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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Political Science (Income $75-$110k) in California

56 Ranked Colleges
5,328 Degrees Awarded
$16,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor's 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. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Political Science is the 14th most popular major in the country with 46,740 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across California, there were 7,602 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 5,328 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking looked at 56 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in political science. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great political science programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the political science program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Political Science Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $75-$110k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Political Science (Income $75-$110k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 57 degrees to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $10,631 for california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $75-$110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science at Stanford

#2

Pomona College

Claremont, California
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 56 schools in the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Pomona College landed the #2 spot on the list. Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 19 students in 2019-2020.

Pomona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Pomona College is $16,877 for California Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $75-$110k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Political Science at Pomona College

Out of the 56 schools in the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 95 degrees to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $9,576 for California Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal State LA Political Science Report

#4

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. University of California - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 692 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $75-$110k list, UCLA has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $19,590 for california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read more about Political Science at UCLA

Out of the 56 schools in the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school awarded 126 degrees to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $12,916 for california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 full report on Political Science at California State University - Fullerton

#4 in overall quality

University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #6. UC Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 482 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also made our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $21,401 for california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science at UC Berkeley

#12 in overall quality

University of California - Davis landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. UC Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 224 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $17,622 for California Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UC Davis Political Science Report

#24 in overall quality

California State University - Long Beach came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. California State University - Long Beach is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 172 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $14,544 for california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $75-$110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science at California State University - Long Beach

California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Carson, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 36 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUDH is $10,904 for california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $75-$110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full CSUDH Political Science Report

California State University - Fresno came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school handed out 67 degrees to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $11,819 for california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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 Political Science at California State University - Fresno

With a ranking of #11, California State University - Stanislaus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. California State University - Stanislaus is a fairly large school located in Turlock, California that handed out 20 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Stanislaus is $12,381 for california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science at Stan State

#12

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
#20 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. University of California - Riverside is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 213 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $18,395 for California Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend University of California - Riverside.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science at University of California - Riverside

#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school handed out 120 degrees to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

UCSD also took the #11 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $20,205 for California Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Political Science at UCSD

California State University - Northridge ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. CSUN is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 185 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Northridge is $15,346 for california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 more about Political Science at CSUN

#15

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 297 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $75-$110k list, UCSB has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Barbara is $22,226 for california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Political Science at University of California - Santa Barbara

#16

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. California State University - San Bernardino is located in San Bernardino, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 61 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUSB is $13,611 for california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 more about Political Science at CSUSB

#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #17, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 307 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also took the #14 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $19,851 for california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UC Irvine.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 more about Political Science at University of California - Irvine

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #18. California State University - Sacramento is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 174 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $15,812 for California Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Sac State Political Science Report

California State University - Bakersfield ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. CSUB is a fairly large public school situated in Bakersfield, California. It awarded 29 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUB is $11,743 for California Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about Political Science at California State University - Bakersfield

#20

Claremont McKenna College

Claremont, California
#3 in overall quality

Claremont McKenna College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #20. Claremont McKenna College is located in Claremont, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 36 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

Claremont McKenna did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $17,636 for California Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Claremont McKenna College.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Political Science at Claremont McKenna

#21

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#25 in overall quality

San Diego State University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. SDSU is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 109 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $75-$110k list, SDSU has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $18,766 for California Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $75-$110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full SDSU Political Science Report

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Located in Pomona, California, this large public school awarded 89 degrees to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $17,944 for california bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Cal Poly Pomona.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 Cal Poly Pomona Political Science Report

#23

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. San Francisco State University is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 129 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $21,027 for California Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend SFSU.

Read full report on Political Science at San Francisco State University

California State University - San Marcos came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. CSUSM is located in San Marcos, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 68 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $18,620 for California Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend CSUSM.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - San Marcos Political Science Report

#18 in overall quality

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #25. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a large public school situated in San Luis Obispo, California. It awarded 70 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $22,585 for California Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, 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 94%.

Full Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Political Science Report

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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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