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2023 Most Focused Colleges for Social Sciences in California

203 Ranked Colleges
51,680 Degrees Awarded
$35,300 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in California

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in California” ranking is part of that endeavor.

With 205,984 degrees handed out in 2020-2021, social sciences is the 5th most popular major in the United States. In 2019-2020, social sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $36,262 and had an average of $23,306 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 51,680 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,887 and $17,995 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in California” ranking, we looked at 203 colleges that offer a degree in social sciences. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in social sciences.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in California” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in California

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in California”.

Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Social Sciences in California

1
Pardee RAND Graduate School crest
Pardee RAND Graduate School
Santa Monica, California

Out of the 203 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Pardee RAND Graduate School landed the #1 spot on the list. Santa Monica, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 25 students in 2020-2021.

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

Read more about Social Sciences at Pardee RAND Graduate School

2
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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 Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in California. Claremont McKenna College is a small school located in Claremont, California that handed out 179 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. 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 Claremont McKenna Social Sciences Report

3
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Ohlone College
Fremont, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ohlone College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in California list. Ohlone College is a medium-sized school located in Fremont, California that handed out 397 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Ohlone College Social Sciences Report

4
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Occidental College
Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Occidental College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in California list. Occidental College is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 143 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Social Sciences at Occidental College

5
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Lake Tahoe Community College
South Lake Tahoe, California

Out of the 203 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Lake Tahoe Community College landed the #5 spot on the list. This small school is located in South Lake Tahoe, California, and it awarded 61 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Social Sciences at LTCC

6

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in California ranking. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school awarded 2,053 degrees to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.

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.

Full University of California - Santa Barbara Social Sciences Report

7
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Woodland Community College
Woodland, California

Woodland Community College landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in California ranking. Located in Woodland, California, this small public school awarded 122 degrees to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Woodland Community College

8
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Pomona College
Claremont, California

Pomona College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in California ranking, coming in at #8. Pomona is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California. It awarded 95 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Pomona

9
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Barstow Community College
Barstow, California

Barstow Community College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in California ranking. Barstow Community College is a public institution located in Barstow, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 151 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Social Sciences at Barstow Community College

10
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College of San Mateo
San Mateo, California

With a ranking of #10, College of San Mateo did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in California list. CSM is a public institution located in San Mateo, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 256 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Full CSM Social Sciences Report

11

12
East Los Angeles College crest
East Los Angeles College
Monterey Park, California

East Los Angeles College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in California ranking. Monterey Park, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 1,475 students in 2020-2021.

Full East Los Angeles College Social Sciences Report

13

University of California - Los Angeles landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in California ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 2,813 diplomas to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.

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 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%.

Read full report on Social Sciences at University of California - Los Angeles

14
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Folsom Lake College
Folsom, California

Folsom Lake College ranked #14 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in California list. Folsom Lake is a medium-sized public school situated in Folsom, California. It awarded 397 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Folsom Lake Social Sciences Report

15
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Sierra College
Rocklin, California

With a ranking of #15, Sierra College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in California list. Sierra College is located in Rocklin, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,047 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

Full Sierra College Social Sciences Report

16
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Scripps College
Claremont, California

Scripps College landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in California ranking. 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 58 students in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Sciences at Scripps

17

University of California - Riverside ranked #17 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in California list. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 1,301 students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%.

Full University of California - Riverside Social Sciences Report

18
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Pitzer College
Claremont, California

Pitzer College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in California ranking, coming in at #18. Pitzer College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Claremont, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 40 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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 Pitzer

19

California State University - San Marcos landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in California ranking. This fairly large school is located in San Marcos, California, and it awarded 730 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - San Marcos Social Sciences Report

20
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College of the Siskiyous
Weed, California

College of the Siskiyous landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in California ranking. This small school is located in Weed, California, and it awarded 57 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Social Sciences at College of the Siskiyous

21
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Mt. San Antonio College
Walnut, California

Mt. San Antonio College ranked #21 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in California list. Mt. SAC is a large public school situated in Walnut, California. It awarded 845 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Mt. SAC

22
Butte College crest
Butte College
Oroville, California

With a ranking of #22, Butte College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in California list. Butte College is a medium-sized public school situated in Oroville, California. It awarded 413 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Butte College Social Sciences Report

23
Porterville College crest
Porterville College
Porterville, California

Porterville College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in California ranking, coming in at #23. Porterville College is located in Porterville, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 150 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

Full Porterville College Social Sciences Report

24
Laney College crest
Laney College
Oakland, California

Laney College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in California ranking, coming in at #24. Laney College is located in Oakland, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 158 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Laney College

25
American River crest
American River College
Sacramento, California

American River College ranked #25 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in California list. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school awarded 620 degrees to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Social Sciences at American River

Rest of the Best 31 in Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in California

Not only did these schools make the top 31 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
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Whittier College
Whittier, California
27
28
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College of the Canyons
Santa Clarita, California
29
30
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Antelope Valley College
Lancaster, California
31

Notes and References

References

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