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2023 Best Value Colleges for Geography (Income $75-$110k) in California

20 Ranked Colleges
786 Degrees Awarded
$16,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Geography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Geography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2020-2021, 4,954 people earned their degree in geography, making the major the 159th most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 786 geography graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Geography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking, we looked at 20 colleges that offer a degree in geography. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great geography programs and 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 geography program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 Geography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k” list to help you make the college 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 Geography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Geography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k.

Top 20 Best Value Colleges for Geography (Income $75-$110k) in California

1

Out of the 20 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #1 spot on the list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geography degrees to 81 students in 2020-2021.

UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Geography Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $20,697 for california geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Geography at University of California - Los Angeles

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Geography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. CSULB is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 58 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

CSULB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Geography Schools in California” list. It costs about $15,101 for California Geography students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend CSULB.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full CSULB Geography Report

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Geography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 12 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal State LA also made our “Best Geography Schools in California” list, coming in at #14. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $10,011 for California Geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geography at Cal State LA

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fullerton. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Geography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. California State University - Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 39 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal State Fullerton also made our “Best Geography Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $12,977 for California Geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

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

Full Cal State Fullerton Geography Report

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Northridge. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Geography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k. California State University - Northridge is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 44 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

CSUN also took the #6 spot in our “Best Geography Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Northridge is $15,380 for california geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%.

Full CSUN Geography Report

6

University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school handed out 32 diplomas to qualified ’s geography students in 2020-2021.

UCSB also took the #2 spot in our “Best Geography Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $21,581 for California Geography students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UCSB.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Full UCSB Geography Report

7

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Geography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #7. Sac State is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 37 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

Sac State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Geography Schools in California” list. It costs about $16,925 for California Geography students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Sac State.

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%.

Full Sac State Geography Report

8

California State University - Fresno ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. California State University - Fresno is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 6 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california geography students whose families make $75-$110k list, Fresno State has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Geography Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $12,789 for California Geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read more about Geography at California State University - Fresno

9

California State University - Stanislaus came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Stan State is a fairly large school located in Turlock, California that handed out 9 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

Stan State also took the #16 spot in our “Best Geography Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stan State is $12,642 for california geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%.

Full California State University - Stanislaus Geography Report

10
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Geography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geography degrees to 44 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california geography students whose families make $75-$110k list, SDSU has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Geography Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $18,957 for california geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%. 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 Geography at San Diego State University

11

California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 15 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california geography students whose families make $75-$110k list, CSUDH has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Geography Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,085 for california geography students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geography at California State University - Dominguez Hills

12

California State University - San Bernardino came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This fairly large school is located in San Bernardino, California, and it awarded 5 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

CSUSB also took the #18 spot in our “Best Geography Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,338 for California Geography students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend CSUSB.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Full CSUSB Geography Report

13

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This large school is located in Pomona, California, and it awarded 24 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal Poly Pomona also made our “Best Geography Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $18,166 for california geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Geography Report

14

California State University - East Bay did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Geography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #14. California State University - East Bay is located in Hayward, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State East Bay, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Geography Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - East Bay is $18,874 for California Geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal State East Bay Geography Report

15
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. SFSU is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 41 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

SFSU also took the #4 spot in our “Best Geography Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Francisco State University is $20,159 for california geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%.

Full San Francisco State University Geography Report

16

With a ranking of #16, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Geography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. This fairly large school is located in Chico, California, and it awarded 13 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

Chico State also made our “Best Geography Schools in California” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend Chico State is $20,708 for california geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geography at Chico State

17
SSU crest
Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, California

With a ranking of #17, Sonoma State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Geography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. SSU is located in Rohnert Park, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 45 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

SSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Geography Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Sonoma State University is $22,254 for california geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 Geography at SSU

18
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified ’s geography students in 2020-2021.

San Jose State also took the #13 spot in our “Best Geography Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $21,035 for California Geography students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend San Jose State.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, 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 86%.

Read full report on Geography at San Jose State

19
East Los Angeles College crest
East Los Angeles College
Monterey Park, California

East Los Angeles College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. This large school is located in Monterey Park, California, and it awarded 6 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at East Los Angeles College, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Geography Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,372 for california geography students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend East Los Angeles College.

Read full report on Geography at East Los Angeles College

20
Humboldt State University crest
Humboldt State University
Arcata, California

Humboldt State University landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Best Value Geography Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Humboldt State University is located in Arcata, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 23 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

Humboldt State University also made our “Best Geography Schools in California” list, coming in at #15. The estimated yearly cost for Humboldt State University is $20,326 for california geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about Geography at Humboldt State University

Notes and References

References

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