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2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k

57 Ranked Colleges
8,454 Degrees Awarded
$29,922 Avg Salary
Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $48-$75k

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 Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 37,807 people earned their degree in sociology, making the major the 24th most popular in the United States. 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 $48-$75k” ranking looked at 57 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in sociology. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great sociology programs and cost less that 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Sociology Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 26 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Sociology (Income $48-$75k) 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 $48-$75k. Stanford University is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 16 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $1,959 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

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. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read full report on 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 $48-$75k. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

Pomona also took the #5 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Pomona is $11,811 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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.

Full Pomona 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 California For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and 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 $48-$75k list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $13,081 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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%.

Full University of California - Berkeley Sociology Report

#4

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Out of the 57 schools in the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #4 spot on the list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 779 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also took the #4 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $13,081 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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%.

Full UCLA Sociology Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 452 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,644 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Cal State LA.

The low student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full California State University - Los Angeles Sociology Report

#6

Claremont McKenna College

Claremont, California
#2 in overall quality

Claremont McKenna College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s sociology degrees 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 estimated yearly cost for Claremont McKenna is $19,009 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 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 Sociology at Claremont McKenna

California State University - Dominguez Hills ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. CSUDH is a fairly large public school situated in Carson, California. It awarded 246 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUDH is $6,907 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 full report on Sociology at California State University - Dominguez Hills

California State University - Fullerton came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school handed out 382 degrees to qualified bachelors’s sociology students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,427 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Fullerton.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. 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 Cal State Fullerton Sociology Report

University of California - Davis ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of California - Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 275 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also took the #9 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Davis is $13,578 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 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%.

Read more about Sociology at University of California - Davis

California State University - Stanislaus ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Stan State 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 $7,772 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Stanislaus.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Sociology at California State University - Stanislaus

California State University - Fresno landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s sociology degrees to 142 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $7,549 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

Read full report on Sociology at California State University - Fresno

#12

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

University of California - Riverside ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 339 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $48-$75k list, UCR has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCR is $12,290 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Riverside Sociology Report

University of California - Irvine landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s sociology degrees to 238 students in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also took the #12 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $13,648 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

Full University of California - Irvine Sociology Report

#14

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school awarded 713 degrees to qualified bachelors’s sociology students in 2019-2020.

UCSB also made our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend UCSB is $15,343 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Sociology at University of California - Santa Barbara

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 California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 322 degrees to qualified bachelors’s sociology students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $48-$75k list, CSULB has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $10,807 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 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

California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #16. 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 California State University - Northridge is $10,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

Read more about Sociology at CSUN

#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 $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #17. San Bernardino, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s sociology degrees to 301 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUSB is $8,924 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on Sociology at CSUSB

University of California - San Diego came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school awarded 121 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s sociology students in 2019-2020.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $14,071 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - San Diego Sociology Report

California State University - Bakersfield landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. California State University - Bakersfield is a fairly large public school situated in Bakersfield, California. It awarded 110 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUB is $7,564 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Sociology at California State University - Bakersfield

California State University - Sacramento landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 224 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $11,413 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Sociology at Sac State

#21

Pitzer College

Claremont, California

Pitzer College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #21. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Pitzer, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,939 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Pitzer.

The 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 impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Pitzer Sociology Report

With a ranking of #22, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a large school located in San Luis Obispo, California that handed out 69 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

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. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $19,407 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Sociology Report

#23

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

San Jose State University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. San Jose, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s sociology degrees to 190 students in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also made our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #17. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State University is $16,397 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Full San Jose State Sociology Report

California State University - East Bay landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. California State University - East Bay is a fairly large public school situated in Hayward, California. It awarded 235 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $48-$75k list, Cal State East Bay has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - East Bay is $13,048 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Sociology at California State University - East Bay

#25

Occidental College

Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #25, Occidental College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 15 degrees to qualified bachelors’s sociology students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $48-$75k list, Oxy has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Oxy is $19,364 for California Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

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. 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%.

Full Occidental College Sociology Report

#25

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #25. 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 estimated yearly cost for SDSU is $14,730 for california bachelor’s degree sociology students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Sociology at SDSU

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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