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2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

58 Ranked Colleges
5,328 Degrees Awarded
$7,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor's 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. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 46,740 people earned their degree in political science, making the major the 14th most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 7,602 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 5,328 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 58 colleges that offer a degree in political science. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality political science 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 political science program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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.

Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

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

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Political Science (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 Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 57 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k list, Stanford has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $-1,387 for California Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k. When an average net price is negative, it usually means that the student will receive more financial aid than it costs to attend the school.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science at Stanford

#2

Claremont McKenna College

Claremont, California
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 58 schools in the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Claremont McKenna College landed the #2 spot on the list. Claremont McKenna College is a small school located in Claremont, California that handed out 36 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

Claremont McKenna also took the #3 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Claremont McKenna is $8,566 for California Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Claremont McKenna Political Science Report

#3

Pomona College

Claremont, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Pomona College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Pomona College is located in Claremont, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 19 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Pomona, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Pomona is $6,945 for California Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Political Science at Pomona College

#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 482 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also made our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $8,392 for California Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UC Berkeley Political Science Report

#5

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 692 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCLA has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $8,553 for california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Political Science at UCLA

#14 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 307 students in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $9,558 for California Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci 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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science at UC Irvine

California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. California State University - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 95 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Los Angeles is $1,379 for California Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 full report on Political Science at Cal State LA

California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. California State University - Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 126 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $4,291 for California Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read more about Political Science at Cal State Fullerton

#9

Pitzer College

Claremont, California
#9 in overall quality

Pitzer College landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Pitzer is located in Claremont, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

Pitzer also took the #9 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Pitzer is $15,922 for california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Pitzer Political Science Report

#10

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
#20 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UCR is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 213 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCR is $8,366 for california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UCR Political Science Report

#11 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 120 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSD, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,280 for california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - San Diego.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read more about Political Science at University of California - San Diego

California State University - Fresno landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school awarded 67 degrees to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $3,264 for California Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Political Science at Fresno State

#12 in overall quality

University of California - Davis ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 224 students in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also made our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #12. It costs about $9,842 for California Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Davis.

The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Political Science at UC Davis

#14

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#8 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UCSB is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 297 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCSB has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,316 for california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Santa Barbara.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 UCSB Political Science Report

California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. CSUDH is a public institution located in Carson, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 36 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills is $2,455 for California Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 Political Science at California State University - Dominguez Hills

#24 in overall quality

California State University - Long Beach landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - Long Beach is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 172 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k list, CSULB has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $6,364 for California Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 Political Science at California State University - Long Beach

California State University - Stanislaus landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Stan State is a public institution located in Turlock, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Stan State is $3,410 for california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%.

Read full report on Political Science at Stan State

#18

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#25 in overall quality

San Diego State University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school awarded 109 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k list, SDSU has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SDSU is $8,870 for california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science at San Diego State University

California State University - Northridge ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Northridge is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 185 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,945 for California Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Northridge.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Northridge Political Science Report

#20

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

With a ranking of #20, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Bernardino, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 61 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Bernardino is $5,077 for California Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci 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 Political Science at California State University - San Bernardino

With a ranking of #21, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Sacramento is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 174 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $6,819 for California Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science at Sac State

California State University - Bakersfield landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. CSUB is a fairly large public school situated in Bakersfield, California. It awarded 29 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Bakersfield is $3,423 for California Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Political Science at California State University - Bakersfield

#18 in overall quality

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in San Luis Obispo, California, this large public school awarded 70 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $12,475 for california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Political Science at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

#24

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#22 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 163 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Santa Cruz, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Santa Cruz is $10,872 for california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The low 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%.

Full UC Santa Cruz Political Science Report

#25

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #25, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Southern California is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 144 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k list, USC has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for USC is $14,668 for California Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science at USC

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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.

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