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2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k

57 Ranked Colleges
8,454 Degrees Awarded
$8,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $30-$48k

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 For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 37,747 people earned their degree in sociology, making the major the 20th most popular in the United States.

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 $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 57 colleges that offered 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Sociology Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Sociology (Income $30-$48k) 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 $30-$48k list. Stanford is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 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 $1,145 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Stanford.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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.

Read more about Sociology at Stanford

#2

Pomona College

Claremont, California
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 57 schools in the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Pomona College landed the #2 spot on the list. Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s sociology degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Pomona, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Pomona College is $8,655 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Pomona Sociology Report

#3

Claremont McKenna College

Claremont, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Claremont McKenna College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. Claremont McKenna is a small school located in Claremont, California that handed out 2 bachelors’s sociology degrees 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. The yearly cost to attend Claremont McKenna is $6,591 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Sociology at Claremont McKenna College

#3 in overall quality

Out of the 57 schools in the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #4 spot on the list. UC Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 310 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $9,130 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UC Berkeley.

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 full report on Sociology at UC Berkeley

Out of the 57 schools in the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #5 spot on the list. 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.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $2,117 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 more about Sociology at California State University - Los Angeles

#6

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#4 in overall quality

University of California - Los Angeles came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. 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. It costs about $9,254 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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 UCLA

California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #7. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 246 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,115 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $30-$48k 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 CSUDH Sociology Report

#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school awarded 238 degrees to qualified bachelors’s sociology 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 $10,373 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Irvine.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%.

Read more about Sociology at University of California - Irvine

With a ranking of #9, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s sociology degrees to 382 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $6,100 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. 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 California State University - Fullerton

California State University - Fresno came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Fresno State is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 142 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,731 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Fresno State.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%.

Read more about 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 $30-$48k list. Turlock, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s sociology degrees to 169 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,958 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Stan State.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Sociology at California State University - Stanislaus

#21 in overall quality

California State University - Long Beach came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. 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.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k list, CSULB has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $7,595 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Long Beach Sociology Report

California State University - Northridge came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Northridge is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 531 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $6,883 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 more about Sociology at CSUN

#14

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
#20 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s sociology degrees to 339 students in 2019-2020.

UCR also made our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #20. The estimated yearly cost for UCR is $9,151 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Sociology at UCR

#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 275 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $10,769 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of California - Davis Sociology Report

#16

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #16, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCSB is $11,895 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 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 UCSB

#17

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

With a ranking of #17, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in San Bernardino, California, this fairly large public school awarded 301 degrees to qualified bachelors’s sociology students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,869 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - San Bernardino.

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

Read full report on Sociology at California State University - San Bernardino

#16 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. UCSD is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 121 bachelors’s sociology degrees 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 estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $9,974 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.

Read more about Sociology at UCSD

California State University - Bakersfield came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Bakersfield is a public institution located in Bakersfield, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 110 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Bakersfield is $3,880 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #20. California State University - Sacramento is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 224 bachelors’s sociology degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $7,823 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Sacramento.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Sociology at Sac State

#21

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school handed out 112 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s sociology students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,594 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend SDSU.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Sociology at San Diego State University

#11 in overall quality

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a public institution located in San Luis Obispo, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 69 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $14,680 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Sociology Report

#23 in overall quality

California State University - East Bay ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large school located in Hayward, California that handed out 235 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State East Bay, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,891 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - East Bay.

Read more about Sociology at California State University - East Bay

#24

Occidental College

Los Angeles, California
#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #24, Occidental College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Oxy is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 15 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Oxy, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $17,662 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Occidental College.

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 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 Oxy 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 $30-$48k ranking. 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. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $11,752 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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%.

Read full report on Sociology at San Jose State

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.

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