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Best Value History Schools in California

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2023 Best Value History Schools in California

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

30 Colleges
$9,186 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$27,322 Avg Salary

Finding the Best History School for You

History is the #23 most popular major in California with 5,392 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value History Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 30 schools in California to see which programs offered the best value experiences for history students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value History Schools in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Value History Colleges.

Top 10 Best History Schools

$6,846 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named California State University - Long Beach the best value school in California for history students. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public college with a very large student population.

CSULB undergraduate students pay an average of $6,846 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, history graduates from CSULB carry an average student debtload of $15,000.

Full History at California State University - Long Beach Report

#2

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA
$7,304 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend San Francisco State University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value History Schools in California list. SFSU is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Francisco.

SFSU undergraduate students pay an average of $7,304 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, history graduates from SFSU carry an average student debtload of $15,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $203, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full History at San Francisco State University Report

#3

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, CA
$7,988 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Sonoma State University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best history schools in California. Located in the large suburb of Rohnert Park, SSU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SSU are $7,988 per year. After completing their degree, history graduates from SSU carry an average student debtload of $15,742.

Full History at Sonoma State University Report

$6,653 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value History Schools in California list. Fresno State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Fresno.

Fresno State undergraduate students pay an average of $6,653 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that history majors at Fresno State take out is $18,245.

Full History at California State University - Fresno Report

$7,043 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means California State University - Northridge is a great value for history students. CSUN is a very large public school located in the city of Northridge.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUN are $7,043 per year. On average, history graduates from CSUN take out $12,921 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on History at California State University - Northridge

$6,817 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - Channel Islands came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools in California ranking. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Camarillo, CSUCI is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSUCI are $6,817 a year. While working on their degree, history majors at CSUCI accumulate an average of around $16,206 in student debt.

Full History at California State University - Channel Islands Report

#7

National University

La Jolla, CA

National University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools in California ranking. National University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of La Jolla.

National University undergraduate students pay an average of $13,320 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, history graduates from National University take out $31,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

$6,976 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #8, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on this year’s best value schools for history students. Located in the large suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Cal State Fullerton undergraduate students pay an average of $6,976 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, history graduates from Cal State Fullerton take out $15,401 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full History at California State University - Fullerton Report

$7,439 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on this year’s best value schools for history students. Cal Poly Pomona is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Pomona.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal Poly Pomona are $7,439 a year. On average, history graduates from Cal Poly Pomona take out $17,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

$10,195 Average Tuition & Fees

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools in California ranking. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo undergraduate students pay an average of $10,195 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that history majors at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo take out is $17,003. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $281.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also claimed a spot on our Best History Schools in California list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.

Full History at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Report

Best Value History Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value History Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 475
Oregon 342
Nevada 109
Hawaii 68
Alaska 41

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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