2023 Most Popular Colleges for History in California
181
Ranked Colleges
5,392
Degrees Awarded
$31,600
Avg Cost*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Well Attended History Major in California” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
History is the 23rd most popular major in the country with 32,731 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, history graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $30,467 and had an average of $23,587 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 5,392 history graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,322 and $18,158 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended History Major in California” ranking, we looked at 181 colleges that offer a degree in history. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular history programs in the United States.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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 “Most Well Attended History Major in California” list to help you make the college decision.
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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Most Well Attended History Major in California
The colleges and universities below are the best for california history students.
Top 25 Most Popular Colleges for History in California
Out of the 181 schools in the Most Well Attended History Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #1 spot on the list. University of California - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 344 ’s history degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad 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%. 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
Out of the 181 schools in the Most Well Attended History Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #2 spot on the list. California State University - Long Beach is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 164 ’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 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%.
Full California State University - Long Beach History Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Barbara. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended History Major in California list. UCSB is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 161 ’s history degrees to qualified students.
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 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about History at University of California - Santa Barbara
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended History Major in California list. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 149 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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%.
Full University of California - Berkeley History Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended History Major in California. Cal State Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 145 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full California State University - Fullerton History Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Sacramento. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended History Major in California list. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s history degrees to 145 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about History at Sac State
University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended History Major in California ranking. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 135 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. 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 UC Santa Cruz
With a ranking of #8, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major in California list. University of California - Riverside is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 134 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, 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 91%.
Full UCR History Report
With a ranking of #9, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major in California list. University of California - Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 120 ’s history degrees to qualified students.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Full University of California - Davis History Report
With a ranking of #10, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major in California list. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school awarded 109 diplomas to qualified ’s history students 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 History at CSUN
San Francisco State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended History Major in California ranking. SFSU is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 95 ’s history degrees to qualified students.
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%.
Read full report on History at San Francisco State University
With a ranking of #11, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major in California list. UC Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 95 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.
Full University of California - Irvine History Report
With a ranking of #13, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major in California list. Cal State LA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 91 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.
Full California State University - Los Angeles History Report
University of Southern California ranked #14 on this year’s Most Well Attended History Major in California list. University of Southern California is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 90 ’s history degrees to qualified students.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 impressive undergrad 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 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full USC History Report
California State University - Fresno landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major in California ranking. California State University - Fresno is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 89 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Read more about History at Fresno State
San Diego State University ranked #16 on this year’s Most Well Attended History Major in California list. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 83 ’s history 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 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%.
Full San Diego State University History Report
With a ranking of #17, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major in California list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s history degrees to 80 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on History at University of California - San Diego
With a ranking of #18, Bakersfield College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major in California list. Bakersfield College is a public institution located in Bakersfield, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 74 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about History at Bakersfield College
California State University - San Bernardino ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended History Major in California list. California State University - San Bernardino is a public institution located in San Bernardino, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 72 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, 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 85%.
Read more about History at CSUSB
California State University - San Marcos ranked #20 on this year’s Most Well Attended History Major in California list. California State University - San Marcos is a fairly large school located in San Marcos, California that handed out 70 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full CSUSM History Report
California State University - Chico ranked #21 on this year’s Most Well Attended History Major in California list. Chico State is a fairly large public school situated in Chico, California. It awarded 69 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about History at California State University - Chico
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #22 on this year’s Most Well Attended History Major in California list. Cal Poly Pomona is a public institution located in Pomona, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 67 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.
Full California State Polytechnic University - Pomona History Report
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major in California ranking, coming in at #23. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a large school located in San Luis Obispo, California that handed out 64 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, 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 undergraduate students.
Read full report on History at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Stanford University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended History Major in California ranking. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 60 diplomas to qualified ’s history students in 2020-2021.
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 impressive undergraduate 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. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on History at Stanford University
Mt. San Antonio College ranked #25 on this year’s Most Well Attended History Major in California list. This large school is located in Walnut, California, and it awarded 55 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about History at Mt. San Antonio College
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