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2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k

59 Ranked Colleges
26,436 Degrees Awarded
$16,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $75-$110k

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 California For Those Making $75-$110k” 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 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 $75-$110k” ranking analyzed 59 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 $75-$110k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Sciences (Income $75-$110k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Stanford University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 236 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $10,631 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

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 California For Those Making $75-$110k. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 107 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Pomona also made our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Pomona is $16,877 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $75-$110k.

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.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Pomona

Out of the 59 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #3 spot on the list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 628 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,576 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Cal State LA.

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%.

Full California State University - Los Angeles Social Sciences Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. CSUDH is located in Carson, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 296 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Dominguez Hills is $10,904 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $75-$110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Dominguez Hills Social Sciences Report

#4 in overall quality

Out of the 59 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $21,401 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Social Sciences at University of California - Berkeley

California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #6. California State University - Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 633 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $12,916 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend California State University - Fullerton.

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

Full California State University - Fullerton Social Sciences Report

#7

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#5 in overall quality

University of California - Los Angeles 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 $75-$110k ranking. 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. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $19,590 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 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%.

Read more about Social Sciences at UCLA

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 $75-$110k ranking. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school awarded 700 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $11,819 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $75-$110k.

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.

Read more about Social Sciences at California State University - Fresno

#10 in overall quality

University of California - Davis came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. UC Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 1,387 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also made our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $17,622 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $75-$110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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%.

Full University of California - Davis Social Sciences Report

With a ranking of #10, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. CSULB is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 697 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,544 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $75-$110k 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.

Full California State University - Long Beach Social Sciences Report

California State University - Stanislaus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #11. Stan State is located in Turlock, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 296 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Stan State is $12,381 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 full report on Social Sciences at California State University - Stanislaus

#12

Claremont McKenna College

Claremont, California
#1 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, Claremont McKenna College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Claremont McKenna is a private not-for-profit institution located in Claremont, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 177 bachelors’s 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 $17,636 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Claremont McKenna College.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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

California State University - Northridge ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k 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 $15,346 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend California State University - Northridge.

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 California State University - Northridge

#14

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
#23 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #14. 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Riverside is $18,395 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $75-$110k.

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.

Full University of California - Riverside Social Sciences Report

#15

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #15. Located in San Bernardino, California, this fairly large public school awarded 450 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUSB is $13,611 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full CSUSB Social Sciences Report

#16

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #16, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 1,984 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Barbara is $22,226 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 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 University of California - Santa Barbara

California State University - Bakersfield ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. California State University - Bakersfield is a fairly large school located in Bakersfield, California that handed out 168 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,743 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend CSUB.

Read full report on Social Sciences at CSUB

#13 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 1,578 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also made our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #13. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $19,851 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $75-$110k.

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

Full UC Irvine Social Sciences Report

#11 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 1,086 students in 2019-2020.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $20,205 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Social Sciences at University of California - San Diego

California State University - Sacramento came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. California State University - Sacramento is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 730 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $15,812 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%.

Read more about Social Sciences at California State University - Sacramento

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona 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 $75-$110k ranking. This large school is located in Pomona, California, and it awarded 393 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $17,944 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Sciences at Cal Poly Pomona

#22

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. SDSU is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 697 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $18,766 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend SDSU.

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%. 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 San Diego State University

California State University - East Bay landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Hayward, California, and it awarded 339 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $17,710 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend California State University - East Bay.

Read more about Social Sciences at California State University - East Bay

California State University - San Marcos came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. San Marcos, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 718 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUSM is $18,620 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - San Marcos Social Sciences Report

#25

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#21 in overall quality

San Jose State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. San Jose, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 451 students in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also took the #21 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State is $19,805 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 3.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Sciences at San Jose State 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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