by our College Data Analytics Team
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 “Schools Highly Focused on History Major in California” ranking - to help you make that decision.
History is the 23rd most popular major in the country with 31,443 degrees awarded in 2021-2022. In , history graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $30,453 and had an average of $22,435 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 5,237 history graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,322 and $18,562 respectively.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on History Major in California” ranking looked at 181 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in history. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in history.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
The history 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 “Schools Highly Focused on History 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. 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 california history students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Saint Katherine. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on History Major in California list. University of Saint Katherine is located in San Marcos, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 6 ’s history degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on History at University of Saint Katherine
Out of the 181 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on History Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Westmont College landed the #2 spot on the list. This small school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 5 ’s history degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Vanguard University of Southern California. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on History Major in California list. Vanguard is a private not-for-profit institution located in Costa Mesa, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on History at Vanguard University of Southern California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Claremont McKenna College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on History Major in California list. Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s history degrees to 12 students in 2021-2022.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Pomona College. The school came in at #5 for the Schools Highly Focused on History Major in California. Pomona is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California. It awarded 9 ’s history degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
With a ranking of #6, Crafton Hills College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on History Major in California list. This medium-sized school is located in Yucaipa, California, and it awarded 36 ’s history degrees in 2021-2022.
With a ranking of #7, Occidental College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on History Major in California list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s history degrees to 15 students in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of California - Los Angeles came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on History Major in California ranking. University of California - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 265 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
With a ranking of #9, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on History Major in California list. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school situated in Santa Cruz, California. It awarded 95 ’s history degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on History at University of California - Santa Cruz
Whittier College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on History Major in California ranking, coming in at #10. Whittier, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s history degrees to 15 students in 2021-2022.
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%.
With a ranking of #11, Sonoma State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on History Major in California list. SSU is a medium-sized public school situated in Rohnert Park, California. It awarded 49 ’s history degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on History Major in California ranking. University of California - Santa Barbara is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 164 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
With a ranking of #13, College of the Desert did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on History Major in California list. College of the Desert is a fairly large school located in Palm Desert, California that handed out 29 ’s history degrees in 2021-2022.
University of California - Riverside ranked #14 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on History Major in California list. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school awarded 128 degrees to qualified ’s history students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about History at University of California - Riverside
California State University - Stanislaus ranked #15 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on History Major in California list. This fairly large school is located in Turlock, California, and it awarded 69 ’s history degrees in 2021-2022.
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%.
College of the Siskiyous came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on History Major in California ranking. College of the Siskiyous is a small public school situated in Weed, California. It awarded 4 ’s history degrees in 2021-2022.
California State University - Bakersfield landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on History Major in California ranking. Bakersfield, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s history degrees to 64 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Pitzer College ranked #18 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on History Major in California list. Pitzer College is located in Claremont, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 4 ’s history degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Glendale Community College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on History Major in California ranking, coming in at #19. This fairly large school is located in Glendale, California, and it awarded 17 ’s history degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Sacramento came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on History Major in California ranking. Sac State is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 122 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California State University - San Marcos did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on History Major in California ranking, coming in at #21. San Marcos, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s history degrees to 74 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad 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%.
With a ranking of #22, Woodland Community College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on History Major in California list. Woodland Community College is located in Woodland, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 7 ’s history degrees to qualified students.
Porterville College ranked #23 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on History Major in California list. This small school is located in Porterville, California, and it awarded 17 ’s history degrees in 2021-2022.
Yuba College ranked #24 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on History Major in California list. This medium-sized school is located in Marysville, California, and it awarded 24 ’s history degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad 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%.
California State University - Channel Islands landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on History Major in California ranking. Located in Camarillo, California, this medium-sized public school awarded 48 diplomas to qualified ’s history students in 2021-2022.
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%.
Not only did these schools make the top 28 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Read more about our data sources and methodologies