2023 Best Value Colleges for Sociology (Income $0-$30k) in California
58
Ranked Colleges
15,499
Degrees Awarded
$7,400
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 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 38,394 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
Across California, there were 15,499 sociology graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Sociology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 58 colleges that offered 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Sociology Schools
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 in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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.
Best Value Sociology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for california sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Sociology (Income $0-$30k) in California
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Sociology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 48 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Sociology Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $1,233 for California Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Stanford University.
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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Full Stanford University Sociology Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Sociology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. University of California - Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 374 ’s sociology degrees to qualified students.
UC Berkeley also took the #2 spot in our “Best Sociology Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $8,450 for California Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read full report on Sociology at University of California - Berkeley
Out of the 58 schools in the Best Value Sociology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 766 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.
UCLA also made our “Best Sociology Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $9,037 for california sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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 full report on Sociology at University of California - Los Angeles
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Sociology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 402 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $1,887 for California Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
Read more about Sociology at California State University - Los Angeles
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Davis. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Sociology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Davis, California, this large public school handed out 275 degrees to qualified ’s sociology students in 2020-2021.
UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Sociology Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Davis is $10,006 for California Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Sociology at University of California - Davis
University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. University of California - Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 306 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Sociology Schools in California” list. It costs about $6,540 for California Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Irvine.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Sociology at University of California - Irvine
California State University - Fullerton came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 395 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State Fullerton, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Sociology Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $4,590 for california sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Sociology at Cal State Fullerton
University of California - San Diego came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school awarded 161 diplomas to qualified ’s sociology students in 2020-2021.
UCSD also took the #8 spot in our “Best Sociology Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $9,823 for california sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad 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%. 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 - San Diego
University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s sociology degrees to 726 students in 2020-2021.
UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Sociology Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCSB is $10,568 for California Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read full report on Sociology at University of California - Santa Barbara
With a ranking of #10, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Fresno is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 147 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $3,859 for California Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Fresno State Sociology Report
California State University - Long Beach ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 308 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Sociology Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $6,663 for California Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Long Beach.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Sociology at California State University - Long Beach
California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a public institution located in Carson, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 301 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills is $2,657 for california sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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 more about Sociology at CSUDH
University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. UCR is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 403 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.
UCR did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Sociology Schools in California” list. It costs about $6,810 for California Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k 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 Sociology at UCR
California State University - Stanislaus landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Turlock, California, this fairly large public school awarded 167 degrees to qualified ’s sociology students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Stan State is $4,122 for California Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read full report on Sociology at Stan State
California State University - Northridge came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. CSUN is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 499 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.
CSUN also made our “Best Sociology Schools in California” list, coming in at #23. The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $6,266 for California Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Sociology at California State University - Northridge
With a ranking of #16, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 292 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.
Sac State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Sociology Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $8,163 for california sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Sac State Sociology Report
California State University - East Bay landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Hayward, California, and it awarded 247 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal State East Bay did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Sociology Schools in California” list. It costs about $9,975 for california sociology students whose families make $0-$30k 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 Sociology at Cal State East Bay
California State University - San Bernardino ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Bernardino, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s sociology degrees to 259 students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Bernardino is $5,985 for california sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Sociology at CSUSB
San Diego State University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s sociology degrees to 141 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california sociology students whose families make $0-$30k list, SDSU has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Sociology Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $7,169 for California Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Sociology at SDSU
University of Southern California ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Southern California is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 63 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.
USC also took the #4 spot in our “Best Sociology Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend USC is $17,287 for California Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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 University of Southern California Sociology Report
With a ranking of #21, Santa Rosa Junior College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. SRJC is a fairly large school located in Santa Rosa, California that handed out 115 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $5,728 for california sociology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SRJC.
Full Santa Rosa Junior College Sociology Report
University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 273 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Santa Cruz also made our “Best Sociology Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Cruz is $11,038 for california sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of California - Santa Cruz Sociology Report
California State University - Bakersfield ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. CSUB is a public institution located in Bakersfield, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 147 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Bakersfield is $5,238 for California Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Sociology at CSUB
San Jose State University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Jose State is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 214 ’s sociology degrees to qualified students.
San Jose State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Sociology Schools in California” list. It costs about $12,158 for California Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Jose State University.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 Sociology at San Jose State
California State University - San Marcos ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Marcos, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s sociology degrees to 276 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUSM, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Sociology Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSUSM is $9,397 for california sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad 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 full report on Sociology at CSUSM
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