2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Liberal Arts General Studies is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 1st of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 559,661 degrees were awarded to students with this major. 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 the Far Western US region, there were 141,804 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $25,459 and $16,691 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 7,284 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 64 colleges that offered a degree in liberal arts general studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality liberal arts 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 liberal arts general studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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The liberal arts school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid”.
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. 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.
Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies in the Far Western US Region (With Aid)
Out of the 64 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #1 spot on the list. Cal State LA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 180 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $2,768 for far western us region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid.
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 full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at California State University - Los Angeles
Out of the 64 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Stanislaus landed the #2 spot on the list. Stan State is a fairly large school located in Turlock, California that handed out 235 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid list, Stan State has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Stanislaus is $6,019 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid.
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%.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Stan State
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Northridge, California, and it awarded 320 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid list, CSUN has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $8,414 for far western us region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid per year to attend California State University - Northridge.
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
Out of the 64 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 485 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $5,464 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid per year to attend California State University - Fresno.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Seattle, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW Seattle is $13,297 for far western us region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. CSUDH is a fairly large public school situated in Carson, California. It awarded 150 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Dominguez Hills is $4,215 for far western us region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid.
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%.
California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. This fairly large school is located in San Bernardino, California, and it awarded 315 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $7,342 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid per year to attend California State University - San Bernardino.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at California State University - San Bernardino
California State University - Long Beach landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 240 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid list, CSULB has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $9,622 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid per year to attend CSULB.
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%.
With a ranking of #9, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 125 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $7,991 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%. 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 #10, California State University - Bakersfield did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Bakersfield is a fairly large public school situated in Bakersfield, California. It awarded 265 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend CSUB is $5,318 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid.
San Diego State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $14,788 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at San Diego State University
California State University - Sacramento came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Sac State is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 189 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $9,979 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid per year to attend Sac State.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Sac State
University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. University of California - Riverside is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 142 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend University of California - Riverside is $12,871 for far western us region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Soka University of America landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Aliso Viejo, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 93 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid list, Soka University has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Soka University of America is $13,914 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid.
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 1.7%, 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 92%.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Soka University
California State University - San Marcos landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. San Marcos, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 185 students in 2019-2020.
CSUSM also took the #25 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $13,399 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid per year to attend California State University - San Marcos.
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%.
Full California State University - San Marcos Liberal Arts General Studies Report
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a large public school situated in San Luis Obispo, California. It awarded 108 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees 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 the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $21,595 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid per year to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
California State University - Monterey Bay did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. California State University - Monterey Bay is a medium-sized public school situated in Seaside, California. It awarded 282 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
CSUMB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Monterey Bay is $12,212 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Eastern Washington University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in Cheney, Washington, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $12,607 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid per year to attend Eastern Washington University.
Full Eastern Washington University Liberal Arts General Studies Report
With a ranking of #19, California State University - East Bay did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - 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 Cal State East Bay is $11,116 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Cal State East Bay
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Cal Poly Pomona is a large school located in Pomona, California that handed out 130 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $12,734 for far western us region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid per year to attend Cal Poly Pomona.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Cal Poly Pomona
San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #21. Located in San Francisco, California, this large public school awarded 125 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid list, SFSU has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SFSU is $15,113 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid.
Portland State University landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Portland State University is a large public school situated in Portland, Oregon. It awarded 186 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Portland State University is $13,040 for far western us region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Portland State University
University of Nevada - Reno did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #23. UNR is located in Reno, Nevada and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 47 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
UNR not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Nevada - Reno is $15,081 for far western us region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid.
With a ranking of #24, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. 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.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $14,928 for far western us region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid 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 low 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 Liberal Arts General Studies at San Jose State University
California State University - Channel Islands did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #25. 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 $13,558 for far western us region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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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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