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Best Value International Studies Schools in California

2023 Best Value International Studies Schools in California

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

16 Colleges
$22,364 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$34,635 Avg Salary

Finding the Best International Studies School for You

International Studies is the #68 most popular major in California with 1,569 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value International Studies Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 16 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value programs for international studies students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.

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

Top 10 Best International Studies Schools

Our analysis found San Jose State University to be the best value school for international studies students who want to pursue a degree in California. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Jose.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at San Jose State are $7,852 per year.

San Jose State also claimed a spot on our Best International Studies Schools in California list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Full International Studies at San Jose State University Report

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$7,218 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 16 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Monterey Bay landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Seaside, CSUMB is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

CSUMB undergraduate students pay an average of $7,218 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, international studies graduates from CSUMB carry an average student debtload of $14,892.

Read full report on International Studies at California State University - Monterey Bay

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$14,226 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at University of California - Berkeley helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best international studies schools in California. UC Berkeley is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Berkeley.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UC Berkeley are $14,226 per year.

UC Berkeley not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best International Studies Schools in California list.

Full International Studies at University of California - Berkeley Report

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$6,846 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 16 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the # 4 spot on the list. CSULB is a fairly large public school located in the city of Long Beach.

CSULB undergraduate students pay an average of $6,846 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, international studies majors at CSULB accumulate an average of around $19,364 in student debt.

Full International Studies at California State University - Long Beach Report

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$13,258 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at University of California - Los Angeles helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best international studies schools in California. 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. On average, international studies graduates from UCLA take out $12,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UCLA also is in the top 10% of our Best International Studies Schools in California ranking.

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University of California - San Diego landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value international studies programs. Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UCSD are $14,700 a year. International Studies majors at UCSD take out an average of $15,500 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 $247.

In addition to its great value ranking, UCSD is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best International Studies Schools in California list.

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

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$14,417 Average Tuition & Fees

University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for international studies students. It came in at #7 on the list. UCSB is a fairly large public school located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UCSB are $14,417 per year. After completing their degree, international studies graduates from UCSB carry an average student debtload of $14,370. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $295, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

UCSB also claimed a spot on our Best International Studies Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

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$13,775 Average Tuition & Fees

University of California - Irvine did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for international studies students. It came in at #8 on the list. UC Irvine is a very large public school located in the large city of Irvine.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UC Irvine are $13,775 per year. While working on their degree, international studies majors at UC Irvine accumulate an average of around $16,336 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $171, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full International Studies at University of California - Irvine Report

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#9

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA
$8,136 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, San Diego State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for international studies students. Located in the large city of San Diego, SDSU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SDSU are $8,136 per year.

Read full report on International Studies at San Diego State University

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#10

National University

La Jolla, CA
$13,320 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #10, National University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for international studies students. Located in the large city of La Jolla, National University is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at National University are $13,320 per year.

Full International Studies at National University Report

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Best Value International Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value International Studies Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 89
Oregon 166
Nevada 1
Hawaii 17
Alaska 8

International Studies is one of 44 different types of programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Other Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies 34,975
Biological & Physical Science 30,075
Interdisciplinary Studies 9,074
Nutrition Science 5,330
Behavioral Science 4,169

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 16 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Yerpo.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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