2023 Best Value Mathematics Schools in California
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Mathematics School for You
Mathematics is the #16 most popular major in California with 7,199 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Mathematics Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 23 schools in California to see which programs offered the best value experiences for math 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. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Featured Math Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
If you have a knack for mathematics and an interest in learning more, study online to achieve your career goals at Southern New Hampshire University. Our mathematics degree can help you enhance your mathematical abilities, including reasoning and problem-solving in three areas: analysis, algebra and statistics.
Top 10 Best Mathematics Schools
Our analysis found California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo to be the best value school for mathematics students who want to pursue a degree in California. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $10,195 per year. While working on their degree, math majors at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo accumulate an average of around $17,101 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 $240.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also claimed a spot on our Best Mathematics Schools in California list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
Read full report on Mathematics at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Mathematics Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Northridge, CSUN is a public school with a fairly large student population.
CSUN undergraduate students pay an average of $7,043 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, math graduates from CSUN carry an average student debtload of $12,830.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Mathematics Schools in California list. CSULB is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Long Beach.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSULB are $6,846 per year. The average amount in student loans that math majors at CSULB take out is $13,333.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Mathematics Schools in California list. UCLA is a very large public school located in the city of Los Angeles.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UCLA are $13,258 a year. While working on their degree, math majors at UCLA accumulate an average of around $13,000 in student debt.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UCLA also is in the top 10% of our Best Mathematics Schools in California ranking.
Read full report on Mathematics at University of California - Los Angeles
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The excellent programs at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best mathematics schools in California. Located in the suburb of Pomona, Cal Poly Pomona is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal Poly Pomona are $7,439 a year. Math majors at Cal Poly Pomona take out an average of $14,212 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Mathematics at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Report
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California State University - Monterey Bay came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Mathematics Schools in California ranking. Located in the suburb of Seaside, CSUMB is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUMB are $7,218 per year. While working on their degree, math majors at CSUMB accumulate an average of around $14,791 in student debt.
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California State University - Sacramento did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for mathematics students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the large city of Sacramento, Sac State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Sac State are $7,392 a year. The average amount in student loans that math majors at Sac State take out is $17,454.
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University of California - Berkeley ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Mathematics Schools in California list. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Berkeley.
UC Berkeley undergraduate students pay an average of $14,226 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Math majors at UC Berkeley take out an average of $18,700 in student loans while working on their egree.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UC Berkeley is ranked #3 for overall quality for math in California.
Read full report on Mathematics at University of California - Berkeley
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California State University - East Bay ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Mathematics Schools in California list. Located in the large suburb of Hayward, Cal State East Bay is a public school with a large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal State East Bay are $6,995 per year.
Full Mathematics at California State University - East Bay Report
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San Diego State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Mathematics Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public college with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SDSU are $8,136 a year. Math majors at SDSU take out an average of $8,619 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Mathematics at San Diego State University Report
Request InformationBest Value Mathematics Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Mathematics Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 425 |
| Oregon | 390 |
| Nevada | 117 |
| Hawaii | 64 |
| Alaska | 14 |
More Mathematics Rankings in California
Other Related Math Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
If you have a knack for mathematics and an interest in learning more, study online to achieve your career goals at Southern New Hampshire University. Our mathematics degree can help you enhance your mathematical abilities, including reasoning and problem-solving in three areas: analysis, algebra and statistics.
BA in Mathematics - Applied Mathematics
Put mathematical concepts to work to solve today's most complex real-world problems by studying applied mathematics with this specialized online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
Mathematics Related Majors for Math
One of 4 majors within the area of study, mathematics has other similar majors worth exploring.
Majors Similar to Math
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Applied Mathematics | 11,107 |
| Statistics | 9,979 |
| Other Statistics | 644 |
| Applied Statistics | 464 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 23 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.