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Most Popular International Studies Schools in California

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2023 Most Popular International Studies Schools in California

36 Colleges
$34,635 Avg Salary
$16,885 Avg Student Debt

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 assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Most Popular International Studies Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 36 schools in California to see which ones were the most popular programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the International Studies program at each school on the list.

The following schools top our list of the Most Popular International Studies Colleges.

Our analysis found University of California - San Diego to be the most popular school for international studies students who want to pursue a degree in California. Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public college with a fairly large student population.

On average, international studies graduates from UCSD take out $15,500 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $247.

Full International Studies at University of California - San Diego Report

The excellent programs at University of California - Santa Barbara helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best international studies schools in California. UCSB is a very large public school located in the suburb of Santa Barbara.

International Studies majors at UCSB take out an average of $14,370 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $295, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on International Studies at University of California - Santa Barbara

Out of the 36 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the # 3 spot on the list. UC Irvine is a very large public school located in the large city of Irvine.

On average, international studies graduates from UC Irvine take out $16,336 in student loans while working on their degree. 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

Out of the 36 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the # 4 spot on the list. UC Berkeley is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley.

Full International Studies at University of California - Berkeley Report

#5

Pepperdine University

Malibu, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pepperdine University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular International Studies Schools in California list. Located in the large suburb of Malibu, Pepperdine is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

International Studies majors at Pepperdine take out an average of $25,733 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read More…

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for international studies students. CSULB is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Long Beach.

The average amount in student loans that international studies majors at CSULB take out is $19,364.

Read full report on International Studies at California State University - Long Beach

With a ranking of #7, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for international studies students. UCLA is a very large public school located in the city of Los Angeles.

International Studies majors at UCLA take out an average of $12,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full International Studies at University of California - Los Angeles Report

With a ranking of #8, California State University Maritime Academy did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for international studies students. Located in the midsize city of Vallejo, Cal Maritime is a public school with a small student population.

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University of California - Riverside came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular International Studies Schools in California ranking. UCR is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Riverside.

Full International Studies at University of California - Riverside Report

University of Southern California did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for international studies students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Full International Studies at University of Southern California Report

Best International Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Most Popular 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 27 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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