2023 Best Value Colleges for Social Sciences (Income $48-$75k) in California
58
Ranked Colleges
51,680
Degrees Awarded
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 Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 205,984 social sciences students received their degree, making the major the 5th most popular in the country. 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 California, there were 51,680 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,887 and $17,995 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 58 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.
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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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 in California For Those Making $48-$75k”.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our 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 California For Those Making $48-$75k
The colleges and universities below are the best for california social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
Top 26 Best Value Colleges for Social Sciences (Income $48-$75k) in California
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k. Stanford University is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 357 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” list. It costs about $7,081 for california social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Stanford University.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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%. The impressive undergraduate 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.
Read full report on Social Sciences at Stanford
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 2,093 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $13,423 for california social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Full UC Berkeley Social Sciences Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 2,813 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
UCLA also made our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $12,644 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 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%.
Read more about Social Sciences at University of California - Los Angeles
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pomona College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 95 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Pomona, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,365 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Pomona College.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Social Sciences at Pomona College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - Los Angeles 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.
It costs about $5,700 for california social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Cal State LA Social Sciences Report
California State University - Fresno came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Fresno State is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 658 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Fresno State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,030 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Fresno State.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at California State University - Fresno
University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #7. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 1,848 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $13,275 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low undergrad 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%. 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
University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #8. University of California - Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 1,517 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Davis is $14,193 for california social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%.
Read more about Social Sciences at UC Davis
University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #9. University of California - San Diego is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 1,404 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k list, UCSD has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $14,310 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Social Sciences at UCSD
Santa Rosa Junior College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #10. SRJC is a fairly large school located in Santa Rosa, California that handed out 668 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
SRJC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,738 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Santa Rosa Junior College.
Read more about Social Sciences at Santa Rosa Junior College
With a ranking of #11, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school awarded 2,053 degrees to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.
UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCSB is $14,583 for california social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Full UCSB Social Sciences Report
With a ranking of #12, Claremont McKenna College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Claremont McKenna College is located in Claremont, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 179 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
Claremont McKenna did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Claremont McKenna College is $15,962 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate 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 full report on Social Sciences at Claremont McKenna College
California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #13. Cal State Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 693 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State Fullerton, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fullerton is $9,017 for california social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Cal State Fullerton Social Sciences Report
With a ranking of #14, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of California - Riverside is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,301 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
UCR not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” list. It costs about $11,126 for california social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UCR.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UCR Social Sciences Report
California State University - Dominguez Hills ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 378 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for CSUDH is $6,333 for california social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Social Sciences at California State University - Dominguez Hills
California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #16. California State University - Long Beach is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 764 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
CSULB also made our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” list, coming in at #20. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $11,189 for california social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Social Sciences at California State University - Long Beach
California State University - Northridge came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school awarded 944 diplomas to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $10,780 for california social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
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
With a ranking of #18, California State University - Stanislaus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Turlock, California, this fairly large public school handed out 291 degrees to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Stanislaus is $7,976 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%. 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
With a ranking of #19, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. San Bernardino, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 394 students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $9,854 for california social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend CSUSB.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Sciences at CSUSB
University of Southern California ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. 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 took the #5 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern California is $22,826 for california social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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.
Full University of Southern California Social Sciences Report
California State University - Sacramento landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Sac State is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 786 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $12,602 for california social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Sacramento.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at California State University - Sacramento
University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #22. UC Santa Cruz is a public institution located in Santa Cruz, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 864 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Santa Cruz not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Santa Cruz is $15,567 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad 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%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at UC Santa Cruz
With a ranking of #23, California State University - Bakersfield did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. CSUB is a public institution located in Bakersfield, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 198 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Bakersfield is $9,102 for california social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read more about Social Sciences at CSUB
With a ranking of #24, California State University - East Bay did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - East Bay is a fairly large school located in Hayward, California that handed out 373 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State East Bay, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - East Bay is $15,615 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 more about Social Sciences at Cal State East Bay
American River College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school handed out 620 degrees to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $7,806 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend American River College.
Read more about Social Sciences at American River
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