2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Studies in California (With Aid)

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

General Studies is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 5th of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 133,583 degrees were awarded to students with this major.

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 Getting Aid” ranking looked at 3 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great general studies programs and cost less that 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree general studies students with aid.

Top 3 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Studies in California (With Aid)

#1

National University

La Jolla, California

#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend National University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. National University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 22 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

National University also made our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1.

The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 more about General Studies at National University

#2

Holy Names University

Oakland, California

#2 in overall quality

$23,034 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 Getting Aid. HNU is located in Oakland, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s general studies degrees to qualified students.

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 estimated yearly cost for Holy Names University is $23,034 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Studies students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on General Studies at Holy Names University

#3

The Master's University and Seminary

Santa Clarita, California

#3 in overall quality

$28,833 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The Master’s University and Seminary. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. The Master’s University is a small school located in Santa Clarita, California that handed out 21 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The Master’s University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for The Master’s University and Seminary is $28,833 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Studies students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Studies at The Master’s University and Seminary

• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Studies in the Far Western US Region (With Aid)
• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Studies (With Aid)

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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