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2023 Best Value Colleges for Urban Studies (Income $30-$48k) in California

10 Ranked Colleges
361 Degrees Awarded
$14,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 1,507 people earned their degree in urban studies, making the major the 209th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, urban studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $39,193 and had an average of $21,495 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 361 urban studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,188 and $15,733 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 10 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in urban studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality urban studies 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 urban studies program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Urban Studies Schools

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

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california urban studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 10 Best Value Colleges for Urban Studies (Income $30-$48k) in California

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, 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 Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k. Stanford University is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 12 ’s urban studies degrees to qualified students.

Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Urban Studies Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $1,581 for california urban studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Urban Studies at Stanford

2

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #2 spot on the list. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s urban studies degrees to 35 students in 2020-2021.

UC Berkeley also took the #3 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,999 for California Urban Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UC Berkeley.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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 Urban Studies at University of California - Berkeley

3

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 38 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSD, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - San Diego is $11,176 for California Urban Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Urban Studies at University of California - San Diego

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 65 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $8,449 for california urban studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Read full report on Urban Studies at University of California - Irvine

5
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. USC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 102 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Urban Studies Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern California is $17,345 for california urban studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, 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 91%.

Read full report on Urban Studies at USC

6

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - Northridge is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 ’s urban studies degrees to qualified students.

CSUN not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Urban Studies Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend CSUN is $7,103 for California Urban Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low undergrad 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%.

Read full report on Urban Studies at California State University - Northridge

7
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s urban studies degrees to 12 students in 2020-2021.

SDSU also made our “Best Urban Studies Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $9,274 for California Urban Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full San Diego State University Urban Studies Report

8
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in San Francisco, California, this large public school handed out 31 diplomas to qualified ’s urban studies students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFSU, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,862 for California Urban Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend San Francisco State University.

The undergrad 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 more about Urban Studies at San Francisco State University

9
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California

University of San Francisco landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in San Francisco, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 12 diplomas to qualified ’s urban studies students in 2020-2021.

USFCA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Urban Studies Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend USFCA is $31,994 for california urban studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low undergrad 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%.

Full USFCA Urban Studies Report

10
Loyola Marymount crest
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, California

Loyola Marymount University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s urban studies degrees to 12 students in 2020-2021.

Loyola Marymount also took the #6 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola Marymount University is $31,985 for California Urban Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Urban Studies at Loyola Marymount University

Notes and References

References

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