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2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

84 Ranked Colleges
9,583 Degrees Awarded
$7,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Sociology is the 24th most popular major in the country with 37,807 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, sociology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $29,727 and had an average of $23,622 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 15,681 sociology graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,283 and $19,087 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 9,583 sociology graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 84 colleges that offered a degree in sociology. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality sociology 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 sociology 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” 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. 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 Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Sociology (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region

#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 Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford also made our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $-1,387 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k. When an average net price is negative, it usually means that the student will receive more financial aid than it costs to attend the school.

The impressive 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. The low student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Stanford University Sociology Report

#2

Claremont McKenna College

Claremont, California
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 84 schools in the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Claremont McKenna 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 sociology degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Claremont McKenna, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $8,566 for far western us region bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Claremont McKenna.

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

Full Claremont McKenna College Sociology Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 310 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $8,392 for far western us region bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 Sociology at UC Berkeley

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s sociology degrees to 168 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k list, UW Seattle has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $7,850 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW Seattle.

The low student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Sociology at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k. California State University - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 452 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal State LA is $1,379 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Los Angeles Sociology Report

#6

Pomona College

Claremont, California
#5 in overall quality

Pomona College landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Pomona College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California. It awarded 2 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k list, Pomona has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Pomona College is $6,945 for far western us region bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Sociology at Pomona

#7

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 779 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $8,553 for far western us region bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, 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 more about Sociology at UCLA

University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. UC Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 238 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $9,558 for far western us region bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 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 Sociology at UC Irvine

California State University - Dominguez Hills ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Carson, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s sociology degrees to 246 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUDH is $2,455 for far western us region bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 more about Sociology at CSUDH

California State University - Fullerton ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s sociology degrees to 382 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $4,291 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, 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 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Sociology at California State University - Fullerton

California State University - Fresno ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Fresno State is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 142 bachelors’s sociology degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $3,264 for far western us region bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read more about Sociology at California State University - Fresno

With a ranking of #12, California State University - Stanislaus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Stan State is a fairly large school located in Turlock, California that handed out 169 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Stan State is $3,410 for far western us region bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. 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 more about Sociology at Stan State

#13

Pitzer College

Claremont, California

Pitzer College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Pitzer is a small school located in Claremont, California that handed out 18 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

Pitzer did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $15,922 for far western us region bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Pitzer College.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Sociology at Pitzer

#14

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

University of California - Riverside ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 339 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCR, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Riverside is $8,366 for far western us region bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Read full report on Sociology at UCR

With a ranking of #15, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. CSULB is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 322 bachelors’s sociology degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k list, CSULB has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $6,364 for far western us region bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. 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 Sociology at California State University - Long Beach

University of California - Davis ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 275 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Davis has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $9,842 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Davis.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Davis Sociology Report

California State University - Northridge landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. CSUN is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 531 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $5,945 for far western us region bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Sociology at California State University - Northridge

#18

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UCSB is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 713 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $10,316 for far western us region bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Santa Barbara.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UCSB Sociology Report

#19

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in San Bernardino, California, and it awarded 301 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,077 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k 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 Sociology at California State University - San Bernardino

#20

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

With a ranking of #20, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. SDSU is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 112 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $8,870 for far western us region bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Read full report on Sociology at San Diego State University

With a ranking of #21, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school awarded 121 degrees to qualified bachelors’s sociology students in 2019-2020.

UCSD also took the #17 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $9,280 for far western us region bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - San Diego.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.

Read full report on Sociology at University of California - San Diego

California State University - Bakersfield landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - Bakersfield is located in Bakersfield, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 110 bachelors’s sociology degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $3,423 for far western us region bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSUB.

Read full report on Sociology at California State University - Bakersfield

California State University - Sacramento ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s sociology degrees to 224 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $6,819 for far western us region bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Read more about Sociology at California State University - Sacramento

#24

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington

With a ranking of #24, Washington State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Washington State University is a large public school situated in Pullman, Washington. It awarded 44 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,334 for far western us region bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Wazzu.

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%.

Read more about Sociology at Wazzu

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a large public school situated in San Luis Obispo, California. It awarded 69 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $12,475 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read more about Sociology at California Polytechnic State University - 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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Kontos.

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