2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k
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 Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2019-2020, 559,661 liberal arts general studies students received their degree, making the major the 1st most popular in the country. In 2017-2018, liberal arts general studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $26,786 and had an average of $16,538 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 112,019 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $25,678 and $19,082 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 5,907 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 48 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great liberal arts general studies programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the liberal arts general studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies (Income $0-$30k) in California
Out of the 48 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 180 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $1,379 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at California State University - Los Angeles
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Stanislaus. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. California State University - Stanislaus is located in Turlock, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 235 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, Stan State has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $3,410 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Stan State.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, 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 87%.
Out of the 48 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the #3 spot on the list. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 485 students in 2019-2020.
Fresno State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $3,264 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Fresno State.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 48 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Northridge landed the #4 spot on the list. California State University - Northridge is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 320 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUN, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $5,945 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSUN.
The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.
Full California State University - Northridge Liberal Arts General Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 150 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Dominguez Hills is $2,455 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
San Diego State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. SDSU is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 214 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
SDSU also took the #11 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SDSU is $8,870 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at San Diego State University
California State University - Long Beach came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. CSULB is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 240 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, CSULB has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $6,364 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low 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%.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at California State University - Long Beach
California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. California State University - Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 125 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $4,291 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at California State University - Fullerton
With a ranking of #9, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Luis Obispo, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 108 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $12,475 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. This fairly large school is located in San Bernardino, California, and it awarded 315 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for CSUSB is $5,077 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at California State University - San Bernardino
University of California - Riverside came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school handed out 142 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
UCR also took the #24 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCR is $8,366 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 - Riverside Liberal Arts General Studies Report
California State University - Bakersfield landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Bakersfield, California, and it awarded 265 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $3,423 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Bakersfield.
With a ranking of #13, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Sac State is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 189 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $6,819 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at California State University - Sacramento
California State University - Monterey Bay landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - Monterey Bay is a public institution located in Seaside, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 282 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
CSUMB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend CSUMB is $7,688 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State University - San Marcos ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - San Marcos is a fairly large school located in San Marcos, California that handed out 185 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
CSUSM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Marcos is $9,517 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California State University - East Bay came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cal State East Bay is located in Hayward, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 95 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - East Bay is $8,036 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #17. Located in Pomona, California, this large public school awarded 130 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
Cal Poly Pomona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $8,596 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. SFSU is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 125 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFSU, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SFSU is $11,123 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
San Jose State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #19. San Jose State University is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 56 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, San Jose State has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,940 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Jose State.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Chico landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - Chico is a public institution located in Chico, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 210 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Chico is $10,260 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%.
With a ranking of #21, Sonoma State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Rohnert Park, California, this medium-sized public school awarded 148 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, SSU has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Sonoma State University is $12,263 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%.
Thomas Aquinas College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Santa Paula, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 95 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, TAC has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $19,672 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend TAC.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Channel Islands came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Camarillo, California, and it awarded 126 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend CSUCI is $10,131 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #24, Humboldt State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Humboldt State University is a public institution located in Arcata, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 104 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $11,263 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Humboldt State University.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Humboldt State University
Soka University of America came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Soka University of America is a private not-for-profit institution located in Aliso Viejo, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 93 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Soka University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Soka University is $9,831 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.
Full Soka University of America Liberal Arts General Studies Report
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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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