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

59 Ranked Colleges
5,712 Degrees Awarded
$7,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Political Science 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. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 48,597 people earned their degree in political science and government, making the major the 21st most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, political science and government graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $33,977 and had an average of $22,822 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 7,986 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,047 and $19,395 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 5,712 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 59 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in political science and government. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent political science and government 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 political science and government program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Political Science & Government Schools

The political science 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 Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k”.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

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

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Political Science & Government (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 57 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $-1,387 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Stanford University. 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.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Stanford University

#2

Claremont McKenna College

Claremont, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Claremont McKenna College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Claremont McKenna is located in Claremont, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 36 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.

Claremont McKenna not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Claremont McKenna is $8,566 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Claremont McKenna

#3

Pomona College

Claremont, California
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 59 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Pomona College landed the #3 spot on the list. Pomona College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Claremont, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $0-$30k list, Pomona has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $6,945 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Pomona College.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Pomona College Political Science & Government Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 482 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.

UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $8,392 for california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of California - Berkeley

#5

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. UCLA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 692 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also made our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $8,553 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCLA.

The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 96%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at UCLA

University of California - Irvine came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UC Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 307 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Irvine has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $9,558 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Read more about Political Science & Government at UC Irvine

California State University - Los Angeles came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 95 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $1,379 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science 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 & Government at California State University - Los Angeles

California State University - Fullerton landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 126 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $4,291 for california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal State Fullerton Political Science & Government Report

#9

Pitzer College

Claremont, California
#9 in overall quality

Pitzer College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s political science degrees to 18 students in 2019-2020.

Pitzer not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Pitzer College is $15,922 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Pitzer Political Science & Government Report

#10

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 247 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCR is $8,366 for california bachelor’s degree political science 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 low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 Political Science & Government at University of California - Riverside

University of California - San Diego landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of California - San Diego is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 390 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD also took the #11 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,280 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - San Diego.

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

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

California State University - Fresno came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Fresno State is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 67 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.

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

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Fresno State Political Science & Government Report

University of California - Davis ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 267 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Davis is $9,842 for california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, 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 93%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at UC Davis

#14

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

With a ranking of #14, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 297 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCSB is $10,316 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Full UCSB Political Science & Government Report

With a ranking of #15, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. CSUDH is located in Carson, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 36 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUDH is $2,455 for california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full CSUDH Political Science & Government Report

California State University - Long Beach ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 172 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $6,364 for california bachelor’s degree political science 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 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%.

Full CSULB Political Science & Government Report

California State University - Stanislaus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #17. This fairly large school is located in Turlock, California, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Stanislaus is $3,410 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Stan State Political Science & Government Report

#18

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

With a ranking of #18, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 109 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU also made our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #25. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $8,870 for california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 more about Political Science & Government at San Diego State University

With a ranking of #19, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Northridge is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 185 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUN is $5,945 for california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at CSUN

#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 Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in San Bernardino, California, and it awarded 61 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,077 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSUSB.

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

Full CSUSB Political Science & Government Report

California State University - Sacramento ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Political Science 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 political science degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $6,819 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science 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%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Sac State

California State University - Bakersfield ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. CSUB is a public institution located in Bakersfield, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 29 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUB is $3,423 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Political Science & Government at California State University - Bakersfield

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a large public school situated in San Luis Obispo, California. It awarded 70 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $12,475 for california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 & Government at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

#24

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UC Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 163 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.

UC Santa Cruz did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Cruz is $10,872 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science 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 student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at UC Santa Cruz

#25

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 164 degrees to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at USC, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Southern California is $14,668 for california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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.

Read more about Political Science & Government at University of Southern California

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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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