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2023 Most Focused Colleges for Urban Studies in California

12 Ranked Colleges
361 Degrees Awarded
$36,800 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major in California

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major in California” 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 “Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major in California” ranking analyzed 12 colleges that offered a degree in urban studies. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in urban studies.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons 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.

Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major in California

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major in California”.

Top 12 Most Focused Colleges for Urban Studies in California

1
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major in California. University of Southern California is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 102 ’s urban studies degrees to qualified students.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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%.

Full University of Southern California Urban Studies Report

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major in California list. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 65 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 University of California - Irvine

3
Loyola Marymount crest
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Loyola Marymount University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major in California list. This fairly large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 12 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.

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 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 Loyola Marymount University

4
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

Out of the 12 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Francisco State University landed the #4 spot on the list. San Francisco State University is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 31 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full San Francisco State University Urban Studies Report

5
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of San Francisco. The school came in at #5 for the Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major in California. USFCA is located in San Francisco, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 12 ’s urban studies degrees to qualified students.

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%.

Read full report on Urban Studies at University of San Francisco

6

University of California - San Diego came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major in California ranking. UCSD is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 38 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.

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 undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Urban Studies at UCSD

7
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Stanford University ranked #7 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major in California list. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 12 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.

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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Stanford University Urban Studies Report

8

University of California - Berkeley came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major in California ranking. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 35 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. 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 more about Urban Studies at University of California - Berkeley

9

With a ranking of #9, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major in California 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.

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 more about Urban Studies at California State University - Northridge

10
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San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major in California ranking. SDSU is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Urban Studies at San Diego State University

11
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San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco, California

San Francisco Art Institute ranked #11 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major in California list. Located in San Francisco, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 0 degrees to qualified ’s urban studies students in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Urban Studies at SFAI

11
Biola crest
Biola University
La Mirada, California

With a ranking of #11, Biola University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major in California list. This medium-sized school is located in La Mirada, California, and it awarded 0 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 Biola University

Notes and References

References

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