2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Sociology in California (With Aid)
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Sociology is the 24th most popular major in the country with 37,807 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, sociology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $29,727 and had an average of $23,622 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 14,493 sociology graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,922 and $18,563 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 8,454 sociology graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 59 colleges that offer a degree in sociology. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality sociology programs that also have a lower cost than 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 sociology program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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The sociology 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 Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid”.
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. 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 Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Sociology in California (With Aid)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s sociology degrees to 452 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $2,768 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students with aid per year to attend Cal State LA.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Dominguez Hills. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a fairly large public school situated in Carson, California. It awarded 246 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $4,215 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students with aid per year to attend CSUDH.
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 Sociology Report
Out of the 59 schools in the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #3 spot on the list. Cal State Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 382 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $7,991 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.
Out of the 59 schools in the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #4 spot on the list. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 779 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,279 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students with aid per year to attend UCLA.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Los Angeles Sociology Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Fresno is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 142 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $5,464 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Northridge came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Northridge, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s sociology degrees to 531 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $8,414 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Sociology at California State University - Northridge
Stanford University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. Stanford University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 16 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree sociology students with aid list, Stanford has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $11,496 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students with aid.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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.
With a ranking of #8, California State University - Stanislaus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Stan State is located in Turlock, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 169 bachelors’s sociology degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Stanislaus is $6,019 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students with aid.
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 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Long Beach ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s sociology degrees to 322 students in 2019-2020.
CSULB also took the #21 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $9,622 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.
University of California - Irvine came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 238 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students with aid per year to attend UC Irvine.
The 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 94%.
Read more about Sociology at University of California - Irvine
With a ranking of #11, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 310 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Berkeley also took the #3 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,329 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students with aid per year to attend UC 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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. CSUSB is located in San Bernardino, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 301 bachelors’s sociology degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Bernardino is $7,342 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
University of California - Riverside came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of California - Riverside is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 339 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UCR also took the #20 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Riverside is $12,871 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, 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%.
California State University - Bakersfield did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. This fairly large school is located in Bakersfield, California, and it awarded 110 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Bakersfield is $5,318 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students with aid.
California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #15. California State University - Sacramento is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 224 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $9,979 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of California - Davis landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Davis, California, this large public school handed out 275 degrees to qualified bachelors’s sociology students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,669 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students with aid per year to attend University of California - Davis.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Claremont McKenna College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Claremont, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s sociology students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Claremont McKenna, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $22,161 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students with aid per year to attend Claremont McKenna.
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%.
University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #18. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 121 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.
UCSD also made our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #16. The yearly cost to attend University of California - San Diego is $14,232 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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.
California State University - East Bay did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #19. Cal State East Bay is a public institution located in Hayward, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 235 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal State East Bay not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $11,116 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students with aid per year to attend Cal State East Bay.
University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. UCSB is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 713 bachelors’s sociology degrees to qualified students.
UCSB also made our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend UCSB is $15,884 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students with aid.
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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Santa Barbara Sociology Report
With a ranking of #21, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. San Jose State University is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 190 bachelors’s sociology degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State is $14,928 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
San Diego State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #22. San Diego State University is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 112 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $14,788 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
California State University - San Marcos landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in San Marcos, California, and it awarded 254 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend CSUSM is $13,399 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students with aid.
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%.
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a public institution located in Pomona, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 206 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $12,734 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students with aid per year to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.
Read more about Sociology at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
With a ranking of #25, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s sociology degrees to 114 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend San Francisco State University is $15,113 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students with aid.
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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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