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

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

With 133,583 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, general studies is the 5th most popular major in the United States.

Across California, there were 354 general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 45 general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 3 colleges that offered a degree in general studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general studies programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the general studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank General Studies Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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 General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree general studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 3 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Studies (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

National University

La Jolla, California

#1 in overall quality

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, National University landed the #1 spot on the list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general studies degrees to 22 students in 2019-2020.

National University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full National University General Studies Report

#2

Holy Names University

Oakland, California

#2 in overall quality

$18,048 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Holy Names University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. HNU is a small school located in Oakland, California that handed out 2 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at HNU, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend HNU is $18,048 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 7 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 student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Studies at Holy Names University

#3

The Master's University and Seminary

Santa Clarita, California

#3 in overall quality

$22,889 Average Net Price

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, The Master’s University and Seminary landed the #3 spot on the list. The Master’s University and Seminary is located in Santa Clarita, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 bachelors’s general studies degrees to qualified students.

The Master’s University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for The Master’s University is $22,889 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low 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 full report on General Studies at The Master’s University and Seminary

• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Studies (Income $0-$30k)

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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