by our College Data Analytics Team
In 2021-2022, 5,415,716 social sciences students received their bachelor's degree, making the major the #3 most popular in the country. Out of all those awarded degrees, 941,900 went to undergraduates in the Far Western US region of the United States.
This year's Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Social Sciences in the Far Western US Region ranking analyzed 87 colleges that offered a bachelor's degree in social sciences. Note that the phrase 'best value' does not mean the absolute lowest-priced. We are more focused on social sciences schools that offer a high quality education at a price lower that other schools of similar academic excellence.
Average cost figures start with estimating tuition, fees, room and board, books, and other related expenses. We then subtract the average amount of financial aid that a student receives. You can use this as a gauge to estimate how much you may need to pay out of pocket to cover costs when financial aid isn't enough. Keep in mind that the net cost for you may be higher or lower, depending on your income and other factors.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Value Social Sciences Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for the money for social sciences majors.
The #1 spot in this year's ranking belongs to California State University - Fresno. Fresno State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Fresno.
It takes the average student at Fresno State about 5.0 years to graduate, and the average full-time cost to attend the school is around $20,580. This means that the average student pays around $101,871 to get a bachelor’s degree from Fresno State. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
Our rankings recognize California State University - Long Beach as the #2 school in this year's rankings. Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public college with a very large student population.
The average student at CSULB graduates in less than 4.8 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $23,555. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from CSULB is about $112,593. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
Read full report on Social Sciences at California State University - Long Beach
Our rankings recognize California State University - Northridge as the #3 school in this year's rankings. CSUN is a fairly large public school located in the city of Northridge.
It takes the average student at CSUN about 4.9 years to graduate, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $21,912. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the CSUN is $108,245. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
Read full report on Social Sciences at California State University - Northridge
The University of Arizona Global Campus landed the #4 spot in our 2024 rankings for best value social sciences schools. UAGC is a very large private for-profit school located in the city of San Diego.
Read full report on Social Sciences at The University of Arizona Global Campus
California State University - East Bay landed the #5 spot in our 2024 rankings for best value social sciences schools. Cal State East Bay is a large public school located in the suburb of Hayward.
At Cal State East Bay, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.9 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $26,676. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from Cal State East Bay is $131,513. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
California State University - San Marcos comes in at #6 in this year's ranking. CSUSM is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of San Marcos.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at CSUSM is 4.9 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $24,745. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from CSUSM is $121,498. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
Full Social Sciences at California State University - San Marcos Report
The #7 spot in this year's ranking belongs to California State University - Stanislaus. Located in the small suburb of Turlock, Stan State is a public college with a large student population.
It takes the average student at Stan State about 4.9 years to graduate, and it costs about $22,652 per year to attend the school. This means that the average student pays around $110,768 to get a bachelor’s degree from Stan State. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
Read full report on Social Sciences at California State University - Stanislaus
California State University - Fullerton earned the #8 spot in our 2024 rankings. Located in the large suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public college with a very large student population.
At Cal State Fullerton, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.9 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school is around $28,316. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from Cal State Fullerton is about $137,333. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
California State University - Sacramento earned the #9 spot in our 2024 rankings. Sac State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Sacramento.
It takes about 5.0 years for the average student at Sac State to complete their degree, and it costs about $27,149 per year to attend the school. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from Sac State is about $136,831. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
University of Nevada - Las Vegas comes in at #10 in this year's ranking. Located in the city of Las Vegas, UNLV is a public school with a very large student population.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at UNLV is 4.8 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $30,338. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from UNLV is $146,229. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
Explore the best social sciences colleges for a specific state in the Far Western US region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| California | 27,400 |
| Washington | 3,651 |
| Hawaii | 523 |
| Oregon | 2,455 |
| Nevada | 804 |
| Alaska | 83 |
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
