2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Sciences (Income $48-$75k) in California
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 for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
With 205,726 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, social sciences is the 5th most popular major in the United States. 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 California, there were 50,479 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,934 and $19,309 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 26,436 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 60 colleges that offered a degree 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.
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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k
The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Sciences (Income $48-$75k) in California
Out of the 60 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 236 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $1,959 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%.
Out of the 60 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Pomona College landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Claremont, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 107 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.
Pomona also took the #3 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Pomona is $11,811 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Out of the 60 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Claremont McKenna College landed the #3 spot on the list. Claremont McKenna College is a small school located in Claremont, California that handed out 177 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Claremont McKenna not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $19,009 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Claremont McKenna College.
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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at Claremont McKenna College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of California - Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,906 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Berkeley also made our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $13,081 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 60 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 2,699 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $13,081 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
California State University - Los Angeles landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Cal State LA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 628 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $5,644 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%.
California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Carson, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 296 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for CSUDH is $6,907 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%.
Full California State University - Dominguez Hills Social Sciences Report
California State University - Fresno landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Fresno State is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 700 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $7,549 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full California State University - Fresno Social Sciences Report
University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. 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.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k list, UCSB has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,343 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - Santa Barbara.
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 Social Sciences at University of California - Santa Barbara
California State University - Fullerton came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 633 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $9,427 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 2.7% 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%.
University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #11. 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $13,648 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at University of California - Irvine
University of California - Davis landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UC Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 1,387 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k list, UC Davis has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $13,578 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low student loan default rate of 1.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
California State University - Stanislaus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Turlock, California, this fairly large public school handed out 296 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Stan State is $7,772 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 4.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at California State University - Stanislaus
With a ranking of #14, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. 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.
UCR also made our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #23. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Riverside is $12,290 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on Social Sciences at University of California - Riverside
University of California - San Diego ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. UCSD is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 1,086 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
UCSD also made our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $14,071 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 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 - San Diego
California State University - Long Beach came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. California State University - Long Beach is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 697 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $10,807 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at California State University - Long Beach
With a ranking of #17, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. CSUN is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 953 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend CSUN is $10,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Northridge Social Sciences Report
California State University - San Bernardino ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - San Bernardino is a fairly large school located in San Bernardino, California that handed out 450 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - San Bernardino is $8,924 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Pitzer College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Pitzer is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California. It awarded 71 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Pitzer not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Pitzer is $15,939 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Bakersfield did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #20. CSUB is located in Bakersfield, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 168 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $7,564 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Bakersfield.
Full California State University - Bakersfield Social Sciences Report
California State University - Sacramento came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school awarded 730 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $11,413 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #22, Occidental College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k 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.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Oxy, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Occidental College is $19,364 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.
With a ranking of #23, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k 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 $14,730 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend SDSU.
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 student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 722 students in 2019-2020.
UC Santa Cruz did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Cruz is $15,253 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #25. This large school is located in San Luis Obispo, California, and it awarded 228 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $19,407 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
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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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- Credit for the banner image above goes to AndrГ© KГјnzelmann.
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