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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 2023 rankings named San Jose State University the best value school in California for international studies students. San Jose State is a very large public school located in the city of San Jose.

San Jose State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,852 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, San Jose State also is in the top 20% of our Best International Studies Schools in California ranking.

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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 moderately-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.

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$14,226 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value International Studies Schools in California list. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley.

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

UC Berkeley also took the #3 spot in our Best International Studies Schools in California rankings.

Full International Studies at University of California - Berkeley Report

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$6,846 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at California State University - Long Beach helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best international studies schools in California. CSULB is a very large public school located in the large city of Long Beach.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSULB are $6,846 a 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 be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value International Studies Schools in California list. UCLA is a fairly large public school located in the 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.

UCLA 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.

Full International Studies at University of California - Los Angeles Report

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University of California - San Diego came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value International Studies Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public college with a very large student population.

UCSD undergraduate students pay an average of $14,700 in in-state tuition and fees each 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.

Full International Studies at University of California - San Diego Report

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$14,417 Average Tuition & Fees

University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value International Studies Schools in California ranking. UCSB is a very large public school located in the medium-sized 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.

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.

Full International Studies at University of California - Santa Barbara Report

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$13,775 Average Tuition & Fees

University of California - Irvine landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value international studies programs. UC Irvine is a fairly 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.

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#9

San Diego State University

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

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

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

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#10

National University

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

National University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value international studies programs. Located in the large city of La Jolla, National University is a private not-for-profit school with a 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

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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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