2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Sociology in California
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2019-2020, 37,807 people earned their degree in sociology, making the major the 24th most popular in the United States. 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” ranking, we looked at 59 colleges that offer a degree in sociology. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent sociology 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 sociology program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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 Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California
The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree sociology students.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Sociology in California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California 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 made our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #21. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $9,622 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Full California State University - Long Beach Sociology Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s sociology degrees to 779 students in 2019-2020.
UCLA also took the #4 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $14,279 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full University of California - Los Angeles Sociology Report
Out of the 59 schools in the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Northridge landed the #3 spot on the list. California State University - Northridge is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 531 bachelors’s sociology degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Northridge is $8,414 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.
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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a large school located in San Luis Obispo, California that handed out 69 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also took the #11 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $21,595 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students per year to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Jose State University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. San Jose, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s sociology degrees to 190 students in 2019-2020.
San Jose State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,928 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students per year to attend San Jose State University.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.
With a ranking of #6, California State University - East Bay did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. California State University - East Bay is located in Hayward, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 235 bachelors’s sociology degrees to qualified students.
Cal State East Bay also took the #23 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,116 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students per year to attend California State University - East Bay.
California State University - Fresno did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school awarded 142 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s sociology students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $5,464 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students per year to attend California State University - Fresno.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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%.
Read full report on Sociology at California State University - Fresno
University of California - Berkeley ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. UC Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 310 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Berkeley also made our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $15,329 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students per year to attend University of California - 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 low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%.
Sonoma State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #9. SSU is a medium-sized public school situated in Rohnert Park, California. It awarded 132 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for SSU is $17,478 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students.
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%.
California State University - Chico did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #10. California State University - Chico is located in Chico, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 144 bachelors’s sociology degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Chico is $15,017 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Sociology at California State University - Chico
With a ranking of #11, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. San Bernardino, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s sociology degrees to 301 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $7,342 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students per year to attend California State University - San Bernardino.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Full California State University - San Bernardino Sociology Report
California State University - San Marcos did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #12. 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 California State University - San Marcos is $13,399 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Stanislaus ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. California State University - Stanislaus is a fairly large public school situated in Turlock, California. It awarded 169 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $6,019 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students per year to attend California State University - Stanislaus.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, 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 87%.
Read full report on Sociology at California State University - Stanislaus
With a ranking of #14, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. UCSB is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 713 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.
UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCSB is $15,884 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
California State University - Fullerton landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Cal State Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 382 bachelors’s sociology degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $7,991 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, 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 89%.
Read more about Sociology at California State University - Fullerton
California State University - Los Angeles landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 452 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Cal State LA is $2,768 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Sociology at California State University - Los Angeles
California State University - Sacramento landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Sac State is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 224 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $9,979 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.
The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 full report on Sociology at California State University - Sacramento
California State University - Dominguez Hills ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 246 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $4,215 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students per year to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills.
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%.
With a ranking of #18, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. SFSU is a large public school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 114 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,113 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students per year to attend SFSU.
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Pomona, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s sociology degrees to 206 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $12,734 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Read more about Sociology at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #21. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s sociology degrees to 275 students in 2019-2020.
UC Davis also took the #9 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $14,669 for california bachelor’s degree sociology 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of California - Irvine came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. UC Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 238 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Irvine also took the #12 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $14,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #23. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s sociology degrees to 121 students in 2019-2020.
UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $14,232 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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 more about Sociology at University of California - San Diego
California State University - Channel Islands landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Located in Camarillo, California, this medium-sized public school awarded 124 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s sociology students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $13,558 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students per year to attend CSUCI.
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%.
With a ranking of #25, Brandman University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This fairly large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.
Brandman did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Brandman is $21,604 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.
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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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