When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Well Attended Child development Major in California” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Early Childhood Education is the 34th most popular major in the country with 32,920 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
Across California, there were 4,885 early childhood education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Child development Major in California” ranking looked at 34 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in early childhood education. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular early childhood education programs in the United States.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
The child development school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Most Well Attended Child development Major in California”.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for california child development students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Child development Major in California. Cal State Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 511 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 more about Early Childhood Education at Cal State Fullerton
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Sacramento. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in California list. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school handed out 479 degrees to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Northridge. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Child development Major in California. This large school is located in Northridge, California, and it awarded 400 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Out of the 34 schools in the Most Well Attended Child development Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 384 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
San Francisco State University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended Child development Major in California list. San Francisco State University is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 262 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%.
Full San Francisco State University Early Childhood Education Report
San Jose State University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in California ranking. San Jose State University is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 226 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at San Jose State University
California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Child development Major in California ranking. CSUDH is a fairly large school located in Carson, California that handed out 226 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at California State University - Dominguez Hills
San Diego State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Child development Major in California ranking. SDSU is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 209 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 ranking of #10, National University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in California list. National University is a private not-for-profit institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 186 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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 full report on Early Childhood Education at National University
California State University - Bakersfield landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in California ranking. Bakersfield, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s child development degrees to 142 students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Early Childhood Education at California State University - Bakersfield
California State University - San Marcos landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in California ranking. Located in San Marcos, California, this fairly large public school awarded 118 degrees to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #13, Pacific Oaks College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in California list. This small school is located in Pasadena, California, and it awarded 106 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
California State University - Fresno landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in California ranking. Fresno State is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 83 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
With a ranking of #15, California State University - Stanislaus did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in California list. Turlock, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s child development degrees to 78 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
California Baptist University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in California ranking, coming in at #16. Riverside, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s child development degrees to 76 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Chico landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in California ranking. California State University - Chico is a fairly large public school situated in Chico, California. It awarded 76 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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 ranking of #18, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in California list. This large school is located in San Luis Obispo, California, and it awarded 70 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 Early Childhood Education at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Brandman University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in California ranking, coming in at #19. Located in Irvine, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 62 diplomas to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Humphreys University - Stockton and Modesto Campuses did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in California ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Stockton, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 18 diplomas to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Humphreys University - Stockton and Modesto Campuses Early Childhood Education Report
California State University - East Bay ranked #21 on this year’s Most Well Attended Child development Major in California list. Cal State East Bay is located in Hayward, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 13 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at California State University - East Bay
With a ranking of #22, American Jewish University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in California list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 26 degrees to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at American Jewish University
With a ranking of #23, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in California list. CSUSB is a fairly large school located in San Bernardino, California that handed out 9 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at California State University - San Bernardino
Vanguard University of Southern California came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Child development Major in California ranking. This small school is located in Costa Mesa, California, and it awarded 7 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% 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 Vanguard University of Southern California Early Childhood Education Report
Pacific Union College landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in California ranking. PUC is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Angwin, California. It awarded 5 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies