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2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k

92 Ranked Colleges
33,876 Degrees Awarded
$7,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 205,726 social sciences students received their degree, making the major the 5th most popular in the country. In 2017-2018, social sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $34,801 and had an average of $23,466 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 58,601 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,087 and $19,838 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 33,876 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 92 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in social sciences. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent social sciences programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the social sciences program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Social Sciences Schools

The social sciences 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 Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Sciences (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 92 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford University is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 236 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $1,145 for far western us region bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Stanford University.

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. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 full report on Social Sciences at Stanford University

#2

Pomona College

Claremont, California
#3 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 Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region 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 social sciences degrees to 107 students in 2019-2020.

Pomona also made our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Pomona is $8,655 for far western us region bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Pomona

#3

Claremont McKenna College

Claremont, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Claremont McKenna College. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Claremont McKenna is a small school located in Claremont, California that handed out 177 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Claremont McKenna, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $6,591 for far western us region bachelor’s degree social sciences 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%. 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.

Full Claremont McKenna Social Sciences Report

#10 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 1,092 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UW Seattle did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $7,467 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, 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 93%.

Read full report on Social Sciences at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

#4 in overall quality

Out of the 92 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #5 spot on the list. UC Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 1,906 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $9,130 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 UC Berkeley Social Sciences Report

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 628 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Los Angeles is $2,117 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 full report on Social Sciences at Cal State LA

#7

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#5 in overall quality

University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #7. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 2,699 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $9,254 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 Social Sciences at UCLA

With a ranking of #8, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. CSUDH is a public institution located in Carson, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 296 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Dominguez Hills is $3,115 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Sciences at CSUDH

California State University - Fresno landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Fresno is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 700 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $3,731 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences 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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Fresno State

#14 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. UC Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,578 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $10,373 for far western us region bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Read more about Social Sciences at UC Irvine

California State University - Fullerton came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 633 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $6,100 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%.

Read full report on Social Sciences at California State University - Fullerton

With a ranking of #12, California State University - Stanislaus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Stan State is a fairly large school located in Turlock, California that handed out 296 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,958 for far western us region bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Stan State.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Social Sciences at California State University - Stanislaus

#13

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. UCSB is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1,984 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $11,895 for far western us region bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Santa Barbara.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, 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.

Full University of California - Santa Barbara Social Sciences Report

California State University - Long Beach landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 697 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,595 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Long Beach.

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 full report on Social Sciences at CSULB

#15

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

University of California - Riverside landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 1,064 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UCR is $9,151 for far western us region bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. 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 full report on Social Sciences at UCR

With a ranking of #16, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Northridge, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 953 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $6,883 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend CSUN.

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%.

Read more about Social Sciences at CSUN

#11 in overall quality

University of California - Davis ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 1,387 students in 2019-2020.

UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $10,769 for far western us region bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UC Davis Social Sciences Report

#12 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. UCSD is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,086 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, UCSD has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - San Diego is $9,974 for far western us region bachelor’s degree social sciences 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 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Sciences at UCSD

#19

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington

Washington State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Pullman, Washington, this large public school awarded 612 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Wazzu is $11,337 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences 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%.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Wazzu

#20

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - San Bernardino is located in San Bernardino, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 450 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Bernardino is $5,869 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Read more about Social Sciences at California State University - San Bernardino

California State University - Bakersfield did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #21. Bakersfield, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 168 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Bakersfield is $3,880 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Social Sciences at California State University - Bakersfield

#22

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. San Diego State University is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 697 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,594 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend SDSU.

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%.

Full SDSU Social Sciences Report

California State University - Sacramento ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - Sacramento is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 730 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $7,823 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences 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%.

Read full report on Social Sciences at California State University - Sacramento

#24

Occidental College

Los Angeles, California
#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #24, Occidental College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 162 students in 2019-2020.

Oxy not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Occidental College is $17,662 for far western us region bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. 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.

Read more about Social Sciences at Occidental College

#25

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington

Eastern Washington University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #25. Located in Cheney, Washington, this fairly large public school handed out 194 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for EWU is $8,821 for far western us region bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Eastern Washington University

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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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