2023 Best Value Colleges for Science, Technology & Society in California (With Aid)

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Science, Tech & Society Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 1,095 people earned their degree in science, technology and society, making the major the 232nd most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, science, technology and society graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $41,177 and had an average of $22,529 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 87 science, technology and society graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Science, Tech & Society Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 3 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in science, technology and society. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great science, technology and society 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 science, technology and society program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The science, tech & society 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 Science, Tech & Society Schools in California For Those Getting Aid”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 Science, Tech & Society Schools in California For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for california science, tech & society students with aid.

Top 3 Best Value Colleges for Science, Technology & Society in California (With Aid)

1

Stanford University
Stanford, California

#1 in overall quality

$12,894 Average Net Price

$83,159 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Science, Tech & Society Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 63 diplomas to qualified ’s science, tech and society students in 2020-2021.

Stanford also made our “Best Science, Technology & Society Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $12,894 for California Science, Tech & Society students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Stanford University Science, Technology & Society Report

2

University of California - Davis
Davis, California

#2 in overall quality

$15,768 Average Net Price

$46,065 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Science, Tech & Society Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 13 ’s science, tech and society degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Science, Technology & Society Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Davis is $15,768 for california science, tech & society students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, 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 93%.

Read full report on Science, Technology & Society at University of California - Davis

3

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
Pomona, California

#3 in overall quality

$14,304 Average Net Price

$45,201 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Science, Tech & Society Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #3 spot on the list. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a large public school situated in Pomona, California. It awarded 5 ’s science, tech and society degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal Poly Pomona also took the #3 spot in our “Best Science, Technology & Society Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $14,304 for California Science, Tech & Society students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.

Full California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Science, Technology & Society Report

• Best Value Colleges for Science, Technology & Society in the Far Western US Region (With Aid)
• Best Value Colleges for Science, Technology & Society (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.