2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Social Sciences is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 5th of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 205,726 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2017-2018, social sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $34,801 and had an average of $23,466 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 50,479 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,934 and $19,309 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 26,436 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 62 colleges that offered a degree in social sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great social sciences 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 social sciences 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 Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.
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Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Sciences in California (With Aid)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. California State University - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 628 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Cal State LA is $2,768 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.
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%.
Read more about Social Sciences at California State University - Los Angeles
Out of the 62 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #2 spot on the list. California State University - Dominguez Hills is located in Carson, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 296 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills is $4,215 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.
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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 236 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $11,496 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.
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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. California State University - Fresno is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 700 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $5,464 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid per year to attend Fresno State.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Out of the 62 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Claremont McKenna College landed the #5 spot on the list. Claremont McKenna is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California. It awarded 177 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Claremont McKenna did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Claremont McKenna College is $22,161 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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.
University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. University of California - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2,699 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $14,279 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.
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 Social Sciences at University of California - Los Angeles
With a ranking of #7, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 633 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $7,991 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national 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.
Read more about Social Sciences at California State University - Fullerton
With a ranking of #8, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1,578 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $14,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Irvine Social Sciences Report
California State University - Northridge ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. CSUN is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 953 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend CSUN is $8,414 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.
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%.
Full California State University - Northridge Social Sciences Report
With a ranking of #10, California State University - Stanislaus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Turlock, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 296 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Stan State is $6,019 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.
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 4.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full California State University - Stanislaus Social Sciences Report
University of California - Berkeley came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 1,906 students in 2019-2020.
UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $15,329 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.
California State University - Long Beach came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. CSULB is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 697 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $9,622 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Read more about Social Sciences at California State University - Long Beach
California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. CSUSB is a public institution located in San Bernardino, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 450 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Bernardino is $7,342 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on Social Sciences at California State University - San Bernardino
University of California - Riverside landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of California - Riverside is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,064 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UCR also took the #23 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCR is $12,871 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.
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 student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #15. UCSD is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1,086 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
UCSD also took the #11 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,232 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid per year to attend University of California - San Diego.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school handed out 1,984 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid list, UCSB has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCSB is $15,884 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.
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 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Bakersfield landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Bakersfield is a fairly large public school situated in Bakersfield, California. It awarded 168 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Bakersfield is $5,318 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.
California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #18. Sac State is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 730 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $9,979 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.
University of California - Davis came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of California - Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 1,387 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid list, UC Davis has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $14,669 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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%.
San Diego State University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. SDSU is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 697 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for SDSU is $14,788 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California State University - East Bay ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large public school situated in Hayward, California. It awarded 339 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Cal State East Bay is $11,116 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.
California State University - San Marcos came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in San Marcos, California, and it awarded 718 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend CSUSM is $13,399 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.
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 more about Social Sciences at California State University - San Marcos
San Jose State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #23. San Jose, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 451 students in 2019-2020.
San Jose State also made our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #21. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $14,928 for california bachelor’s degree social sciences students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Cal Poly Pomona is located in Pomona, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 393 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly Pomona is $12,734 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.
Read more about Social Sciences at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
San Francisco State University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. SFSU is a large public school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 509 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,113 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students with aid per year to attend SFSU.
Read more about Social Sciences at San Francisco State University
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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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to AndrГ© KГјnzelmann.
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