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2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k

15 Ranked Colleges
1,878 Degrees Awarded
$11,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 10,054 people earned their degree in philosophy, making the major the 83rd most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, philosophy graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $30,510 and had an average of $21,514 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 1,878 philosophy graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,527 and $16,062 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 15 colleges that offered a degree in philosophy. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality philosophy programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the philosophy program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 Philosophy Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 15 Best Value Colleges for Philosophy (Income $0-$30k) in California

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 106 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,450 for California Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Philosophy at University of California - Berkeley

2

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #2 spot on the list. UC Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 58 ’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Davis has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Davis is $10,006 for California Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Philosophy at University of California - Davis

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Riverside. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Riverside is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 67 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.

UCR not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Riverside is $6,810 for california philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%.

Read full report on Philosophy at UCR

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Santa Barbara. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 144 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCSB has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Barbara is $10,568 for california philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Philosophy at University of California - Santa Barbara

5
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #5 spot on the list. University of Southern California is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 75 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.

USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern California is $17,287 for California Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Southern California Philosophy Report

6

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 17 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State LA, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $1,887 for California Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Los Angeles Philosophy Report

7

California State University - Fresno came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Fresno State is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 15 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Fresno State, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $3,859 for california philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Fresno.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Fresno State Philosophy Report

8

California State University - Fullerton came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 37 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State Fullerton, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $4,590 for california philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Philosophy at California State University - Fullerton

9

University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Santa Cruz, California, this fairly large public school awarded 67 degrees to qualified ’s philosophy students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Santa Cruz, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Cruz is $11,038 for California Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 Philosophy at University of California - Santa Cruz

10

With a ranking of #10, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Northridge, California, and it awarded 22 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.

CSUN not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $6,266 for california philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Philosophy at CSUN

11
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

With a ranking of #11, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 56 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.

SFSU also took the #9 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,705 for California Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Francisco State University.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Philosophy at San Francisco State University

12

California State University - Sacramento ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s philosophy degrees to 32 students in 2020-2021.

Sac State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $8,163 for california philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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 Philosophy at Sac State

13

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Pomona, California, and it awarded 24 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly Pomona, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,349 for california philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cal Poly Pomona.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Philosophy at Cal Poly Pomona

14
Biola crest
Biola University
La Mirada, California

Biola University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Biola University is a medium-sized school located in La Mirada, California that handed out 14 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.

Biola also took the #8 spot in our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Biola is $27,024 for california philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Philosophy at Biola

15
Chapman crest
Chapman University
Orange, California

Chapman University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Philosophy Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. Chapman is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Orange, California. It awarded 16 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.

Chapman not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Philosophy Schools in California” list. It costs about $34,946 for california philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Chapman University.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Philosophy at Chapman University

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

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