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2023 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region

27 Ranked Colleges
4,458 Degrees Awarded
$16,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies is the 30th most popular major in the country with 16,243 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $31,881 and had an average of $22,102 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 4,458 area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,874 and $18,723 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking analyzed 27 colleges that offered a degree in area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies programs that also have a lower cost than 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 area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons 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 Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies in the Far Western US Region

1
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Francisco State University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region. San Francisco State University is a large public school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 130 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.

SFSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $14,459 for Far Western US Region Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students per year to attend SFSU.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full San Francisco State University Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report

2

Out of the 27 schools in the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #2 spot on the list. CSULB is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 146 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.

CSULB also took the #12 spot in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $10,054 for far western us region area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, 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 undergraduate students.

Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at CSULB

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Northridge. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region. CSUN is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 219 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.

CSUN did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Northridge is $8,523 for far western us region area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at CSUN

4
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Diego State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region list. San Diego State University is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 62 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.

SDSU also made our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $13,845 for far western us region area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Full SDSU Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report

5
SSU crest
Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, California

Out of the 27 schools in the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Sonoma State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Sonoma State University is a public institution located in Rohnert Park, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 41 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

SSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for SSU is $17,563 for far western us region area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Sonoma State University

6

California State University - Sacramento ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region list. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 114 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Sac State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $11,178 for far western us region area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students per year to attend California State University - Sacramento.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Sacramento Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report

7

California State University - Fullerton landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Cal State Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 99 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our far western us region area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students list, Cal State Fullerton has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fullerton is $8,003 for Far Western US Region Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Cal State Fullerton

8

California State University - Chico came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Chico State is a fairly large public school situated in Chico, California. It awarded 26 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Chico State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Chico is $16,218 for far western us region area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students.

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%.

Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Chico State

9
WWU crest
Western Washington University
Bellingham, Washington

Western Washington University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Western Washington University is located in Bellingham, Washington and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 24 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our far western us region area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students list, WWU has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for WWU is $17,070 for Far Western US Region Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Western Washington University Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report

10
Portland State University crest
Portland State University
Portland, Oregon

Portland State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #10. Portland State University is a large school located in Portland, Oregon that handed out 41 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Portland State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $12,498 for Far Western US Region Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students per year to attend Portland State University.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.7% 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 Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Portland State University

11

University of Washington - Seattle Campus came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 271 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.

UW Seattle did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $12,017 for Far Western US Region Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low undergrad 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%.

Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at UW Seattle

12

With a ranking of #12, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Cal Poly Pomona is a large school located in Pomona, California that handed out 28 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly Pomona, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $14,304 for Far Western US Region Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students per year to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona.

The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

13

With a ranking of #13, University of Hawaii at Manoa did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Honolulu, Hawaii, this fairly large public school handed out 97 degrees to qualified ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies students in 2020-2021.

UH Manoa did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Hawaii at Manoa is $14,687 for far western us region area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at University of Hawaii at Manoa

14
UO crest
University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon

University of Oregon came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. University of Oregon is a public institution located in Eugene, Oregon. The school has a large population, and it awarded 81 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UO not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UO is $18,047 for Far Western US Region Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at UO

15

University of California - Los Angeles ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 461 diplomas to qualified ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $15,023 for far western us region area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students.

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 undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UCLA Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report

16
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California

University of San Francisco came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. USFCA is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 31 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at USFCA, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for USFCA is $40,053 for far western us region area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at USFCA

17

University of California - San Diego came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. UCSD is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 58 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees to qualified students.

UCSD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $15,240 for Far Western US Region Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at University of California - San Diego

18

University of California - Davis came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. University of California - Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 242 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees to qualified students.

UC Davis also made our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $15,768 for far western us region area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at UC Davis

19

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 152 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.

UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCSB is $16,252 for far western us region area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Santa Barbara Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report

20

University of California - Berkeley ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees to 234 students in 2020-2021.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $16,032 for Far Western US Region Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at University of California - Berkeley

21

University of California - Irvine came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. UC Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 88 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $12,209 for Far Western US Region Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Full UC Irvine Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report

22

University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #22. UC Santa Cruz is a public institution located in Santa Cruz, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 171 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Santa Cruz also took the #7 spot in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $17,930 for Far Western US Region Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students per year to attend UC Santa Cruz.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at UC Santa Cruz

23

University of California - Riverside ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region list. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 63 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCR, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $11,822 for Far Western US Region Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students per year to attend University of California - Riverside.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at University of California - Riverside

24
Loyola Marymount crest
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, California

Loyola Marymount University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees to 18 students in 2020-2021.

Loyola Marymount also took the #13 spot in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $44,467 for Far Western US Region Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students per year to attend Loyola Marymount University.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Loyola Marymount University Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report

25
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Stanford University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 74 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Stanford also made our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $12,894 for Far Western US Region Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students per year to attend Stanford.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.

Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Stanford University

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