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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Psychology in California (With Aid)

59 Ranked Colleges
5,805 Degrees Awarded
$22,200 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Psychology Schools for a Master's in California For Those Getting 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 Psychology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

Psychology is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 7th of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 183,889 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2017-2018, psychology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $33,496 and had an average of $36,227 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 37,071 psychology graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,748 and $53,340 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 5,805 psychology graduates with average earnings and debt of $60,281 and $50,119 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Psychology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 59 colleges that offer a degree in psychology. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent psychology programs, but they also cost less that 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 psychology program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Psychology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Psychology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for california master’s degree psychology students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Psychology in California (With Aid)

#1

Touro University Worldwide

Los Alamitos, California
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Touro University Worldwide. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Los Alamitos, California, and it awarded 178 masters’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at TUW, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Psychology Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at TUW are $9,000, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full TUW Psychology Report

#2

Stanford University

Stanford, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s psychology degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

Stanford also took the #0 spot in our “Best Psychology Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford are $55,011, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Stanford University Psychology Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid. Fresno State is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 masters’s psychology degrees to qualified students.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Fresno State are $17,581, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full California State University - Fresno Psychology Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s psychology degrees to 56 students in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at CSULB are $17,784.

Read full report on Psychology at California State University - Long Beach

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fullerton. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 29 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Fullerton are $17,892.

Read full report on Psychology at California State University - Fullerton

California State University - Dominguez Hills ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 20 masters’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Dominguez Hills are $17,884, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Psychology at California State University - Dominguez Hills

California State University - Northridge came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Northridge, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s psychology degrees to 45 students in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Northridge are $17,955, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Psychology at CSUN

#8

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#2 in overall quality

University of California - Los Angeles came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. UCLA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 35 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also took the #2 spot in our “Best Psychology Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Los Angeles are $28,131, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Psychology at UCLA

California State University - Bakersfield landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Bakersfield is a fairly large school located in Bakersfield, California that handed out 19 masters’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Bakersfield are $18,437, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Psychology at CSUB

California State University - Stanislaus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. California State University - Stanislaus is a fairly large school located in Turlock, California that handed out 24 masters’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Stanislaus are $18,540, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Psychology at California State University - Stanislaus

#11

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California

University of California - Berkeley ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 5 masters’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #0 on our “Best Psychology Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Berkeley are $29,347, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Psychology at UC Berkeley

#12

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. CSUSB is located in San Bernardino, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 45 masters’s psychology degrees to qualified students.

Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - San Bernardino are $17,936, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Psychology at CSUSB

#13 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school awarded 11 degrees to qualified masters’s psychology students in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also made our “Best Psychology Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #13. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Irvine are $28,456.

Read more about Psychology at UC Irvine

#14

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. San Diego State University is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 51 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at San Diego State University are $18,658, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Psychology at San Diego State University

#15

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

University of California - Riverside landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school handed out 12 degrees to qualified masters’s psychology students in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UCR are $28,686.

Read full report on Psychology at UCR

#16

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#24 in overall quality

With a ranking of #16, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school handed out 28 diplomas to qualified masters’s psychology students in 2019-2020.

San Jose State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Psychology Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at San Jose State University are $18,790.

Read more about Psychology at San Jose State

#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #17, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - San Diego is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 22 masters’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Psychology Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - San Diego are $28,631.

Read full report on Psychology at UCSD

California State University - San Marcos landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in San Marcos, California, and it awarded 10 masters’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at CSUSM are $18,661, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Psychology at CSUSM

California State University - Sacramento ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Sac State is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 12 masters’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Sacramento are $18,356.

Read more about Psychology at Sac State

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Pomona, California, and it awarded 12 masters’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Cal Poly Pomona are $18,377, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Psychology at Cal Poly Pomona

#21 in overall quality

University of California - Davis landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. UC Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 masters’s psychology degrees to qualified students.

UC Davis also took the #21 spot in our “Best Psychology Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Davis are $28,700, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UC Davis Psychology Report

#22

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in San Francisco, California, this large public school handed out 44 diplomas to qualified masters’s psychology students in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at SFSU are $17,944.

Full San Francisco State University Psychology Report

#23

Brandman University

Irvine, California
#18 in overall quality

Brandman University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Irvine, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s psychology degrees to 90 students in 2019-2020.

Brandman also took the #18 spot in our “Best Psychology Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Brandman University are $12,540, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Psychology at Brandman University

#24

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#23 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. UCSB is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 masters’s psychology degrees to qualified students.

UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Psychology Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCSB are $28,670, but some majors have different tuition rates.

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

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is located in San Luis Obispo, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 masters’s psychology degrees to qualified students.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo are $21,009.

Full California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Psychology Report

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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