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

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Individualized Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Individualized Studies is the 35th most popular major in the country with 36,493 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across California, there were 240 individualized studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 88 individualized studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Individualized Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 3 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in individualized studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality individualized studies 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 individualized studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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 Individualized Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Individualized 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 individualized studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

#1

California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, California

#3 in overall quality

$2,455 Average Net Price

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Individualized Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Carson, California, this fairly large public school handed out 21 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s individualized studies students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree individualized studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, CSUDH has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Individualized Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSUDH is $2,455 for California Bachelor’s Degree Individualized Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Individualized Studies at CSUDH

#2

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, California

#1 in overall quality

$12,475 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Individualized Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. San Luis Obispo, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s individualized studies degrees to 30 students in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also made our “Best Individualized Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $12,475 for California Bachelor’s Degree Individualized Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read full report on Individualized Studies at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

#3

Saint Mary's College of California

Moraga, California

#2 in overall quality

$25,057 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Saint Mary’s College of California. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Individualized Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. SMC is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Moraga, California. It awarded 13 bachelors’s individualized studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SMC, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Individualized Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SMC is $25,057 for California Bachelor’s Degree Individualized Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low 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%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Individualized Studies at SMC

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