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Best Value International Studies Schools in California

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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.

2023 Best Value International Studies Schools in California

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

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 city of San Jose.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at San Jose State are $7,852 a year.

San Jose State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best International Studies Schools in California list.

Full International Studies at San Jose State University Report

$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 midsize suburb of Seaside, CSUMB is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUMB are $7,218 per year. After completing their degree, international studies graduates from CSUMB carry an average student debtload of $14,892.

Read More…

$14,226 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of California - Berkeley is a great value for international studies students. UC Berkeley is a very large public school located in the city of Berkeley.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UC Berkeley are $14,226 a 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.

Read full report on International Studies at University of California - Berkeley

$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 large city of Long Beach.

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

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$13,258 Average Tuition & Fees

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 #5 on this year’s Best Value International Studies Schools in California list. UCLA is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UCLA are $13,258 per year. On average, international studies graduates from UCLA take out $12,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

In addition to its great value ranking, UCLA is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best International Studies Schools in California list.

Read full report on International Studies at University of California - Los Angeles

With a ranking of #6, University of California - San Diego did quite well on this year’s best value schools for international studies students. Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public school with a very 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.

UCSD 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.

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$14,417 Average Tuition & Fees

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value international studies programs. UCSB is a fairly large public school located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UCSB are $14,417 a 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.

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

Read More…

$13,775 Average Tuition & Fees

University of California - Irvine came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value International Studies Schools in California ranking. UC Irvine is a very large public school located in the city of Irvine.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UC Irvine are $13,775 a 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

#9

San Diego State University

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

San Diego State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value International Studies Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public school with a very large student population.

SDSU undergraduate students pay an average of $8,136 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on International Studies at San Diego State University

#10

National University

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

National University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value International Studies Schools in California list. 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.

Read full report on International Studies at National University

Best Value International Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value International Studies Colleges 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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