2023 Best Value General Social Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best General Social Sciences Bachelor's Degree School for You
General Social Sciences is the #13 most popular major in California with 9,314 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value General Social Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 18 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value bachelor's degree programs for social sciences 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. 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.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best General Social Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named San Jose State University the best value school in California for general social sciences students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
San Jose State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,852 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Full General Social Sciences at San Jose State University Report
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means California State University - Monterey Bay is a great value for general social sciences students working on their bachelor’s degree. CSUMB is a medium-sized public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Seaside.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUMB are $7,218 per year. On average, social sciences graduates from CSUMB take out $16,440 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means California State University - San Marcos is a great value for general social sciences students working on their bachelor’s degree. CSUSM is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of San Marcos.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSUSM are $7,727 a year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, social sciences majors at CSUSM accumulate an average of around $18,233 in student debt.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at California State University - Sacramento helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value general social sciences schools in California. Sac State is a very large public school located in the large city of Sacramento.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Sac State are $7,392 a year.
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Out of the 18 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - San Bernardino landed the # 5 spot on the list. CSUSB is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of San Bernardino.
CSUSB undergraduate students pay an average of $7,213 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, social sciences majors at CSUSB accumulate an average of around $16,653 in student debt.
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California State University - Stanislaus ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Turlock, Stan State is a public college with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Stan State are $7,644 a year. On average, social sciences graduates from Stan State take out $21,129 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
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California State University - Chico landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree general social sciences programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Chico, Chico State is a public school with a large student population.
Chico State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,864 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Social Sciences majors at Chico State take out an average of $20,350 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
Full General Social Sciences at California State University - Chico Report
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San Diego State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. SDSU is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Diego.
SDSU undergraduate students pay an average of $8,136 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that social sciences majors at SDSU take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $19,390.
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National University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. National University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of La Jolla.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at National University are $13,320 per year.
National University excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list.
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Brandman University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree general social sciences programs. Located in the large city of Irvine, Brandman is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Brandman are $12,480 a year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, social sciences graduates from Brandman carry an average student debtload of $36,698.
Brandman also claimed a spot on our Best General Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
Request InformationBest Value General Social Sciences Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value General Social Sciences Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 518 |
| Oregon | 614 |
| Nevada | 32 |
| Hawaii | 134 |
| Alaska | 21 |
More General Social Sciences Rankings in California
Majors Related to Social Sciences
One of 12 majors within the area of study, general social sciences has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related to Social Sciences
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Political Science & Government | 49,282 |
| Economics | 49,055 |
| Sociology | 38,475 |
| International Relations & National Security | 14,306 |
| Anthropology | 11,415 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 18 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 Manfred Werner (Tsui).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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