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2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k

57 Ranked Colleges
5,712 Degrees Awarded
$16,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $75-$110k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Political Science 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 & Government is the 21st most popular major in the country with 48,597 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, political science and government graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $33,977 and had an average of $22,822 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 7,986 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,047 and $19,395 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 5,712 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking, we looked at 57 colleges that offer a degree in political science and government. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality political science and government programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the political science and government program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Political Science & Government Schools

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 Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Political Science 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 political science students whose families make $75-$110k.

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

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California

Out of the 57 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 57 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $10,631 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%. 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full Stanford Political Science & Government Report

#2

Pomona College

Claremont, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Pomona College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k. Pomona is a small school located in Claremont, California that handed out 19 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

Pomona also made our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $16,877 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Pomona.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Pomona

Out of the 57 schools in the Best Value Political Science 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. Cal State LA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 95 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal State LA is $9,576 for california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low 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%.

Full California State University - Los Angeles Political Science & Government Report

#4

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Out of the 57 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #4 spot on the list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s political science degrees to 692 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $75-$110k list, UCLA has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $19,590 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science 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 low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 & Government at UCLA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fullerton. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. California State University - Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 126 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,916 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Cal State Fullerton.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at California State University - Fullerton

With a ranking of #6, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. University of California - Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 482 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $21,401 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%. 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 full report on Political Science & Government at University of California - Berkeley

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Davis, California, this large public school awarded 267 degrees to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $75-$110k list, UC Davis has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $17,622 for california bachelor’s degree political science 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.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of California - Davis

California State University - Long Beach ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. California State University - Long Beach is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 172 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.

CSULB also took the #24 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $14,544 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science 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 low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 & Government at CSULB

California State University - Dominguez Hills ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 36 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUDH is $10,904 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science 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 & Government Report

California State University - Fresno landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Fresno State is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 67 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $11,819 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend California State University - Fresno.

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

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Fresno State

California State University - Stanislaus landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. California State University - Stanislaus is a fairly large public school situated in Turlock, California. It awarded 20 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Stan State is $12,381 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $75-$110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Stan State Political Science & Government Report

#12

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

With a ranking of #12, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school handed out 247 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

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

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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 & Government at University of California - Riverside

With a ranking of #13, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. University of California - San Diego is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 390 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD also took the #11 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - San Diego is $20,205 for california bachelor’s degree political science 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 more about Political Science & Government at University of California - San Diego

California State University - Northridge landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school handed out 185 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

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

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Northridge Political Science & Government Report

#15

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school awarded 297 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Barbara is $22,226 for california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UCSB Political Science & Government Report

#16

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

With a ranking of #16, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. San Bernardino, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s political science degrees to 61 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,611 for california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend California State University - San Bernardino.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Political Science & Government at CSUSB

University of California - Irvine ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. UC Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 307 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $19,851 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $75-$110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of California - Irvine

California State University - Sacramento came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. California State University - Sacramento is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 174 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $15,812 for california bachelor’s degree political science 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%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at California State University - Sacramento

With a ranking of #19, California State University - Bakersfield did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. California State University - Bakersfield is a fairly large school located in Bakersfield, California that handed out 29 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

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

Full California State University - Bakersfield Political Science & Government Report

#20

Claremont McKenna College

Claremont, California

Claremont McKenna College landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Claremont McKenna College is a small school located in Claremont, California that handed out 36 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Claremont McKenna, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Claremont McKenna College is $17,636 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science 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. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Claremont McKenna College Political Science & Government Report

#21

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s 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 bachelors’s political science degrees to 109 students in 2019-2020.

SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $18,766 for california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%. 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 Political Science & Government at SDSU

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is located in Pomona, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 89 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $17,944 for California Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Cal Poly Pomona.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

#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 Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. SFSU is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 129 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend San Francisco State University is $21,027 for california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about Political Science & Government at SFSU

With a ranking of #24, California State University - San Marcos did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. CSUSM is a fairly large public school situated in San Marcos, California. It awarded 68 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - San Marcos is $18,620 for california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at CSUSM

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #25. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public institution located in San Luis Obispo, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 70 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also made our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #18. The yearly cost to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $22,585 for california bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, 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 94%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

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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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