2023 Best Value Psychology Schools in California
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Psychology School for You
In 2020-2021, psychology students earned 40,562 degrees and certificates from a California school, making the subject the 5th in the state.
There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Psychology Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 75 schools in California to see which programs offered the best value experiences for psychology students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. 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.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 15% Best Psychology Schools
Our 2023 rankings named San Jose State University the best value school in California for psychology students. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Jose.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at San Jose State are $7,852 per year.
San Jose State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Psychology Schools in California list.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means California State University - Long Beach is a great value for psychology students. CSULB is a fairly large public school located in the city of Long Beach.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSULB are $6,846 a year. Psychology majors at CSULB take out an average of $13,750 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Psychology at California State University - Long Beach Report
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means California State University - Sacramento is a great value for psychology students. Located in the city of Sacramento, Sac State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Sac State are $7,392 per year. On average, psychology graduates from Sac State take out $15,000 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $179.
Full Psychology at California State University - Sacramento Report
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The excellent programs at Touro University Worldwide helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best psychology schools in California. TUW is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Los Alamitos.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at TUW are $14,640 a year. The average amount in student loans that psychology majors at TUW take out is $21,708.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, TUW also is in the top 15% of our Best Psychology Schools in California ranking.
Full Psychology at Touro University Worldwide Report
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools in California list. Cal State Fullerton is a very large public school located in the suburb of Fullerton.
Cal State Fullerton undergraduate students pay an average of $6,976 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, psychology majors at Cal State Fullerton accumulate an average of around $13,672 in student debt.
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California State University - Monterey Bay came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools in California ranking. 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. On average, psychology graduates from CSUMB take out $13,000 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $220, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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California State University - Northridge ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Northridge, CSUN is a public school with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUN are $7,043 per year. On average, psychology graduates from CSUN take out $12,990 in student loans while working on their degree.
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California State University - Fresno did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for psychology students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the large city of Fresno, Fresno State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Fresno State are $6,653 per year. On average, psychology graduates from Fresno State take out $13,855 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Sonoma State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools in California ranking. SSU is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Rohnert Park.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SSU are $7,988 a year. After completing their degree, psychology graduates from SSU carry an average student debtload of $15,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $254.
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With a ranking of #10, California State University - San Marcos did quite well on this year’s best value schools for psychology students. Located in the suburb of San Marcos, CSUSM is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSUSM are $7,727 a year. While working on their degree, psychology majors at CSUSM accumulate an average of around $16,750 in student debt.
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California State University - Dominguez Hills ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools in California list. CSUDH is a large public school located in the city of Carson.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUDH are $7,060 per year. On average, psychology graduates from CSUDH take out $13,323 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Psychology at California State University - Dominguez Hills Report
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Here are some additional great value schools for Psychology students in the state of California seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Psychology Schools in California award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | San Francisco State University | San Francisco, CA |
| 13 | California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo | San Luis Obispo, CA |
| 14 | Brandman University | Irvine, CA |
| 15 | California State University - Stanislaus | Turlock, CA |
Best Value Psychology Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Psychology Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 2,848 |
| Oregon | 2,071 |
| Hawaii | 511 |
| Nevada | 996 |
| Alaska | 133 |
More Psychology Rankings in California
Majors Related to Psychology
Psychology Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Psychology | 141,695 |
| Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology | 33,758 |
| Child Development & Psychology | 17,542 |
| Other Psychology | 2,683 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Education | 327,871 |
| Social Sciences | 205,984 |
| Communication & Journalism | 120,571 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 55,820 |
| History | 32,731 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 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 Nevit Dilmen.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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