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2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

11 Ranked Colleges
239 Degrees Awarded
$21,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Getting Aid

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

Urban Studies is the 210th most popular major in the country with 1,475 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, urban studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $37,971 and had an average of $24,376 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 294 urban studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,275 and $17,214 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 239 urban studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the urban studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Urban Studies 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 Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. 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 for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree urban studies students with aid.

Top 11 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Urban Studies in California (With Aid)

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford University is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s urban studies degrees to qualified students.

Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $11,496 for California Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students with aid per year to attend Stanford.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. With a 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

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 for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 34 bachelors’s urban studies degrees to qualified students.

UC Berkeley also took the #2 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $15,329 for california bachelor’s degree urban studies students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.

Full University of California - Berkeley Urban Studies Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s urban studies degrees to 57 students in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $14,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.

Full UC Irvine Urban Studies Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. UCSD is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 45 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $14,232 for california bachelor’s degree urban studies students with aid.

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 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Urban Studies at UCSD

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. CSUN is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 22 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree urban studies students with aid list, CSUN has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSUN is $8,414 for California Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Urban Studies at CSUN

#6

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

With a ranking of #6, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s urban studies degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SDSU, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $14,788 for California Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students with aid.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Urban Studies at SDSU

#7

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. San Francisco State University is a large public school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 30 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFSU, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SFSU is $15,113 for California Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students with aid.

Read full report on Urban Studies at SFSU

#8

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#3 in overall quality

University of Southern California did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. USC is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 13 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $29,528 for california bachelor’s degree urban studies students with aid per year to attend University of Southern California.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%.

Full USC Urban Studies Report

#9

Biola University

La Mirada, California
#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Biola University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in La Mirada, California, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Biola also took the #11 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Biola University is $31,859 for california bachelor’s degree urban studies students with aid.

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%.

Read more about Urban Studies at Biola University

#10

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, California

Loyola Marymount University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Loyola Marymount is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 12 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Marymount not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $42,861 for california bachelor’s degree urban studies students with aid per year to attend Loyola Marymount.

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%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Urban Studies at Loyola Marymount University

#11

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, California
#8 in overall quality

University of San Francisco ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. USFCA is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

USFCA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for USFCA is $36,424 for california bachelor’s degree urban studies students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Urban Studies at University of San Francisco

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.

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