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Best History Schools in California

2023 Best History Schools in California

30 Colleges
$27,322 Avg Salary
$18,158 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best History School for You

With 5,392 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, history is the #21 most popular major in California.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best History Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 30 schools in California to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best History Schools in California

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

Top 10 Best History Schools

#1

National University

La Jolla, CA

Our 2023 rankings named National University the best school in California for history students. Located in the city of La Jolla, National University is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

After completing their degree, history graduates from National University carry an average student debtload of $31,000.

Full History at National University Report

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Out of the 30 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the # 3 spot on the list. UC Berkeley is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Berkeley.

While working on their degree, history majors at UC Berkeley accumulate an average of around $14,456 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $526.

Full History at University of California - Berkeley Report

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The excellent programs at University of California - Davis helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best history schools in California. UC Davis is a very large public school located in the small suburb of Davis.

On average, history graduates from UC Davis take out $14,916 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on History at University of California - Davis

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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Southern California is a great place for history students. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

History majors at USC take out an average of $12,500 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $709.

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With a ranking of #6, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on this year’s best schools for history students. UCLA is a very large public school located in the city of Los Angeles.

History majors at UCLA take out an average of $14,200 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $241, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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With a ranking of #7, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on this year’s best schools for history students. UCSB is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Santa Barbara.

While working on their degree, history majors at UCSB accumulate an average of around $18,000 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $255, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for history students. It came in at #8 on the list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.

While working on their degree, history majors at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo accumulate an average of around $17,003 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $281, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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University of California - San Diego did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for history students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public college with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, history majors at UCSD accumulate an average of around $19,000 in student debt.

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#10

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, CA

Sonoma State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best History Schools in California ranking. SSU is a moderately-sized public school located in the large suburb of Rohnert Park.

History majors at SSU take out an average of $15,742 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full History at Sonoma State University Report

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Best History Colleges in the Far Western US Region

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

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

History Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
History 32,731

Related Major Annual Graduates
Education 327,871
Social Sciences 205,984
Psychology 195,678
Communication & Journalism 120,571
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences 55,820

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Abraham Ortelius.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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