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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration & Social Service in California (With Aid)

35 Ranked Colleges
2,671 Degrees Awarded
$12,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

Public Administration & Social Service is the 14th most popular major in the country with 97,666 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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.

For this year’s “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 35 colleges that offer a degree in public administration and social service. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent public administration and social service programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the public administration and social service program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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 Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration & Social Service in California (With Aid)

#7 in overall quality

Out of the 35 schools in the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #1 spot on the list. California State University - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 224 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees to qualified students.

Cal State LA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cal State LA is $2,768 for california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students with aid.

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%.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at Cal State LA

#10 in overall quality

Out of the 35 schools in the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 119 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

Fresno State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $5,464 for california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students with aid per year to attend Fresno State.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Fresno State Public Administration & Social Service Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. CSUDH is a fairly large school located in Carson, California that handed out 163 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Dominguez Hills is $4,215 for california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 CSUDH Public Administration & Social Service Report

#15 in overall quality

Out of the 35 schools in the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - San Bernardino landed the #4 spot on the list. CSUSB is located in San Bernardino, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 52 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 with aid list, CSUSB has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSUSB is $7,342 for California Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at CSUSB

#18 in overall quality

Out of the 35 schools in the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 304 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $7,991 for California Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students with aid.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Cal State Fullerton

#16 in overall quality

California State University - Northridge landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Northridge, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees to 41 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students with aid list, CSUN has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSUN is $8,414 for california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service 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 Public Administration & Social Service at CSUN

#8 in overall quality

California State University - Long Beach came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. CSULB 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.

CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $9,622 for california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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 full report on Public Administration & Social Service at CSULB

#1 in overall quality

University of California - Berkeley ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. 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 took the #1 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,329 for California Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students with aid per year to attend UC Berkeley.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

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

#9 in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. Sac State is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 244 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees to qualified students.

Sac State also took the #9 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $9,979 for california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 Public Administration & Social Service at Sac State

#10

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#2 in overall quality

Stanford University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 20 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public administration and social service students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students with aid list, Stanford has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,496 for California Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students with aid per year to attend Stanford.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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. 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%.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Stanford University

#11

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#12 in overall quality

San Diego State University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. SDSU is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 204 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees to qualified students.

SDSU also took the #12 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $14,788 for california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full SDSU Public Administration & Social Service Report

#12

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#6 in overall quality

San Francisco State University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. San Francisco State University is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s degrees 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. It costs about $15,113 for California Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students with aid per year to attend San Francisco State University.

Full SFSU Public Administration & Social Service Report

#13

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#5 in overall quality

San Jose State University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. San Jose State University is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 77 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $14,928 for california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, 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.

Full San Jose State University Public Administration & Social Service Report

#13 in overall quality

California State University - Monterey Bay came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Seaside, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 143 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public administration and social service students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUMB, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Monterey Bay is $12,212 for California Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at California State University - Monterey Bay

#15

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

University of California - Riverside landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school awarded 96 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public administration and social service students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of California - Riverside is $12,871 for California Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 Public Administration & Social Service at University of California - Riverside

#24 in overall quality

California State University - East Bay did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #16. 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.

Cal State East Bay also took the #24 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - East Bay is $11,116 for california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students with aid.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at Cal State East Bay

#20 in overall quality

With a ranking of #17, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Chico State is a fairly large public school situated in Chico, California. 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 $15,017 for California Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%.

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

#18

University of Phoenix - California

Costa Mesa, California

With a ranking of #18, University of Phoenix - California did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of Phoenix - 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 estimated yearly cost for University of Phoenix - California is $12,664 for california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students with aid.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at UOPX - California

California State University - Bakersfield landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in Bakersfield, California, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUB is $5,318 for California Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students with aid.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at CSUB

#20

Humboldt State University

Arcata, California

With a ranking of #20, Humboldt State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Arcata, California, and it awarded 52 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,692 for California Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students with aid per year to attend Humboldt State University.

Full Humboldt State University Public Administration & Social Service Report

#21

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 Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #21. Fresno Pacific University is located in Fresno, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 79 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees to qualified students.

Fresno Pacific also made our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #22. It costs about $16,356 for california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students with aid per year to attend Fresno Pacific University.

Full Fresno Pacific University Public Administration & Social Service Report

#22

Brandman University

Irvine, California
#4 in overall quality

Brandman University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #22. Irvine, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees to 123 students in 2019-2020.

Brandman also made our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for Brandman is $21,604 for california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students with aid.

Full Brandman Public Administration & Social Service Report

#23

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Santa Cruz, California, this fairly large public school awarded 57 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public administration and social service students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Cruz is $18,186 for California Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of California - Santa Cruz Public Administration & Social Service Report

#24

National University

La Jolla, California
#21 in overall quality

National University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #24. National University is a private not-for-profit institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

National University also took the #21 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.

The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.

Full National University Public Administration & Social Service Report

#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 Getting Aid list. La Sierra University is located in Riverside, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 17 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees to qualified students.

La Sierra not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for La Sierra is $24,046 for california bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%.

Read full report on 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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