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2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

11 Ranked Colleges
697 Degrees Awarded
$24,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Getting Aid

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

General Education is the 28th most popular major in the country with 29,936 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across California, there were 7,838 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 697 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 11 colleges that offered a degree in general education. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great general education 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 general education program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 General Education 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.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree general education students with aid.

Top 11 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Education in California (With Aid)

#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. UC Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 367 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree general education students with aid list, UC Irvine has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Education students with aid per year to attend University of California - Irvine.

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

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - San Diego is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 bachelors’s general education degrees to qualified students.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $14,232 for california bachelor’s degree general education students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of California - San Diego General Education Report

#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Vanguard University of Southern California. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. Vanguard University of Southern California is located in Costa Mesa, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s general education degrees to qualified students.

Vanguard did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Vanguard University of Southern California is $20,051 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Education students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Education at Vanguard

#4

Hope International University

Fullerton, California
#9 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Hope International University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. Located in Fullerton, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 21 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general education students in 2019-2020.

Hope also took the #9 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $20,318 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Education students with aid per year to attend Hope International University.

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

Read more about General Education at Hope International University

#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Arizona Global Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. UAGC is a large private for-profit school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 204 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UAGC, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend The University of Arizona Global Campus is $20,510 for california bachelor’s degree general education students with aid.

Read full report on General Education at The University of Arizona Global Campus

#6

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, California
#7 in overall quality

Mount Saint Mary’s University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general education degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree general education students with aid list, MSMU has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Mount Saint Mary’s University is $29,214 for california bachelor’s degree general education students with aid.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Education at Mount Saint Mary’s University

#7

Mills College

Oakland, California
#10 in overall quality

Mills College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Mills College is located in Oakland, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s general education degrees to qualified students.

Mills not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $22,202 for california bachelor’s degree general education students with aid per year to attend Mills.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%.

Full Mills General Education Report

#8

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#1 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of Southern California is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 1 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

USC also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $29,528 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Education students with aid per year to attend USC.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Education at University of Southern California

#9

Biola University

La Mirada, California
#6 in overall quality

Biola University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Biola University is a medium-sized school located in La Mirada, California that handed out 16 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree general education students with aid list, Biola has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Biola is $31,859 for california bachelor’s degree general education students with aid.

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 full report on General Education at Biola

#10

University of La Verne

La Verne, California
#12 in overall quality

University of La Verne came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. ULV is a private not-for-profit institution located in La Verne, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

ULV also took the #12 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of La Verne is $25,780 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Education students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full ULV General Education Report

#11

Chapman University

Orange, California
#4 in overall quality

Chapman University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Orange, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 46 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general education students in 2019-2020.

Chapman also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $41,350 for california bachelor’s degree general education students with aid per year to attend Chapman University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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 Chapman University General Education Report

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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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to KOKUYO.

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