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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration & Social Service (Income $0-$30k) in California

35 Ranked Colleges
2,671 Degrees Awarded
$8,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $0-$30k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 97,666 people earned their degree in public administration and social service, making the major the 14th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, public administration and social service graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $39,142 and had an average of $32,304 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 9,336 public administration and social service graduates with average earnings and debt of $48,497 and $34,561 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,671 public administration and social service graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 35 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public administration and social service. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality public administration and social service programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the public administration and social service program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

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

Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration & Social Service (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 20 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $-1,387 for California Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $0-$30k. The negative number means the student will receive more financial aid on average than it costs to attend the school.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Stanford University Public Administration & Social Service Report

#7 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. California State University - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 224 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State LA also took the #7 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $1,379 for california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Los Angeles Public Administration & Social Service Report

#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 90 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also made our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $8,392 for California Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Berkeley.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, 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 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UC Berkeley Public Administration & Social Service Report

#10 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Fresno State is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 119 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Fresno State also made our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $3,264 for california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at California State University - Fresno

#18 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Cal State Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 304 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton also took the #18 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $4,291 for California Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Full California State University - Fullerton Public Administration & Social Service Report

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a fairly large public school situated in Carson, California. It awarded 163 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Dominguez Hills is $2,455 for California Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at CSUDH

#8 in overall quality

California State University - Long Beach ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Long Beach is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 69 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students whose families make $0-$30k list, CSULB has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $6,364 for California Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Full CSULB Public Administration & Social Service Report

#15 in overall quality

California State University - San Bernardino landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. CSUSB is a fairly large public school situated in San Bernardino, California. It awarded 52 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUSB also took the #15 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $5,077 for california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSUSB.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at California State University - San Bernardino

#16 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Northridge is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 41 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUN, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $5,945 for California Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSUN.

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 full report on Public Administration & Social Service at CSUN

#10

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#12 in overall quality

San Diego State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school awarded 204 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public administration and social service students in 2019-2020.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $8,870 for california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at SDSU

#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 244 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

Sac State also made our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $6,819 for California Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Sacramento Public Administration & Social Service Report

#12

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

University of California - Riverside landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school awarded 96 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s public administration and social service students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of California - Riverside is $8,366 for california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UCR Public Administration & Social Service Report

#13 in overall quality

California State University - Monterey Bay did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. CSUMB is located in Seaside, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 143 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees to qualified students.

CSUMB also made our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #13. It costs about $7,688 for california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Monterey Bay.

The student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full CSUMB Public Administration & Social Service Report

#14

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in San Francisco, California, this large public school awarded 23 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public administration and social service students in 2019-2020.

SFSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for SFSU is $11,123 for california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at San Francisco State University

#15

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#5 in overall quality

San Jose State University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school handed out 77 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public administration and social service students in 2019-2020.

San Jose State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State University is $10,940 for california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Full San Jose State University Public Administration & Social Service Report

#24 in overall quality

California State University - East Bay ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Cal State East Bay is located in Hayward, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal State East Bay has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - East Bay is $8,036 for California Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full California State University - East Bay Public Administration & Social Service Report

#17

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#3 in overall quality

University of Southern California did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #17. University of Southern California is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 46 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students whose families make $0-$30k list, USC has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for USC is $14,668 for California Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at University of Southern California

#20 in overall quality

California State University - Chico landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Chico, California, and it awarded 87 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

Chico State also took the #20 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Chico is $10,260 for California Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Chico Public Administration & Social Service Report

With a ranking of #19, California State University - Bakersfield did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Bakersfield, California, this fairly large public school awarded 8 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public administration and social service students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Bakersfield is $3,423 for california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at CSUB

#20

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

With a ranking of #20, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 57 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Cruz is $10,872 for california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UC Santa Cruz Public Administration & Social Service Report

#21

University of Phoenix - California

Costa Mesa, California

University of Phoenix - California ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. UOPX - California is a private for-profit institution located in Costa Mesa, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 58 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UOPX - California is $12,680 for california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full University of Phoenix - California Public Administration & Social Service Report

#22

Humboldt State University

Arcata, California

Humboldt State University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Arcata, California, this medium-sized public school awarded 52 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public administration and social service students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Humboldt State University is $11,263 for California Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Humboldt State University Public Administration & Social Service Report

#23

Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, California
#22 in overall quality

Fresno Pacific University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. Fresno, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees to 79 students in 2019-2020.

Fresno Pacific also took the #22 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Fresno Pacific University is $11,410 for california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at Fresno Pacific

#24

Mills College

Oakland, California

Mills College landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Oakland, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Mills College is $15,749 for california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at Mills College

#25

La Sierra University

Riverside, California
#17 in overall quality

La Sierra University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. La Sierra is a small school located in Riverside, California that handed out 17 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

La Sierra also took the #17 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $21,644 for California Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend La Sierra University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at La Sierra University

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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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