Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Urban Studies

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Urban Studies in California

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

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 for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer a degree in urban studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great urban studies programs and 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

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” list to help you make the college 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California

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

Top 11 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Urban Studies in California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. University of California - Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 34 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $15,329 for California Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Urban Studies at UC Berkeley

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. CSUN is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 22 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUN not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,414 for California Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students per year to attend California State University - Northridge.

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%.

Full CSUN Urban Studies Report

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #3 spot on the list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s urban studies degrees to 45 students in 2019-2020.

UCSD also made our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $14,232 for California Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students.

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

Read more about Urban Studies at University of California - San Diego

#4

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Francisco State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s urban studies degrees to 30 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree urban studies students list, SFSU has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Francisco State University is $15,113 for California Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students.

Read more about Urban Studies at San Francisco State University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 57 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $14,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Urban Studies at UC Irvine

#6

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. San Diego State University is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s urban studies degrees to qualified students.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $14,788 for California Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students.

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

Biola University

La Mirada, California
#11 in overall quality

Biola University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Located in La Mirada, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 1 degrees to qualified bachelors’s urban studies students in 2019-2020.

Biola also made our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend Biola University is $31,859 for california bachelor’s degree urban studies students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Urban Studies at Biola

#8

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, California

Loyola Marymount University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #8. Loyola Marymount is a medium-sized school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 12 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Marymount did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Loyola Marymount is $42,861 for california bachelor’s degree urban studies students.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.

Read more about Urban Studies at Loyola Marymount University

#9

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, California
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, University of San Francisco did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. USFCA is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 1 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

USFCA also made our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $36,424 for California Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students per year to attend USFCA.

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 more about Urban Studies at University of San Francisco

#10

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

Stanford University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Stanford is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree urban studies students list, Stanford has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $11,496 for California Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students.

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%. The 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%.

Read full report on Urban Studies at Stanford University

#11

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#3 in overall quality

University of Southern California landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. University of Southern California is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 13 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

USC also took the #3 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $29,528 for california bachelor’s degree urban studies students 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. 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Urban Studies at USC

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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

Featured Political and Social Sciences Schools

Find Schools Near You