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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Sociology (Income $30-$48k) in California

57 Ranked Colleges
8,454 Degrees Awarded
$8,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $30-$48k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 California, there were 14,493 sociology graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,922 and $18,563 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 8,454 sociology graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 57 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.

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

More Ways to Rank Sociology Schools

The sociology school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k”.

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

Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Sociology (Income $30-$48k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. Stanford University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 16 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k list, Stanford has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $1,145 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Read more about Sociology at Stanford University

#2

Pomona College

Claremont, California
#5 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 Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k list, Pomona has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,655 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Pomona College.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Sociology at Pomona College

#3

Claremont McKenna College

Claremont, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Claremont McKenna College. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Claremont, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 2 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s sociology students in 2019-2020.

Claremont McKenna did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Claremont McKenna is $6,591 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Sociology at Claremont McKenna College

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 310 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $9,130 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Sociology at UC Berkeley

Out of the 57 schools in the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #5 spot on the list. Cal State LA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 452 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $2,117 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 Cal State LA Sociology Report

#6

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

University of California - Los Angeles came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 779 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k list, UCLA has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $9,254 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Sociology at UCLA

California State University - Dominguez Hills ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a fairly large school located in Carson, California that handed out 246 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills is $3,115 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%.

Read more about Sociology at California State University - Dominguez Hills

University of California - Irvine ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 238 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $10,373 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Sociology at UC Irvine

With a ranking of #9, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 382 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $6,100 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Sociology at Cal State Fullerton

With a ranking of #10, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 142 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,731 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Fresno.

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%. 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 #11, California State University - Stanislaus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - Stanislaus is located in Turlock, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 169 bachelors’s sociology degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $3,958 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Stan State.

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

Full California State University - Stanislaus Sociology Report

California State University - Long Beach came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 322 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB also took the #21 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $7,595 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 Sociology at CSULB

California State University - Northridge came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. CSUN is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 531 bachelors’s sociology degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend CSUN is $6,883 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

#14

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school handed out 339 degrees to qualified bachelors’s sociology students in 2019-2020.

UCR also made our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #20. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Riverside is $9,151 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full UCR Sociology Report

University of California - Davis ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 275 bachelors’s sociology degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,769 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Davis.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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

#16

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school awarded 713 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s sociology students in 2019-2020.

UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Barbara is $11,895 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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%.

Full UCSB Sociology Report

#17

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #17. California State University - San Bernardino is a fairly large public school situated in San Bernardino, California. It awarded 301 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Bernardino is $5,869 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full CSUSB Sociology Report

University of California - San Diego ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. UCSD is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 121 bachelors’s sociology degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSD, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $9,974 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

California State University - Bakersfield ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. CSUB 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 $3,880 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend CSUB.

Read full report on Sociology at CSUB

California State University - Sacramento landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Sacramento is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 224 bachelors’s sociology degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $7,823 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 full report on Sociology at Sac State

#21

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

With a ranking of #21, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s sociology degrees to 112 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $10,594 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Sociology at SDSU

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is located in San Luis Obispo, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 69 bachelors’s sociology degrees to qualified students.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,680 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Sociology Report

California State University - East Bay came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Hayward, California, and it awarded 235 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State East Bay, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal State East Bay is $8,891 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Sociology at Cal State East Bay

#24

Occidental College

Los Angeles, California

Occidental College ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Oxy is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Oxy did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Occidental College is $17,662 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Sociology at Occidental College

#25

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

San Jose State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #25. San Jose State University is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 190 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also made our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #17. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $11,752 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, 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 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Sociology at San Jose State University

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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