If you pursue a degree in sociology, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #25 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 64 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Sociology Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 13,805 degrees in sociology annually.
Your choice of sociology school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Sociology School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Sociology Schools in California list, to help you choose the best school for you.
More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools 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.
If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the sociology degrees they offer, see the list below. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
University of California - Los Angeles is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in sociology. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.
There were approximately 713 sociology students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the sociology program state that they receive average early career income of $34,121.
It is hard to beat Stanford University if you want to pursue a degree in sociology. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Stanford. A Best Colleges rank of #10 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.
There were roughly 55 sociology students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent year we have data available.
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University of California - Berkeley is a great option for students interested in a degree in sociology. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.
There were about 300 sociology students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year. Sociology degree recipients from University of California - Berkeley earn a boost of about $6,012 above the average earnings of sociology majors.
University of California - Santa Barbara is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in sociology. Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #47 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.
There were roughly 684 sociology students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the sociology program report average early career income of $34,372.
Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.
There were approximately 304 sociology students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the sociology program earn an average of $32,137 in their early career salary.
UC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.
There were about 271 sociology students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the sociology program report average early career income of $34,050.
UCSD is a fairly large public university located in the large city of La Jolla. A Best Colleges rank of #49 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.
There were roughly 139 sociology students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the sociology program state that they receive average early career wages of $36,464.
UC Santa Cruz is a large public university located in the small city of Santa Cruz. A Best Colleges rank of #91 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Santa Cruz is a great university overall.
There were approximately 227 sociology students who graduated with this degree at UC Santa Cruz in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, sociology degree recipients generally earn around $28,495 in their early careers.
Located in the large city of Riverside, UCR is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #219 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCR is a great university overall.
There were about 355 sociology students who graduated with this degree at UCR in the most recent data year. After graduation, sociology degree recipients usually make around $29,367 in their early careers.
USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.
There were approximately 61 sociology students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the sociology program earn about $35,580 in their early career salary.
Located in the city of Santa Clara, SCU is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #53 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means SCU is a great university overall.
There were roughly 23 sociology students who graduated with this degree at SCU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the sociology degree program at Santa Clara University earn $18,850 more than the average graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
SDSU is a fairly large public university located in the large city of San Diego. A Best Colleges rank of #185 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means SDSU is a great university overall.
There were roughly 174 sociology students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, sociology degree recipients generally make an average of $35,136 in their early careers.
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Sociology Schools in California award.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
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 the rest 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).
Your choice of sociology school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Sociology School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
