Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Sociology

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

59 Ranked Colleges
8,454 Degrees Awarded
$7,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Sociology is the 20th most popular major in the country with 37,747 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across California, there were 14,493 sociology graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 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.

This year’s “Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 59 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in sociology. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great sociology programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the sociology program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Sociology Schools

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 Making $0-$30k”.

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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Sociology (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $-1,387 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Stanford University. The negative number means the student will receive more financial aid on average than it costs to attend the school.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Stanford University Sociology Report

#2

Claremont McKenna College

Claremont, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Claremont McKenna College. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Claremont McKenna College is located in Claremont, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s sociology degrees to qualified students.

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 $8,566 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k 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. 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 College Sociology Report

#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. University of California - Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 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. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $8,392 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. 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 Sociology at University of California - Berkeley

Out of the 59 schools in the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #4 spot on the list. California State University - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 452 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $1,379 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Read more about Sociology at Cal State LA

#5

Pomona College

Claremont, California
#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pomona College. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Pomona is a private not-for-profit institution located in Claremont, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Pomona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Pomona is $6,945 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Sociology at Pomona College

#6

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#4 in overall quality

University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. 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.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCLA has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,553 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCLA.

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 full report on Sociology at University of California - Los Angeles

#12 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s sociology degrees to 238 students in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also took the #12 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,558 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Irvine.

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 student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Irvine Sociology Report

California State University - Dominguez Hills ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Carson, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s sociology degrees to 246 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Dominguez Hills is $2,455 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. Cal State Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 382 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $4,291 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Fullerton.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, 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 students.

Full Cal State Fullerton Sociology Report

California State University - Fresno landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 142 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $3,264 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Read full report on Sociology at California State University - Fresno

California State University - Stanislaus ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Turlock, California, this fairly large public school awarded 169 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s sociology students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Stan State is $3,410 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Sociology at Stan State

#12

Pitzer College

Claremont, California
#8 in overall quality

Pitzer College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Pitzer College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California. It awarded 18 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

Pitzer not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Pitzer College is $15,922 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Sociology at Pitzer

#13

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
#20 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,366 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Riverside.

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 freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full UCR Sociology Report

#21 in overall quality

California State University - Long Beach landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - Long Beach is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 322 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $6,364 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Read more about Sociology at CSULB

#9 in overall quality

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. University of California - Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 275 bachelors’s sociology degrees to qualified students.

UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $9,842 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Read full report on Sociology at UC Davis

California State University - Northridge came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. CSUN is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 531 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUN is $5,945 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 full report on Sociology at CSUN

#17

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#10 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of California - Santa Barbara 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 estimated yearly cost for UCSB is $10,316 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UCSB Sociology Report

#18

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in San Bernardino, California, this fairly large public school handed out 301 degrees to qualified bachelors’s sociology students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,077 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSUSB.

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

Read more about Sociology at CSUSB

#19

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school awarded 112 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s sociology students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $8,870 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Read more about Sociology at San Diego State University

#16 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. 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 also took the #16 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $9,280 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Full University of California - San Diego Sociology Report

California State University - Bakersfield landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Bakersfield, California, and it awarded 110 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,423 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Bakersfield.

Read more about Sociology at California State University - Bakersfield

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. California State University - Sacramento is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 224 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $6,819 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 more about Sociology at California State University - Sacramento

#11 in overall quality

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $12,475 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%.

Read full report on Sociology at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

#23 in overall quality

California State University - East Bay did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #24. 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cal State East Bay is $8,036 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full California State University - East Bay Sociology Report

#25

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#17 in overall quality

San Jose State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. 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.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k list, San Jose State has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State University is $10,940 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full San Jose State Sociology Report

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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Kontos.

Featured Political and Social Sciences Schools

Find Schools Near You