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Best Value Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

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2023 Best Value Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

47 Colleges
$9,099 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$47,696 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Economics Bachelor's Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, 10,510 degrees and certificates were awarded to economics students who went to a California college or university. This makes it the #12 most popular major 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. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 47 schools in California to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best value experiences for economics 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.

2023 Best Value Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California

Check out the economics bachelor's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named California State University - Channel Islands the best value school in California for economics students working on their bachelor’s degree. CSUCI is a moderately-sized public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Camarillo.

CSUCI undergraduate students pay an average of $6,817 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that economics majors at CSUCI take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $15,851.

Full Economics at California State University - Channel Islands Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State University - East Bay. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the large suburb of Hayward, Cal State East Bay is a public college with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal State East Bay are $6,995 a year. Economics majors at Cal State East Bay take out an average of $17,616 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of Fresno, Fresno State is a public school with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Fresno State are $6,653 per year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, economics majors at Fresno State accumulate an average of around $14,708 in student debt.

Full Economics at California State University - Fresno Report

Out of the 47 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jose State University landed the # 4 spot on the list. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Jose.

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

Read full report on Economics at San Jose State University

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of California - Berkeley helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value economics schools in California. UC Berkeley is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Berkeley.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UC Berkeley are $14,226 per year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, economics graduates from UC Berkeley carry an average student debtload of $13,817. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $378.

UC Berkeley also claimed a spot on our Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

Read full report on Economics at University of California - Berkeley

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree economics programs. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public school located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo undergraduate students pay an average of $10,195 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $367, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list.

Full Economics at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Report

With a ranking of #7, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on this year’s best value schools for economics students working on their bachelor’s degree. Cal State Fullerton is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Fullerton.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal State Fullerton are $6,976 a year. The average amount in student loans that economics majors at Cal State Fullerton take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $14,363.

Full Economics at California State University - Fullerton Report

California State University - Sacramento landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree economics programs. Located in the city of Sacramento, Sac State is a public school with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Sac State are $7,392 per year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, economics graduates from Sac State carry an average student debtload of $19,610.

Read full report on Economics at California State University - Sacramento

#9

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA

With a ranking of #9, San Diego State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for economics students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of San Diego, SDSU is a public college with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SDSU are $8,136 per year. Economics majors at SDSU take out an average of $16,928 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $221.

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California State University - Long Beach ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. 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 Bachelor's Degree, economics majors at CSULB accumulate an average of around $16,335 in student debt.

Full Economics at California State University - Long Beach Report

Best Value Economics Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value Economics Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 713
Oregon 596
Nevada 147
Hawaii 92
Alaska 17

One of 12 majors within the area of study, economics has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Political Science & Government 49,282
Sociology 38,475
General Social Sciences 18,997
International Relations & National Security 14,306
Anthropology 11,415

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 pixabay.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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