this year’s Best Vallue Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k list. CSUSM is located in San Marcos, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 30 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUSM, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSUSM is $13,218 for California Social Sciences students whose families make more than $110k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Social Sciences at California State University - San Marcos

13
Humboldt State University crest
Humboldt State University
Arcata, California

Humboldt State University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Vallue Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Humboldt State University is located in Arcata, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Humboldt State University, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Humboldt State University is $14,956 for california social sciences students whose families make more than $110k.

Read more about General Social Sciences at Humboldt State University

14
15
Whittier crest
Whittier College
Whittier, California

With a ranking of #15, Whittier College did quite well on the 2023 Best Vallue Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k list. This small school is located in Whittier, California, and it awarded 29 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Whittier also made our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. It costs about $26,740 for california social sciences students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Whittier College.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Whittier College General Social Sciences Report

16
Hope crest
Hope International University
Fullerton, California

With a ranking of #16, Hope International University did quite well on the 2023 Best Vallue Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k list. Hope is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 9 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Hope did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Hope is $21,437 for california social sciences students whose families make more than $110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Hope International University General Social Sciences Report

17
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Vallue Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. University of Southern California is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 29 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california social sciences students whose families make more than $110k list, USC has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern California is $32,569 for california social sciences students whose families make more than $110k.

The undergraduate 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 low undergrad 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Read full report on General Social Sciences at USC

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