2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities in California (With Aid)
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
With 559,661 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, liberal arts / sciences and humanities is the 3rd most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, liberal arts / sciences and humanities 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 / sciences and humanities 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 / sciences and humanities graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 48 colleges that offer a degree in liberal arts / sciences and humanities. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality liberal arts / sciences and humanities 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 liberal arts / sciences and humanities program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities in California (With Aid)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Cal State LA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 180 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $2,768 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid per year to attend Cal State LA.
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%.
Full California State University - Los Angeles Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Stanislaus. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Stan State is a public institution located in Turlock, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 235 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stan State, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Stanislaus is $6,019 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities 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 / Sciences & Humanities at Stan State
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Northridge. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. CSUN is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 320 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.
CSUN also made our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #12. It costs about $8,414 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid per year to attend CSUN.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Fresno State is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 485 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid list, Fresno State has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $5,464 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 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%.
Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Fresno State
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 / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Carson, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 150 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills is $4,215 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 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 / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. This fairly large school is located in San Bernardino, California, and it awarded 315 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for CSUSB is $7,342 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full California State University - San Bernardino Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report
California State University - Long Beach came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Long Beach is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 240 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.
CSULB also took the #14 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $9,622 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at CSULB
California State University - Fullerton landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 125 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $7,991 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid per year to attend California State University - Fullerton.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full California State University - Fullerton Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report
California State University - Bakersfield came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Bakersfield is a fairly large school located in Bakersfield, California that handed out 265 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Bakersfield is $5,318 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid.
Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at CSUB
San Diego State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in California 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.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid list, SDSU has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SDSU is $14,788 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities 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 / Sciences & Humanities at SDSU
California State University - Sacramento ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Sac State is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 189 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $9,979 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid.
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%.
Full California State University - Sacramento Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report
University of California - Riverside came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of California - Riverside is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 142 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCR, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCR is $12,871 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at University of California - Riverside
Soka University of America landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Soka University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Aliso Viejo, California. It awarded 93 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.
Soka University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Soka University is $13,914 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Soka University of America Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report
California State University - San Marcos ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. CSUSM is located in San Marcos, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 185 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.
CSUSM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - San Marcos is $13,399 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid.
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%.
Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at CSUSM
With a ranking of #15, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in San Luis Obispo, California, and it awarded 108 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also took the #1 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $21,595 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid per year to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
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%.
California State University - Monterey Bay did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #16. CSUMB is a medium-sized public school situated in Seaside, California. It awarded 282 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.
CSUMB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Monterey Bay is $12,212 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid.
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%.
Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at CSUMB
With a ranking of #17, California State University - East Bay did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Hayward, California, this fairly large public school awarded 95 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - East Bay is $11,116 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid.
Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Cal State East Bay
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Cal Poly Pomona is a public institution located in Pomona, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 130 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal Poly Pomona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $12,734 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid per year to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona.
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 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Cal Poly Pomona
San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #19. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 125 students in 2019-2020.
SFSU also made our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #20. It costs about $15,113 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid per year to attend SFSU.
Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at San Francisco State University
San Jose State University landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 56 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.
San Jose State also took the #19 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State is $14,928 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid.
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 / Sciences & Humanities at San Jose State University
California State University - Channel Islands landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. CSUCI is a medium-sized school located in Camarillo, California that handed out 126 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Channel Islands is $13,558 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid.
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%.
Sonoma State University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. SSU is located in Rohnert Park, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 148 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.
SSU also took the #15 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SSU is $17,478 for California Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid.
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%.
Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Sonoma State University
California State University - Chico landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Chico State is located in Chico, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 210 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Chico is $15,017 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Chico State Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report
With a ranking of #24, National University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid 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 liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 22 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid list, National University has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.
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 Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at National University
Brandman University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #25. Brandman University is a fairly large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 170 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.
Brandman also took the #5 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $21,604 for california bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid per year to attend Brandman University.
Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Brandman
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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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Jacques Sablet (Switzerland, Morges, 1749-1803).
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