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2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k

11 Ranked Colleges
239 Degrees Awarded
$15,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $30-$48k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Urban Studies is the 210th most popular major in the country with 1,475 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, urban studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $37,971 and had an average of $24,376 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 294 urban studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,275 and $17,214 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 239 urban studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 11 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in urban studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great urban studies 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 urban studies program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

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

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 11 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Urban Studies (Income $30-$48k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s urban studies degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.

Stanford also made our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $1,145 for california bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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 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%.

Full Stanford Urban Studies Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 34 bachelors’s urban studies degrees to qualified students.

UC Berkeley also took the #2 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $9,130 for California Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Full UC Berkeley Urban Studies Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. University of California - Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 57 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $10,373 for california bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Full University of California - Irvine Urban Studies Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 45 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - San Diego is $9,974 for california bachelor’s degree urban studies 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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Urban Studies at University of California - San Diego

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Northridge. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. California State University - Northridge is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 22 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUN, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $6,883 for California Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Northridge.

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%.

Read full report on Urban Studies at California State University - Northridge

#6

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. SDSU is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s urban studies degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SDSU, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $10,594 for california bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 more about Urban Studies at SDSU

#7

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#3 in overall quality

University of Southern California came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s urban studies degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

USC also made our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $16,252 for california bachelor’s degree urban studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend USC.

The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 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 excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Southern California Urban Studies Report

#8

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 30 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFSU, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $12,517 for California Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend San Francisco State University.

Read full report on Urban Studies at SFSU

#9

Biola University

La Mirada, California
#11 in overall quality

Biola University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Biola is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in La Mirada, California. It awarded 1 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Biola not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $25,855 for California Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Biola.

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%.

Read more about Urban Studies at Biola

#10

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, California

Loyola Marymount University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Loyola Marymount University is a medium-sized school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 12 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Marymount also made our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend Loyola Marymount University is $35,166 for california bachelor’s degree urban studies 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%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Loyola Marymount Urban Studies Report

#11

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, California
#8 in overall quality

University of San Francisco ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. USFCA is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at USFCA, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of San Francisco is $29,186 for California Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of San Francisco Urban Studies Report

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.

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