2023 Best Value Colleges for Social Sciences (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region
86
Ranked Colleges
59,952
Degrees Awarded
$7,900
Avg Net Price*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
With 205,984 degrees handed out in 2020-2021, social sciences is the 5th most popular major in the United States. In 2019-2020, social sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $36,262 and had an average of $23,306 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Far Western US region, there were 59,952 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,260 and $19,465 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 86 colleges that offer a degree in social sciences. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality social sciences 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 social sciences program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.
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. 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 Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k
The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Social Sciences (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region
Out of the 86 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools 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 a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 357 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our far western us region social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, Stanford has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $1,581 for far western us region social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad 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
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 Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Claremont, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 179 diplomas to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.
Claremont McKenna did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $8,693 for Far Western US Region Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Claremont McKenna College.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Claremont McKenna College Social Sciences Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2,093 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our far western us region social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $9,999 for Far Western US Region Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at UC Berkeley
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools 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 1,326 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
UW Seattle not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $6,399 for Far Western US Region Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UW Seattle.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad 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%.
Full UW Seattle Social Sciences Report
Out of the 86 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #5 spot on the list. University of California - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2,813 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our far western us region social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, UCLA has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $9,891 for far western us region social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Full University of California - Los Angeles Social Sciences Report
California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #6. Cal State LA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 591 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $2,701 for Far Western US Region Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at Cal State LA
With a ranking of #7, Pomona College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Pomona is located in Claremont, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 95 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
Pomona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $6,239 for Far Western US Region Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Pomona.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Social Sciences at Pomona College
With a ranking of #8, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Fresno State is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 658 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $4,655 for far western us region social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, 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 - Fresno
University of California - Irvine ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 1,848 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our far western us region social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, UC Irvine has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $8,449 for Far Western US Region Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Social Sciences at University of California - Irvine
With a ranking of #10, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - San Diego is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 1,404 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $11,176 for far western us region social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UCSD.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad 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%.
Full University of California - San Diego Social Sciences Report
Santa Rosa Junior College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Santa Rosa, California, this fairly large public school handed out 668 degrees to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $5,800 for far western us region social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend SRJC.
Read full report on Social Sciences at SRJC
University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #12. UC Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 1,517 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Davis is $11,598 for Far Western US Region Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UC Davis Social Sciences Report
University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school handed out 2,053 degrees to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.
UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Barbara is $11,606 for far western us region 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 91%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Sciences at University of California - Santa Barbara
California State University - Fullerton ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Cal State Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 693 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $5,821 for far western us region 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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 California State University - Fullerton Social Sciences Report
California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Carson, California, this fairly large public school awarded 378 diplomas to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $3,329 for Far Western US Region Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at California State University - Dominguez Hills
University of California - Riverside ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 1,301 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
UCR also made our “Best Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $8,193 for Far Western US Region Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UCR.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at UCR
California State University - Long Beach came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools 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 ’s social sciences degrees to 764 students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $7,573 for far western us region 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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full CSULB Social Sciences Report
California State University - Stanislaus ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools 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 291 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Stanislaus is $4,903 for Far Western US Region 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 undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Stanislaus Social Sciences Report
California State University - Northridge landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Northridge is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 944 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Northridge is $7,103 for far western us region social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Northridge Social Sciences Report
California State University - San Bernardino came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. CSUSB is located in San Bernardino, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 394 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - San Bernardino is $6,613 for Far Western US Region Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - San Bernardino Social Sciences Report
With a ranking of #21, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Sac State is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 786 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Sac State is $9,055 for far western us region social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Sacramento Social Sciences Report
California State University - Bakersfield landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Bakersfield, California, and it awarded 198 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for CSUB is $6,046 for Far Western US Region Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read more about Social Sciences at California State University - Bakersfield
University of Southern California came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 976 students in 2020-2021.
USC also made our “Best Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for USC is $17,345 for far western us region social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, 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 undergraduate students.
Read full report on Social Sciences at USC
California State University - East Bay ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Cal State East Bay is a public institution located in Hayward, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 373 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Cal State East Bay is $11,025 for Far Western US Region Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at Cal State East Bay
With a ranking of #25, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 864 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our far western us region social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, UC Santa Cruz has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Cruz is $12,049 for Far Western US Region Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Santa Cruz Social Sciences Report
college factual
