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2023 Best Value Colleges for Social Sciences (Income $75-$110k) in California

58 Ranked Colleges
51,680 Degrees Awarded
$16,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 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 $75-$110k” ranking looked at 58 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in social sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great social sciences programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the social sciences program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 California For Those Making $75-$110k” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k

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

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

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 357 degrees to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.

Stanford also made our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $13,623 for california social sciences students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Stanford University.

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 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Stanford

2
Claremont McKenna crest
Claremont McKenna College
Claremont, California

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 California For Those Making $75-$110k. Claremont McKenna College is a small school located in Claremont, California that handed out 179 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Claremont McKenna did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” list. It costs about $28,087 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Claremont McKenna College.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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. 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%.

Full Claremont McKenna Social Sciences Report

3
SRJC crest
Santa Rosa Junior College
Santa Rosa, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Santa Rosa Junior College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. SRJC is a fairly large public school situated in Santa Rosa, California. It awarded 668 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SRJC, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SRJC is $10,357 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about Social Sciences at SRJC

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. 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 estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $20,697 for california 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 96%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Social Sciences Report

5
Pomona crest
Pomona College
Claremont, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Pomona College. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k. Pomona College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California. It awarded 95 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Pomona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Pomona College is $18,763 for california social sciences students whose families make $75-$110k.

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. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Pomona Social Sciences Report

6

California State University - Los Angeles landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. California State University - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 591 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $10,011 for california social sciences students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Cal State LA.

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%.

Full Cal State LA Social Sciences Report

7

University of California - Berkeley landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 2,093 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $21,601 for california 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 undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full UC Berkeley Social Sciences Report

8

University of California - Davis came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 1,517 students in 2020-2021.

UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” list. It costs about $18,728 for california social sciences students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend University of California - Davis.

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 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%.

Read full report on Social Sciences at University of California - Davis

9

California State University - Fresno came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 658 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Fresno State also took the #21 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $12,789 for california social sciences students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend California State University - Fresno.

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%. 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 California State University - Fresno

10

California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #10. California State University - Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 693 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

Cal State Fullerton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” list. It costs about $12,977 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Cal State Fullerton.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Social Sciences at Cal State Fullerton

11

University of California - Irvine landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. UC Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,848 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

UC Irvine also took the #7 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $20,567 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, 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 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Sciences at University of California - Irvine

12

California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #12. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 764 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california social sciences students whose families make $75-$110k list, CSULB has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,101 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend California State University - Long Beach.

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 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Sciences at California State University - Long Beach

13

University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #13. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 1,404 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

UCSD also took the #10 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $20,906 for california social sciences students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, 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 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Sciences at University of California - San Diego

14

California State University - Dominguez Hills ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a fairly large school located in Carson, California that handed out 378 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Dominguez Hills is $11,085 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%.

Full California State University - Dominguez Hills Social Sciences Report

15

University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #15. University of California - Santa Barbara is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2,053 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

UCSB also took the #6 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Barbara is $21,581 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%. 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 University of California - Santa Barbara

16

With a ranking of #16, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. UCR is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 1,301 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCR, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $16,887 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UCR.

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 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Sciences at University of California - Riverside

17

California State University - Northridge landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. CSUN is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 944 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $15,380 for california social sciences students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low undergrad 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%.

Full CSUN Social Sciences Report

18
American River crest
American River College
Sacramento, California

American River College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #18. American River is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 620 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for American River is $9,707 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Social Sciences at American River

19

California State University - Stanislaus landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Turlock, California, and it awarded 291 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Stanislaus is $12,642 for california social sciences students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 Stan State Social Sciences Report

20

California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #20. 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.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Bernardino is $14,338 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 4.0% 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 CSUSB Social Sciences Report

21
Butte College crest
Butte College
Oroville, California

With a ranking of #21, Butte College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Oroville, California, this medium-sized public school awarded 413 diplomas to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $11,245 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Butte College.

Read more about Social Sciences at Butte College

22

With a ranking of #22, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Sac State is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 786 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $16,925 for california social sciences students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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 California State University - Sacramento

23

California State University - Bakersfield landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. California State University - Bakersfield is a fairly large school located in Bakersfield, California that handed out 198 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $13,441 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend California State University - Bakersfield.

Read full report on Social Sciences at CSUB

24
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. San Diego State University is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 845 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” list. It costs about $18,957 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend SDSU.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full SDSU Social Sciences Report

25

California State University - East Bay landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Cal State East Bay is located in Hayward, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 373 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california social sciences students whose families make $75-$110k list, Cal State East Bay has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $18,874 for california social sciences students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend California State University - East Bay.

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 California State University - East Bay

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