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2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k

58 Ranked Colleges
5,712 Degrees Awarded
$8,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $30-$48k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 $30-$48k” ranking.

Political Science & Government is the 21st most popular major in the country with 48,597 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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 $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 58 colleges that offered a degree in political science and government. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great political science and government programs and 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 $30-$48k”.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Political Science & Government (Income $30-$48k) 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 $30-$48k list. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 57 degrees to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

Stanford also made our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $1,145 for california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Stanford.

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%. 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 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Stanford University Political Science & Government Report

#2

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 #2 for the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. 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 19 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Pomona, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Pomona College is $8,655 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k.

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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Pomona College

#3

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 #3 for the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. Claremont McKenna College is a small school located in Claremont, California that handed out 36 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k list, Claremont McKenna has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $6,591 for california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Claremont McKenna.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Claremont McKenna

Out of the 58 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #4 spot on the list. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s political science degrees to 482 students in 2019-2020.

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. It costs about $9,130 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.

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

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

#5

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $9,254 for california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%.

Full UCLA Political Science & Government Report

California State University - Los Angeles landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k 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.

It costs about $2,117 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

University of California - Irvine ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 307 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also made our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #14. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $10,373 for california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at UC Irvine

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 $30-$48k ranking. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school awarded 126 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fullerton is $6,100 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 California State University - Fullerton Political Science & Government Report

California State University - Fresno ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Fresno State is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 67 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $3,731 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 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 full report on Political Science & Government at California State University - Fresno

California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a fairly large public school situated in Carson, California. It awarded 36 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,115 for california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend CSUDH.

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

#11

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

University of California - Riverside came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of California - Riverside is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 247 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k list, UCR has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Riverside is $9,151 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Full University of California - Riverside Political Science & Government Report

#12

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

With a ranking of #12, 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 $30-$48k 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.

UCSB also made our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Barbara is $11,895 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Political Science & Government at UCSB

University of California - San Diego landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UCSD is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 390 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.

UCSD also made our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend University of California - San Diego is $9,974 for california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

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

With a ranking of #14, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s political science degrees to 172 students in 2019-2020.

CSULB also made our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #24. It costs about $7,595 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Long Beach.

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 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Long Beach Political Science & Government Report

California State University - Stanislaus landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Stanislaus is a fairly large public school situated in Turlock, California. It awarded 20 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Stan State is $3,958 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Full California State University - Stanislaus Political Science & Government Report

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #16. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 267 bachelors’s political science 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. It costs about $10,769 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Davis.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Full UC Davis Political Science & Government Report

With a ranking of #17, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school handed out 185 degrees to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUN is $6,883 for california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at California State University - Northridge

#18

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in San Bernardino, California, and it awarded 61 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Bernardino is $5,869 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Full CSUSB Political Science & Government Report

#19

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

With a ranking of #19, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s political science degrees to 109 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SDSU, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $10,594 for california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Read more about Political Science & Government at San Diego State University

California State University - Sacramento landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Sac State is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 174 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $7,823 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 Sac State Political Science & Government Report

California State University - Bakersfield did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Bakersfield, California, this fairly large public school handed out 29 degrees to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,880 for california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend CSUB.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at CSUB

#22

Occidental College

Los Angeles, California
#15 in overall quality

Occidental College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Oxy is a small school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 28 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

Oxy also made our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #15. The estimated yearly cost for Occidental College is $17,662 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Occidental College

#23

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 164 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Southern California is $16,252 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%. 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.

Full University of Southern California Political Science & Government Report

With a ranking of #24, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a large school located in San Luis Obispo, California that handed out 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 $14,680 for california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 & Government at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

#25

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #25. University of California - 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 also made our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #22. It costs about $11,793 for california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UC Santa Cruz.

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

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

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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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