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Best Value Child Development & Psychology Schools in California

2023 Best Value Child Development & Psychology Schools in California

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

20 Colleges
$25,170 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$37,767 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Child Development & Psychology School for You

With 4,035 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, child development and psychology is the #32 most popular major in California.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Child Development & Psychology Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 20 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value programs for child development students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

Top 10 Best Child Development & Psychology Schools

$7,043 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named California State University - Northridge the best value school in California for child development and psychology students. CSUN is a fairly large public school located in the city of Northridge.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUN are $7,043 per year.

Full Child Development & Psychology at California State University - Northridge Report

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#2

Brandman University

Irvine, CA
$12,480 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Brandman University is a great value for child development and psychology students. Located in the large city of Irvine, Brandman is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

Brandman undergraduate students pay an average of $12,480 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Brandman also claimed a spot on our Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

Full Child Development & Psychology at Brandman University Report

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$7,213 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at California State University - San Bernardino helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best child development and psychology schools in California. CSUSB is a large public school located in the medium-sized city of San Bernardino.

CSUSB undergraduate students pay an average of $7,213 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, child development graduates from CSUSB carry an average student debtload of $19,100.

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$14,645 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at University of California - Davis helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best child development and psychology schools in California. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public school with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UC Davis are $14,645 per year. While working on their degree, child development majors at UC Davis accumulate an average of around $13,491 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $283.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UC Davis also is in the top 15% of our Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in California ranking.

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$14,226 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Child Development & Psychology Schools in California list. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UC Berkeley are $14,226 a year. Child Development majors at UC Berkeley take out an average of $12,518 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $266, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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 child development in California.

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$14,417 Average Tuition & Fees

University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child Development & Psychology Schools in California ranking. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public college with a fairly large student population.

UCSB undergraduate students pay an average of $14,417 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, child development graduates from UCSB carry an average student debtload of $15,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $311.

In addition to its great value ranking, UCSB is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in California list.

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$13,775 Average Tuition & Fees

University of California - Irvine came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child Development & Psychology Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UC Irvine are $13,775 per year. While working on their degree, child development majors at UC Irvine accumulate an average of around $14,300 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $156.

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$13,258 Average Tuition & Fees

University of California - Los Angeles came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child Development & Psychology Schools in California ranking. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UCLA are $13,258 a year. The average amount in student loans that child development majors at UCLA take out is $17,651. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $361.

UCLA excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in California list.

Full Child Development & Psychology at University of California - Los Angeles Report

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$12,712 Average Tuition & Fees

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value child development and psychology programs. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, The Chicago School Los Angeles Campus is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at The Chicago School Los Angeles Campus are $12,712 per year.

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University of California - San Diego landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value child development and psychology programs. UCSD is a very large public school located in the city of La Jolla.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UCSD are $14,700 a year. The average amount in student loans that child development majors at UCSD take out is $15,500.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UCSD also is in the top 20% of our Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in California ranking.

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Best Value Child Development & Psychology Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value Child Development & Psychology Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 672
Oregon 5
Nevada 52

One of 3 majors within the area of study, child development and psychology has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Child Development

Related Major Annual Graduates
General Psychology 141,695
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology 33,758
Other Psychology 2,683

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 20 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.

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