2023 Best Value General Social Sciences Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best General Social Sciences 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 Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 26 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value 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 Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Santa Rosa Junior College the best value school in California for general social sciences students. SRJC is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Santa Rosa.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SRJC are $1,328 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, SRJC also did well on our Best General Social Sciences Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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The excellent programs at East Los Angeles College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best general social sciences schools in California. East Los Angeles College is a very large public school located in the suburb of Monterey Park.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at East Los Angeles College are $1,238 per year. Social Sciences majors at East Los Angeles College take out an average of $5,500 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full General Social Sciences at East Los Angeles College Report
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Butte College is a great value for general social sciences students. Butte College is a moderately-sized public school located in the rural area of Oroville.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Butte College are $1,368 per year. On average, social sciences graduates from Butte College take out $10,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Out of the 26 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, American River College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Sacramento, American River is a public school with a very large student population.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Barstow Community College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value General Social Sciences Schools in California list. Barstow Community College is a small public school located in the town of Barstow.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Barstow Community College are $1,104 per year. While working on their degree, social sciences majors at Barstow Community College accumulate an average of around $6,559 in student debt.
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Mt. San Jacinto College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Social Sciences Schools in California ranking. MSJC is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of San Jacinto.
MSJC undergraduate students pay an average of $1,406 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that social sciences majors at MSJC take out is $5,500.
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Antelope Valley College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Social Sciences Schools in California ranking. Located in the large suburb of Lancaster, Antelope Valley College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Antelope Valley College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,124 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, social sciences graduates from Antelope Valley College carry an average student debtload of $9,875.
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San Jose State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Social Sciences Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at San Jose State are $7,852 a year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, San Jose State also is in the top 20% of our Best General Social Sciences Schools in California ranking.
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California State University - Monterey Bay came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Social Sciences Schools in California ranking. CSUMB is a moderately-sized public school located in the 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 $13,725 in student loans while working on their degree.
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California State University - San Marcos landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value general social sciences programs. CSUSM is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of San Marcos.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUSM are $7,727 per year. While working on their degree, social sciences majors at CSUSM accumulate an average of around $16,650 in student debt.
Read full report on General Social Sciences at California State University - San Marcos
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 26 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.