2023 Best Value Colleges for General Social Sciences (Income $48-$75k) in California
21
Ranked Colleges
9,318
Degrees Awarded
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2020-2021, 18,997 people earned their degree in general social sciences, making the major the 54th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, general social sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $32,991 and had an average of $24,438 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 9,318 general social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,123 and $15,766 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 21 colleges that offered a degree in general social sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great general social sciences 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 general social sciences 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
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 Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college 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. 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 Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k.
Top 21 Best Value Colleges for General Social Sciences (Income $48-$75k) in California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Santa Rosa Junior College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Santa Rosa, California, this fairly large public school awarded 461 degrees to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.
SRJC also made our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for SRJC is $8,738 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read full report on General Social Sciences at SRJC
Out of the 21 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #2 spot on the list. UC Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 22 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $13,275 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UC Irvine.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about General Social Sciences at UC Irvine
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend American River College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school handed out 451 diplomas to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k list, American River has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $7,806 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend American River College.
Read more about General Social Sciences at American River
Out of the 21 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - San Bernardino landed the #4 spot on the list. California State University - San Bernardino is a fairly large school located in San Bernardino, California that handed out 21 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
CSUSB also took the #8 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Bernardino is $9,854 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full CSUSB General Social Sciences Report
Out of the 21 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Butte College landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Oroville, California, this medium-sized public school awarded 372 diplomas to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Butte College, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Butte College is $9,372 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read full report on General Social Sciences at Butte College
California State University - Stanislaus landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Stan State is a fairly large public school situated in Turlock, California. It awarded 66 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Stan State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” list. It costs about $7,976 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Stanislaus.
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 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Social Sciences at Stan State
San Diego State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #7. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 61 students in 2020-2021.
SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $14,698 for california social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, 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 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full San Diego State University General Social Sciences Report
California State University - Monterey Bay did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Seaside, California, this medium-sized public school awarded 87 degrees to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.
CSUMB also made our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for CSUMB is $14,319 for california social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Social Sciences at CSUMB
Antelope Valley College landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Lancaster, California, and it awarded 311 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Antelope Valley College, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Antelope Valley College is $11,202 for california social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read more about General Social Sciences at Antelope Valley College
University of Southern California did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 29 diplomas to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.
USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” list. It costs about $22,826 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Southern California.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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.
Read more about General Social Sciences at University of Southern California
Mt. San Jacinto College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. MSJC is a fairly large public school situated in San Jacinto, California. It awarded 230 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k list, MSJC has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for MSJC is $8,096 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read full report on General Social Sciences at Mt. San Jacinto College
California State University - Chico came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Chico, California, this fairly large public school handed out 74 diplomas to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.
Chico State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” list. It costs about $16,738 for california social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Chico State.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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%.
Read full report on General Social Sciences at Chico State
California State University - Sacramento came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 27 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Sac State, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $12,602 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Social Sciences at California State University - Sacramento
San Jose State University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school awarded 11 degrees to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $17,338 for california social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend San Jose State.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 General Social Sciences at San Jose State
East Los Angeles College landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in Monterey Park, California, and it awarded 1,106 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
East Los Angeles College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for East Los Angeles College is $13,088 for california social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read full report on General Social Sciences at East Los Angeles College
California State University - San Marcos did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #16. California State University - San Marcos is a fairly large school located in San Marcos, California that handed out 30 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
CSUSM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend CSUSM is $14,309 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%.
Full CSUSM General Social Sciences Report
With a ranking of #17, Barstow Community College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Barstow Community College is a small school located in Barstow, California that handed out 128 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Barstow Community College also made our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” list, coming in at #21. It costs about $11,510 for california social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Barstow Community College.
Read full report on General Social Sciences at Barstow Community College
With a ranking of #18, Humboldt State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Humboldt State University is located in Arcata, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
Humboldt State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” list. It costs about $16,716 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Humboldt State University.
Read full report on General Social Sciences at Humboldt State University
Whittier College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. This small school is located in Whittier, California, and it awarded 29 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Whittier did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best General Social Sciences Schools in California” list. It costs about $24,135 for california social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Whittier.
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%.
Read full report on General Social Sciences at Whittier College
