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2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

18 Ranked Colleges
497 Degrees Awarded
$11,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Getting Aid

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Geography is the 144th most popular major in the country with 5,476 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across California, there were 854 geography graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 497 geography graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 18 colleges that offered a degree in geography. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality geography programs that also have a lower cost than 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 geography program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Geography Schools

The geography 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 Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid”.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree geography students with aid.

Top 18 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geography in California (With Aid)

#13 in overall quality

Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree geography students with aid list, Cal State LA has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal State LA is $2,768 for California Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geography at Cal State LA

#2

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#1 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 #2 for the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 85 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geography students in 2019-2020.

UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $14,279 for california bachelor’s degree geography students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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%.

Read more about Geography at University of California - Los Angeles

#7 in overall quality

Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #3 spot on the list. California State University - Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 37 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton also took the #7 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fullerton is $7,991 for california bachelor’s degree geography students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, 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 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal State Fullerton Geography Report

#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school awarded 56 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geography students in 2019-2020.

CSULB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $9,622 for california bachelor’s degree geography students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%. 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 more about Geography at CSULB

#8 in overall quality

Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Northridge landed the #5 spot on the list. Northridge, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 33 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree geography students with aid list, CSUN has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $8,414 for California Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid.

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 CSUN Geography Report

#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school awarded 9 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geography students in 2019-2020.

Fresno State also made our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $5,464 for california bachelor’s degree geography students with aid per year to attend California State University - Fresno.

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

#7

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#2 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 19 students in 2019-2020.

UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $15,884 for California Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid per year to attend UCSB.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, 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 91%.

Full UCSB Geography Report

#16 in overall quality

California State University - Stanislaus ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Turlock, California, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

Stan State also took the #16 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Stanislaus is $6,019 for California Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid.

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

Full California State University - Stanislaus Geography Report

#6 in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 46 students in 2019-2020.

Sac State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $9,979 for California Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid per year to attend Sac State.

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 Geography at California State University - Sacramento

#10

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#4 in overall quality

San Diego State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school awarded 32 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s geography students in 2019-2020.

SDSU also made our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $14,788 for California Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid.

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%.

Full San Diego State University Geography Report

#11

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California
#17 in overall quality

California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. This fairly large school is located in San Bernardino, California, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree geography students with aid list, CSUSB has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSUSB is $7,342 for california bachelor’s degree geography students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Geography at CSUSB

#5 in overall quality

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a large public school situated in Pomona, California. It awarded 27 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly Pomona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $12,734 for California Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid.

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 1.7% 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%.

Full California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Geography Report

#13

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 39 students in 2019-2020.

SFSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Francisco State University is $15,113 for California Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid.

Read full report on Geography at SFSU

#14

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#9 in overall quality

San Jose State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. San Jose State is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State University is $14,928 for california bachelor’s degree geography students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Geography at San Jose State University

#15 in overall quality

California State University - East Bay came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large public school situated in Hayward, California. It awarded 4 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State East Bay also took the #15 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,116 for california bachelor’s degree geography students with aid per year to attend Cal State East Bay.

Read full report on Geography at Cal State East Bay

#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #16, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Chico is a fairly large school located in Chico, California that handed out 21 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Chico State, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Chico is $15,017 for California Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid.

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%.

Read more about Geography at Chico State

#17

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, California
#10 in overall quality

Sonoma State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Rohnert Park, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 23 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geography students in 2019-2020.

SSU also made our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend Sonoma State University is $17,478 for california bachelor’s degree geography students with aid.

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%.

Full Sonoma State University Geography Report

#18

Humboldt State University

Arcata, California
#18 in overall quality

Humboldt State University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Humboldt State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Arcata, California. It awarded 20 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

Humboldt State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Humboldt State University is $14,692 for California Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid.

Read full report on Geography at Humboldt State University

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 Couleur.

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