2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k
58
Ranked Colleges
51,680
Degrees Awarded
$8,000
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
With 205,984 degrees handed out in 2020-2021, social sciences is the 5th most popular major in the United States. In 2019-2020, social sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $36,262 and had an average of $23,306 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 51,680 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,887 and $17,995 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 58 colleges that offer a degree in social sciences. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality social sciences programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the social sciences program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. 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 Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Social Sciences (Income $30-$48k) in California
Out of the 58 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 357 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $1,581 for california social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad 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 impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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 undergraduate students.
Read more about Social Sciences at Stanford
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Claremont McKenna College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k. Claremont McKenna College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California. It awarded 179 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Claremont McKenna also made our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $8,693 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Claremont McKenna.
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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive undergraduate 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.
Read more about Social Sciences at Claremont McKenna
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 2,093 students in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $9,999 for california social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, 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 96%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at UC Berkeley
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 2,813 students in 2020-2021.
UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $9,891 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at University of California - Los Angeles
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 591 students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $2,701 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%.
Full California State University - Los Angeles Social Sciences Report
Pomona College landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 95 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Pomona also took the #8 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Pomona is $6,239 for california social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Social Sciences at Pomona
California State University - Fresno landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Fresno is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 658 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Fresno State also took the #21 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $4,655 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Sciences at Fresno State
With a ranking of #8, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 1,848 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Irvine also made our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $8,449 for california social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.
Read more about Social Sciences at UC Irvine
University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. University of California - San Diego is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,404 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our california social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, UCSD has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $11,176 for california social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad 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 94%.
Read more about Social Sciences at University of California - San Diego
Santa Rosa Junior College landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Santa Rosa, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 668 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, SRJC has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SRJC is $5,800 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read full report on Social Sciences at SRJC
With a ranking of #11, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 1,517 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” list. It costs about $11,598 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Davis.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, 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 93%.
Full UC Davis Social Sciences Report
University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 2,053 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
UCSB also took the #6 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCSB is $11,606 for california social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read more about Social Sciences at University of California - Santa Barbara
California State University - Fullerton came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Cal State Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 693 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
Cal State Fullerton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” list. It costs about $5,821 for california social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k 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 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 California State University - Fullerton Social Sciences Report
California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a fairly large school located in Carson, California that handed out 378 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $3,329 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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 Social Sciences at California State University - Dominguez Hills
University of California - Riverside came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UCR is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 1,301 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCR, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,193 for california social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Riverside.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Sciences at University of California - Riverside
California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #16. California State University - Long Beach is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 764 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
CSULB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $7,573 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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.
Full CSULB Social Sciences Report
California State University - Stanislaus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #17. California State University - Stanislaus is a fairly large school located in Turlock, California that handed out 291 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Stanislaus is $4,903 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 full report on Social Sciences at Stan State
With a ranking of #18, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. CSUN is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 944 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $7,103 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend CSUN.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Sciences at CSUN
California State University - San Bernardino ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - San Bernardino is located in San Bernardino, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 394 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for CSUSB is $6,613 for california social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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 Social Sciences at CSUSB
California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #20. Sac State is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 786 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $9,055 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Sacramento.
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 California State University - Sacramento Social Sciences Report
California State University - Bakersfield landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Bakersfield, California, this fairly large public school awarded 198 degrees to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Bakersfield is $6,046 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read more about Social Sciences at California State University - Bakersfield
With a ranking of #22, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 976 students in 2020-2021.
USC also made our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend USC is $17,345 for california social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Social Sciences at USC
California State University - East Bay did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #23. California State University - East Bay is a fairly large school located in Hayward, California that handed out 373 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal State East Bay also took the #24 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,025 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - East Bay.
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%.
Read more about Social Sciences at Cal State East Bay
University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of California - Santa Cruz is a public institution located in Santa Cruz, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 864 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Santa Cruz also made our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” list, coming in at #12. It costs about $12,049 for California Social Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Santa Cruz.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Social Sciences at University of California - Santa Cruz
San Diego State University landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 845 students in 2020-2021.
SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $9,274 for california social sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Social Sciences at SDSU
