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2023 Best Value Colleges for Urban Studies (Income $48-$75k) in California

10 Ranked Colleges
361 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking - to help you make that 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 $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 10 colleges that offered a degree in urban studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent urban studies programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the urban studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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The urban studies 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 Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k”.

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 Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california urban studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 10 Best Value Colleges for Urban Studies (Income $48-$75k) 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 $48-$75k. Stanford is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $7,081 for California Urban Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

Read more about Urban Studies at Stanford

2

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 Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 35 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Urban Studies Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $13,423 for California Urban Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, 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 more about 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 $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #3 spot on the list. University of California - San Diego is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 38 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Urban Studies Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $14,310 for California Urban Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%.

Full UCSD Urban Studies Report

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 65 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Urban Studies Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $13,275 for california urban studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

5
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #5 spot on the 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.

In addition to being on our california urban studies students whose families make $48-$75k list, USC has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Urban Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $22,826 for California Urban Studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend USC.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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%. 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.

Full USC Urban Studies Report

6

California State University - Northridge ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school handed out 27 degrees to qualified ’s urban studies students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUN, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,780 for California Urban Studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Northridge.

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 CSUN

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 $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 12 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california urban studies students whose families make $48-$75k list, SDSU has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Urban Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,698 for California Urban Studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend SDSU.

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%.

Read more about Urban Studies at San Diego State University

8
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. SFSU is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 31 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.

SFSU also took the #7 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $16,065 for California Urban Studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend SFSU.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%.

Full SFSU Urban Studies Report

9
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California

University of San Francisco ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. USFCA is a fairly large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 12 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.

USFCA also took the #8 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend USFCA is $36,818 for California Urban Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%.

Full USFCA Urban Studies Report

10
Loyola Marymount crest
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, California

Loyola Marymount University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #10. Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Loyola Marymount, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola Marymount University is $37,292 for california urban studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%.

Full Loyola Marymount University Urban Studies Report

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