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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for History (Income $0-$30k) in California

37 Ranked Colleges
3,115 Degrees Awarded
$7,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

History is the 22nd most popular major in the country with 32,905 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, history graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $29,593 and had an average of $23,490 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 5,424 history graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,877 and $19,249 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 3,115 history graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 37 colleges that offer a degree in history. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality history programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the history program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank History Schools

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 History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for History (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 37 schools in the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 35 students in 2019-2020.

Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $-1,387 for california bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $0-$30k. A negative average net price may seem strange, but it generally means that financial aid will more than cover the cost to attend the school.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on History at Stanford University

Out of the 37 schools in the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 61 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Los Angeles is $1,379 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on History at Cal State LA

#3 in overall quality

Out of the 37 schools in the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school handed out 119 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s history students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,392 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.

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

Read full report on History at UC Berkeley

#9 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 73 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $9,558 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on History at UC Irvine

#5

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 319 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $8,553 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UCLA History Report

#23 in overall quality

California State University - Fresno came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school handed out 97 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s history students in 2019-2020.

Fresno State also made our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #23. The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $3,264 for california bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Fresno State History Report

#19 in overall quality

California State University - Fullerton landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 103 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $4,291 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal State Fullerton History Report

With a ranking of #8, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. CSUDH is located in Carson, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 bachelors’s history degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUDH is $2,455 for california bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Read more about History at CSUDH

With a ranking of #9, California State University - Stanislaus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Stanislaus is a fairly large school located in Turlock, California that handed out 58 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Stanislaus is $3,410 for california bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, 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.

Read more about History at Stan State

#10

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
#13 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. University of California - Riverside is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 97 bachelors’s history degrees to qualified students.

UCR also took the #13 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,366 for california bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCR.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on History at UCR

#14 in overall quality

California State University - Long Beach landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 143 degrees to qualified bachelors’s history students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $0-$30k list, CSULB has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $6,364 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Full California State University - Long Beach History Report

#12

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. UCSB is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 174 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB also took the #5 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCSB is $10,316 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UCSB History Report

#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 113 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $9,842 for california bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on History at University of California - Davis

#22 in overall quality

California State University - Northridge came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. CSUN is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 75 bachelors’s history degrees to qualified students.

CSUN not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $5,945 for california bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSUN.

The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 History at California State University - Northridge

#15

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#17 in overall quality

San Diego State University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. SDSU is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 64 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,870 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Diego State University.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full San Diego State University History Report

#8 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - San Diego is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 90 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSD, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,280 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCSD.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 UCSD History Report

California State University - Bakersfield did quite well in the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #17. California State University - Bakersfield is a fairly large public school situated in Bakersfield, California. It awarded 37 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Bakersfield is $3,423 for california bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full California State University - Bakersfield History Report

#7 in overall quality

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. Located in San Luis Obispo, California, this large public school handed out 64 degrees to qualified bachelors’s history students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $12,475 for california bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about History at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

California State University - Sacramento ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 111 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $6,819 for california bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Sacramento.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about History at California State University - Sacramento

#20

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

With a ranking of #20, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in San Bernardino, California, and it awarded 83 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - San Bernardino is $5,077 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about History at California State University - San Bernardino

#20 in overall quality

California State University - San Marcos came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. CSUSM is located in San Marcos, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 78 bachelors’s history degrees to qualified students.

CSUSM also made our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #20. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Marcos is $9,517 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full CSUSM History Report

#22

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #22, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large school located in Santa Cruz, California that handed out 127 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz also took the #11 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,872 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Santa Cruz.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, 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.

Read full report on History at University of California - Santa Cruz

#21 in overall quality

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Pomona, California, and it awarded 76 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly Pomona, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,596 for california bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona.

The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Cal Poly Pomona History Report

#24

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#18 in overall quality

San Francisco State University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in San Francisco, California, this large public school handed out 78 degrees to qualified bachelors’s history students in 2019-2020.

SFSU also made our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #18. The yearly cost to attend SFSU is $11,123 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about History at SFSU

#25

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#12 in overall quality

San Jose State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. San Jose State is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 48 bachelors’s history degrees to qualified students.

San Jose State also made our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #12. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $10,940 for California Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Read full report on History at San Jose State University

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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